ON THIS DAY

1793: Austria and Prussia sign alliance against France.

1863: HMS Orpheus is wrecked near New Zealand, killing 190 people.

1964: Thousands of screaming fans greet The Beatles at the start of their first American tour.

1967: Sixty-two people die and more than 1200 homes are destroyed when “Black Tuesday” bushfires ravage southern Tasmania.

1974: Britain grants independence to small Caribbean island of Grenada.

1999: King Hussein dies of cancer after nearly half a century on the throne of Jordan.

2008: Journalist Ray Martin resigns after 30 years with the Nine Network.

Birthdays: Charles Dickens, English novelist (1812-1870)); Sir Russell Drysdale, Australian artist (1912-1981); Chris Rock, US comedian and actor (1966-).