ON THIS DAY

Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to France for £40 000.

Eight people die in the London Beer Flood when 1 470 000 litres of beer burst out of a brewery and gushed into the streets. The brewery was sued, but the disaster was ruled an act of God.

Great Britain annexes Griqualand, South Africa.

The Star newspaper makes its first appearance in Johannesburg as The Eastern Star. It was founded in Grahamstown under that title on January 6, 1871, and was moved to the Witwatersrand 16 years later by its owners, Thomas and George Sheffield.

Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

The Burma Railway (Burma– Thailand Railway) is completed.

Thirty-one South African pilots participate in the airlift to provide food and fuel to West Berlin.

Scores of Algerian protesters (up to 400, some claim) are massacred by the Paris police at the instigation of former Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Prefecture of Police.

German Autumn: Four days after it is hijacked, Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu, Somalia, where a team of German GSG 9 commandos later rescues all remaining hostages on board.

Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sachin Tendulkar becomes the highest run-scorer ever in Test cricket, beating Brian Lara’s record and passing 12 000 runs against Australia in Mohali.

A pipeline explodes in Nigeria when villagers try to siphon off oil. Between 400 and 700 people die in the blaze.

Ernie Els clinches a record sixth World Match Play title at Wentworth. Els celebrates his 35th birthday with a £1m pay cheque..