Today in history

1226 – Death of St Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order.

1574 – William of Orange raises Siege of Leiden in the Netherlands.

1866 – Italy and Austria sign a peace treaty in which Austria surrenders Venice and the surrounding region to Italy.

1888 – The New Zealand Natives rugby team play their first game on their British tour.

1918 – A German-austrian note is sent to the United States via Switzerland for aworldwar I armistice.

1929 – Name of Serbo-croat-slovene Kingdom is changed to Yugoslavia.

1941 – Germany’s Adolf Hitler announces the Soviet Union has been defeated inworldwar II and will never rise again.

1952 – First British atomic bomb is detonated on the Monte Bello Islands off northwestern Australia.

1981 – Irish nationalists at the Maze Prison near Belfast, Northern Ireland, end seven months of hunger strikes that had claimed 10 lives. 1990 – East and West Germany are united.

1994 – Jordan and Israel sign a peace agreement at White House.

1995 – The OJ Simpson trial ends with the former American football star being cleared of murdering his wife and amale friend. In 1997 he was found guilty in a civil lawsuit.

1997 – Earthquakes in central Italy injure 20 people and cause further damage to the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, which had been damaged by earthquakes a week earlier.

2005 – British comedian Ronnie Barker, the big half of the famous TV duo The Two Ronnies, dies aged 76.

2008 – The US enacts legislation for a historic US$700 billion government bailout of the battered financial industry.

2011 – Amanda Knox leaves prison after an Italian appeals court throws out the young American’smurder conviction in the sexual assault and stabbing death of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.

2016 – Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo wins the Malaysian Grand Prix for Red Bull, but nine Australians including a government adviser are arrested for stripping down to their underwear.

Today’s birthdays:

Charles Camille St Saens, French composer (1835-1921); Pierre Bonnard, French painter (1867-1947); James Herriot, British author and veterinarian (1916-1995);

Ray Lindwall,

Australian cricketer

(1921-1996);

Gary Troup,

NZ cricketer

(1952-); Gwen Stefani, US singer (1969-); Neve Campbell, US actress (1973-); Alicia Vikander, Swedish actor (1988-).