Today in History

1128 – Pope Honorius II grants a sanction to the Knights Templar, declaring it an army of God.

1842 – A British army doctor reaches a sentry post in Afghanistan, the lone survivor of a 16,000strong Anglo-indian force that was massacred in the Khyber Pass.

1890 – ‘‘Torpedo Billy’’ Murphy wins the world featherweight boxing title, becoming the first New Zealander to win a world professional boxing crown.

1898 – Emile Zola publishes the manifesto J’accuse, an attack on French anti-semitism that sent Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus to jail.

1930 – New Zealand’s first cricket test ends in defeat to England in Christchurch, in less than two days of play.

1941 – Death of Irish writer James Joyce, left.

1964 – Karol Wojtyla, later Pope John Paul II, is appointed Archbishop of Krakow.

1966 – Robert C Weaver becomes the first black US cabinet member as he is appointed secretary of housing and urban development by President Lyndon Johnson.

1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer pleads guilty but insane to 15 mutilation killings in Milwaukee. He is killed by a fellow prisoner in 1994.

2004 – Harold Shipman, a British GP believed to have killed more than 200 patients in Manchester, is found hanged in his prison cell.

2012 – Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia runs aground off Italy, causing 32 deaths. Birthdays Joh Bjelke-petersen, Nz-born Australian politician (1911-2005); Michael Bond, UK writer (19262017); Edmund White, US writer (1940-); Nigel Cox, NZ writer (1951-2006); Paul Kelly, Australian musician (1955-); Jay Mcinerney, US writer (1955-); Julia Louis-dreyfus, US actress (1961-); Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer (1972-); Bic Runga, NZ singer (1976-); Orlando Bloom, UK actor (1977-); Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor (1990-).