TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS MONDAY, MAY 28, 2018

On this day in history:

585 BC - A solar eclipse occurred that had been predicted by Thales Miletus. 585 BC - The Persian-Lydian battle ended.

1533 - England’s Archbishop declared the marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn valid. 1805 - Napoleon was crowned in Milan, Italy.

1813 - Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth reach Mt York, from where they sight rich grazing land on the other side of the mountains.

1814 - Governor Macquarie offers a free pardon to absconded Tasmanian convicts, except for murderers. 1900 - Britain annexed the Orange Free State.

1918 - Azerbaijan declared independence.

1940 - During World War II, Belgium surrendered to Germany.

1961 - Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, was founded.

1987 - Mathias Rust, a 19-year-old West German pilot, landed a private plane in Moscow’s Red Square after evading Soviet air defences. He was released August 3, 1988. 1995 - An earthquake in the Russian town Neftegorsk killed at least 2000 people. It had a magnitude of 7.5.

1998 - Pakistan matched India with five nuclear test blasts. The US, Japan and other nations imposed economic sanctions. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said “Today, we have settled the score with India.”

1999 - In Milan, Italy, Leonardo de Vinci’s The Last Supper was put back on display after more than 20 years of restoration work.

2000 - 250,000 people walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the People’s Walk for Reconciliation during Corroboree 2000.

2002 - Russia became a limited partner in NATO with the creation of the NATO-Russia Council.

2010 - The Australian becomes Australia’s first newspaper to launch an iPad digital edition. 2011 - Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.