Today in History

1653 – Oliver Cromwell becomes lord protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.

1773 – American colonists, dressed as Native Americans, dump 342 chests of tea from a British ship in Boston Harbour, in a protest against taxation that becomes known as the Boston Tea Party.

1809 – Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine by an act of the French Senate.

1905 – The All Black ‘‘Originals’’ lose 3-0 to Wales in Cardiff – their only defeat in a 35-match tour of Europe and North America.

1916 – Grigori Rasputin, left, a monk who wielded powerful influence over the Russian tsar, is murdered in St Petersburg.

1944 – Nazi Germany launches Ardennes Offensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge.

1950 – US President Harry Truman proclaims a national state of emergency to fight Communist imperialism.

1966 – United Nations Security Council votes 11-0 to invoke economic sanctions against white minority government in Rhodesia.

1971 – Pakistani troops surrender East Pakistan after a war with its rebels and their Indian allies. The territory soon becomes the independent nation of Bangladesh.

1991 – The UN General Assembly rescinds a 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism by 111-25 votes.

2014 – A 16-hour siege inside the Lindt cafe in Martin Place, Sydney, ends with three deaths, including hostage taker Man Haron Monis.

Birthdays

Catherine of Aragon, Spanish-born English queen (1485-1536); Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (1770-1827); Jane Austen, UK author (1775-1817); Sir Noel Coward, UK dramatist (1899-1973); Margaret Mead, US anthropologist (1901-78); Arthur C Clarke, UK-born author (1917-2008); Benny Andersson, Swedish musician (1946-); Rodney Hide, NZ politician (1956-); Sir John Kirwan, All Black (1964-).