TODAY IN HISTORY

1806 British forces laying siege to the French port Boulogne, firing Congreve rockets, the first British use of rocket-propelled missiles.

1809 Prince Klemens Metternich is appointed minister of foreign affairs for Austria.

1820 Henri Christophe, 53, revolutionary general and then despotic king of Haiti, shoots himself dead after his people revolt against him.

1856 Chinese authorities in Guangzhou (Canton), led by provincial governor Ye Mingchen, seize the pirate ship Arrow, formerly registered in Hong Kong. Britain uses this as an excuse to launch the Second Opium War on China.

1871 Peshtigo, Wisconsin, burns to the ground in hours, killing 1152 people. At the same time, the Great Chicago Fire destroys 10sq km; 250 die and 90,000 are homeless.

1895 Queen Min of Korea is murdered at Japanese instigation.

1908 Canberra is selected as national capital by 39-33 in a marathon ballot by the House of Representatives.