Today in History

1781 – British troops under Lord Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the American Revolution war.

1937 – New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford, right, dies, aged 66.

1960 – The United States imposes a comprehensive embargo on exports to Cuba.

1966 – US President Lyndon Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, arrive at Ohakea airbase at the start of a whirlwind 24-hour visit to New Zealand. His visit, the first by a US president, was primarily to shore up support for the Vietnam War.

1985 – Take On Me, by Norwegian group a-Ha, reaches the top of US pop charts.

1987 – The stock market crashes as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges 508 points, or 22.6 per cent in value – its biggest-ever percentage drop in decades.

1992 – The Fred Hollows Foundation is launched in New Zealand, shortly after being founded in Australia, to treat eye problems in poorer countries. Well over a million people have had their sight restored as a result of Fred Hollows’ life’s work.

2011 – Hundreds of youths smash and loot stores in central Athens and clash with riot police during a massive anti-government rally against austerity measures.

2015 – Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party win Canada’s parliamentary election, 47 years after his father held the office of prime minister.

Birthdays

Empress Myeongseong, first emperor of Korean empire (1851-1895); Auguste Lumiere, Frenchman credited with making the first movie (1862-1948); John le Carre, British writer (1931-); Michael Gambon, British-Irish actor (1940-); John Lithgow, US actor (1945-); Sam Allardyce, English football manager (1954-); Jennifer Holliday, US singer (1960-); Cliff Lyons, Australian rugby league player (1961-).