Today in History

1647 – First recorded American execution of a witch in Massachusetts.

1679 – The English Parliament passes the Habeas Corpus Act, protecting citizens against false arrest and imprisonment.

1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of St Petersburg.

1936 – Luxury liner Queen Mary begins its maiden voyage across Atlantic Ocean.

1937 – The Golden Gate Bridge, left, connecting San Francisco and Marin County, is opened to the public.

1941 – German battleship Bismarck is sunk by the Royal Navy off France, with the loss of 2300 lives. 1977 – The Sex Pistols release God Save the Queen during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, leading to its being banned by the BBC.

1995 – Actor Christopher Reeve is left paralysed when thrown from his horse in Virginia.

1987 – Celebrated New Zealand painter Colin Mccahon dies in Auckland.

2006 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta on Java island, killing 5782 people and leaving more than 130,000 homeless.

2014 – Australian entertainer Rolf Harris, 83, begins giving evidence at his sex abuse trial in England. He was convicted and jailed for five years and nine months.

2015 – The US Government condemns what it calls deep-seated and brazen corruption in football’s governing body, Fifa, indicting 14 influential figures on charges of racketeering and taking bribes.

Birthdays

Wild Bill Hickok, US gunfighter (1837-76); Vincent Price, US actor (1911-93); Herman Wouk, US writer (1915-2019); Christopher Lee, UK actor (1922-2015); Henry Kissinger, US politician (1923-); Neil Finn, NZ musician (1958-); Tana Umaga, All Black (1973-); Jamie Oliver, UK chef/ TV presenter (1975-); Beauden Barrett, All Black (1991-).