ON THIS DAY
323BC: Death of Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia, of malaria aged 33.
1878: The phonograph is demonstrated for the first time at the Royal Society of Victoria.
1886: Mysterious death by drowning of Bavaria’s “Mad” King Ludwig.
1945: Australian forces capture Brunei.
1951: Death of Ben Chifley, Australian Labor prime minister (1945-49).
1971: Australian woman Geraldine Brodrick gives birth to nine babies.
1990: East Germany begins final demolition of the Berlin Wall.
2016: Microsoft agrees to buy LinkedIn for $US26.2 billion in its biggest-ever deal.
Birthdays: William Butler Yeats, Irish poet (18651939); Slim Dusty, Australian country singer (1927-2003); Red Symons, Australian musician and TV personality (1949-).