ON THIS DAY

Bonfire of the Vanities: religious fanatics burn thousands of objects such as cosmetics, art, and books in Florence, Italy, on Shrove Tuesday festival.

Flooding along the Cape frontier near Peddie causes extensive damage.

The Boers beat superior British forces at the Battle of Ingogo.

George Walker discovers gold while laying foundations on the Witwatersrand.

British troops fail in their third attempt to lift the Siege of Ladysmith. Bubonic plague strikes Cape Town. Japanese Navy forces evacuate troops from Guadalcanal, ending attempts to retake the island.

Shoe rationing begins in US (may purchase up to three more pairs in 1942).

A light plane lands in Las Vegas after 65 days in the air. It was a publicity stunt for a hotel. Two pilots lived in the plane, working four-hour shifts and winching supplies up – including fuel and Christmas lunch – from a speeding truck.

A gas explosion in a German coal mine kills 298 miners.

Nigerian planes bomb a village in Biafra, killing more than 200 people.

David “Bubble bBy” Vetter, 12, touches his mother for the first time. Born with a disease that dramatically weakens the immune system, he died that year, having spent his life in a sterile “bubble”.

NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.

Mississippi officially certifies the Thirteenth Amendment, and is the last US state to approve the abolition of slavery.

The Los Angeles Times is bought by doctor Patrick Soon-Shiong for $500m.

A study finds all citrus fruit can be traced to the foothills of the Himalayas.