TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Monday, December 30, 2019

On this day in history:

1460 - At the Battle of Wakefield, in England’s Wars of the Roses, the Duke of York was defeated and killed by the Lancastrians.

1879 - Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance was first performed, at Paignton, Devon, England.

1880 - The Transvaal was declared a republic. Paul Kruger became its first president. 1887 - A petition to Queen Victoria with over one million names of women appealing for public houses to be closed on Sundays was handed to the home secretary.

1919 - Lincoln’s Inn, in London, admitted the first female bar student.

1922 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed.

1927 - The first subway in the Orient was dedicated in Tokyo, Japan.

1935 - Italian bombers destroyed a Swedish Red Cross unit in Ethiopia.

1944 - King George II of Greece proclaimed a regency to rule his country, virtually renouncing the throne.

1947 - King Michael of Romania abdicated in favour of a Communist Republic. He claimed he was forced from his throne.

1993 - Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations.

1996 - A passenger train was bombed by Bodo separatists in India’s eastern state of Assam. At least 26 people were killed and dozens were seriously injured.

1998 - One of a set of stegosaurus prints stolen from a sacred Aboriginal site near Broome is recovered.

1996 - About 250,000 striking workers shut down vital services across Israel in protests against budget cuts proposed by Prime Minister Netanyahu. 1997 - More than 400 people were massacred in four villages in the single worst incident during Algeria’s insurgency. Birthdays

Rudyard Kipling 1865 - Shortstory writer

Michael Nesmith 1942 - Singer, musician (The Monkees) Davy Jones 1945 - Singer, musician (The Monkees) Roger Glover 1945 - Musician, songwriter (Rainbow)