ON THIS DAY

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time.

William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London.

Lisbon is devastated by an earthquake and tsunami, which kill 60 000 to 90 000 people.

The decisive Battle of Bembesi is fought in the Ndebele War, Rhodesia. The Ngubi, Mbezu and Nsukamini regiments fight bravely, but are defeated by machine gun fire.

Willem Bok, the government commissioner after whom Boksburg was named, dies at age 57.

World’s first combat aerial bombing mission takes place in Libya during the Italo-Turkish War. Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti of Italy drops small bombs.

The first animal conceived by artificial insemination, a rabbit, is displayed.

Some 6 000 people die when a Chinese merchant ship explodes and sinks off southern Manchuria.

South African No 2 Squadron, known as Cheetah Squadron – comprising 50 officers and 157 other ranks, including 38 pilots, all volunteers and highly experienced – arrives in Japan bound for the Korean War (1950-1953). Two weeks later, and after acquainting themselves with the P-51 Mustang, they leave for the operational area. At the end of the war, casualties were 34 pilots and ground staff killed, eight pilots taken prisoners of war and a number wounded.

The government bans television coverage of unrest in black townships in the 38 magisterial districts where the State of Emergency is in force, except with permission from the Commissioner of Police. Curbs on newspaper reports are also imposed.

According to Willem Steenkamp in his book SA’s Border War 1966-1989, the final death toll was 715 SA soldiers, 1 087 Namibian civilians and 11 291 Swapo insurgents and Angolan soldiers.

South Africans vote in their first all-race local government elections and the ANC secures an impressive victory, consolidating its dominant role in South African politics.

Google’s Gmail becomes the world’s most popular email service.