Today in History

1035 – Death of King Canute, of England, Denmark and Norway.

1603 – Sir Walter Raleigh’s high treason trial opens in Winchester, England.

1769 – French explorer Jean Francois Marie de Surville sights land – the Hokianga area – while sailing around the northern tip of New Zealand.

1859 – The first flying trapeze act is performed in Paris by Jules

Leotard, left, without a safety net. The bodyhugging costume he used was later named after him.

1864 – General William Sherman orders the destruction of the business district of Atlanta, Georgia, before embarking on his famous March to the Sea.

1912 – Search party finds remains of British explorer Captain Robert Scott and his companions after the ill-fated South Pole expedition; striking goldminer Fred Evans is seriously injured in a clash with police and strike-breakers in Waihi.

He dies the following day.

1942 – Start of Battle of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; British 8th Army under General Montgomery captures Tobruk, in Libya.

1948 – War crimes tribunal in Japan passes death sentences on former prime minister general Hideki Tojo and six colleagues on charges of breaching the laws and customs of war.

1974 – South Africa is suspended from the UN General Assembly over its racial policies.

1982 – Polish Solidarity union leader Lech Walesa is freed after 11 months’ detention in a state-owned hunting lodge.

Birthdays

Alexander Borodin, Russian composer (1833-1887); Princess Grace of Monaco (1929-82); Charles Manson, US cult leader and convicted murderer (1934-2017); Booker T Jones, US rock musician (1944-); Neil Young, Canadian singer (1945-); Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor (1980-).