Today in History
1871 – The English Football Association Challenge Cup Competition is formed, to become better known as the FA Cup.
1892 – The Wellington and Manawatu¯ Railway Company’s No 10 steam locomotive sets a world speed record for the narrow gauge, averaging 68kmh, hitting 103kmh near Tokomaru. 1944 – Adolf Hitler, right, is injured by a bomb in an attache case, an assassination attempt by German officers that leads to a brutal purge.
1951 – Jordan’s King Abdullah is assassinated in Jerusalem by a Palestinian nationalist.
1954 – Armistice for Indo-China is signed in Geneva, separating Vietnam into North and South.
1965 – Riots rock Mt Eden Prison in Auckland after a botched escape attempt. Wardens are taken hostage and a fire guts part of the prison.
1969 – US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘‘Buzz’’ Aldrin become the first men to set foot on the Moon.
1989 – Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest.
2012 – A gunman hurls a gas canister inside a theatre in Colorado screening the new
Batman movie and then opens fire, killing 12 and wounding nearly 60.
2015 – The United States and Cuba restore full diplomatic relations after more than five decades of frosty relations.
Birthdays
Edmund Hillary, New Zealand explorer (1919-2008); Natalie Wood, US actress (1938-1981); Pita Sharples, NZ politician (1941-); Chris Amon, NZ racing driver (1943-2016); Carlos Santana, Mexican guitarist (1947-); Ian Ferguson, NZ kayaking Olympian (1952-); Terri Irwin, USAustralian naturalist, widow of Steve Irwin (1964-); Gisele Bundchen, Brazilian model (1980-); Steven Adams, NZ basketball player (1993-); Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player (1996-).