ON THIS DAY

1796:

English physician Edward Jenner performs the first successful vaccination, inoculating an eight-year-old boy against smallpox. Australian Mint opens in Sydney. Death of HJ Heinz, US manufacturer of “57 varieties” of food.

A Japanese submarine sinks the Australian hospital ship Centaur off the Queensland coast. Only 64 of the 333 on board survive.

British mandate in Palestine ends, and an independent state of Israel is formed. Australian one-dollar coin introduced. The hit television sitcom Seinfeld airs its final episode in the US after nine years on NBC.

Gabriel D Fahrenheit, German physicist (1686-1736); Eric Morecombe, English comedian (1926-1984); George Lucas, US film director and producer (1944-); Cate Blanchett, Australian actress (1969-).

1855: 1919: 1943: 1948: 1984: 1998: Birthdays: