Today in History

1782 – Americans and British sign preliminary peace in Paris, ending American Revolutionary War. 1900 – Death of Irish-born author Oscar Wilde.

1913 – Charlie Chaplin’s film debut, in Making a Living.

1949 – The National Party, led by Sidney Holland, right, wins its first general election, defeating Peter Fraser’s Labour government. 1993 – US President Bill Clinton signs into law the Brady bill, which requires a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.

1994 – Flames roar through the cruise ship Achille Lauro off Somalia. The ship, which was hijacked by PLO terrorists in 1985, sinks two days later.

1995 – The UN Security Council votes unanimously to end its 31⁄2-year peacekeeping mission in Bosnia by January 31.

1996 – US President Bill Clinton becomes the first American head of state to visit Northern Ireland.

2000 – South and North Korean relatives, separated for half a century, are reunited in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

2005 – Reports emerge from Iraq that Auckland University student Harmeet Sooden has been taken hostage by an insurgent group.

2010 – British police make 153 arrests during student demonstrations in London against proposed university tuition hikes.

2011 – The Queensland parliament passes the Civil Partnership Bill, allowing same-sex couples to enter into legally recognised civil unions.

Birthdays

Jonathan Swift, Anglo-Irish satirist (1667-1745); Mark Twain, US author (1835-1910); Sir Winston Churchill, UK statesman (1874-1965); Paddy Webb, Australian-born NZ trade unionist/MP (1884-1950); Ridley Scott, UK film director (1937-); Billy Idol, UK-born singer (1955-); Gary Lineker, UK footballer (1960-); Ben Stiller, US actor-director (1965-).