Today in History
1745 – Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) lands on the Scottish island of Eriskay in an attempt to reclaim the British throne for the Stuart dynasty.
1851 – The barque Maria is wrecked off Cape Terawhiti, on Wellington's southwestern coast, killing all but two of its 28 passengers and crew. The wreck provides more ammunition for settlers trying to convince the government of the need for a lighthouse.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company sells its first car, the Model A.
1945 – Marshal Philippe Pe´tain, head of France's collaborationist regime during World War II, goes on trial for treason; he is initially senteced to death, later commuted to life in prison because of his age and his service in World War I.
1952 – Yvette Williams, left, wins gold for New Zealand in the long jump at the Helsinki Olympics; a coup led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrows King Farouk I of Egypt, 1958 – The Queen names the first four women to be appointed as members of the House of Lords.
1967 – The first successful liver transplant is performed on 19-month-old Julie Rodriguez at the University of Colorado.
1969 – The BBC's successful snooker programme Pot Black is launched. It runs until 1986, is revived in 1991 to 1993 and again in 2005.
1973 – US President Richard Nixon refuses to release tapes of White House conversations relevant to the Watergate investigation. 1974 – Greece's military rulers announce they will return the nation to civilian rule. 1984 – Vanessa Williams, 21, the first black Miss America winner, resigns after nude photos of her are published.
1986 – Britain's Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London. 1997 – Slobodan Milosevic becomes president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and
Montenegro.
1999 – US astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to command a space shuttle mission, with the launch of the Nasa orbiter Columbia.
2011 – UK singer Amy Winehouse is found dead from a drug overdose, aged 27.
2019 – The British Conservative Party announces it has chosen Boris Johnson to replace Theresa May as leader. 2021 – Tennis star Naomi Osaka, right, lights the Olympic flame as the Tokyo Games, delayed for a year by the Covid pandemic, are officially opened.
Birthdays
Raymond Chandler, US writer (1888-1959); Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (18921975); Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Māori Queen (1931-2006); Richard Rogers, UK architect (1933-2021); Woody Harrelson, US actor (1961-); Philip Seymour Hoffman, US actor (1967-2014); Slash, UK/US musician, Guns N' Roses (1965-); Alison Krauss, US musician (1971-); Monica Lewinsky, White House intern (1973-); Daniel Radcliffe, UK actor (1989-).