Today in History
1566 – Nostradamus, French physician and reputed seer, dies. 1776 – The Continental Congress declares American independence. 1823 – Portuguese rule in Brazil ends, with the final defeat of crown loyalists in Bahia province.
1865 – William Booth and his wife Catherine found the Salvation Army as the East London Christian Mission.
1881 – US President James
Garfield, left, is shot in Washington DC. He dies 80 days later, of blood poisoning.
1937 – US aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanish while trying to cross the Pacific.
1938 – Electric trains come to Wellington as electrified line between the central city and northern suburb of Johnsonville opens. US tennis player Helen Wills Moody wins her eighth Wimbledon singles title.
1961 – Death of author Ernest Hemingway.
1964 – US President Lyndon B Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act against racial discrimination.
1976 – North and South Vietnam are reunited officially after more than 20 years of war.
1990 – A stampede in a pedestrian tunnel linking Mecca and a tent city leaves 1400 pilgrims dead.
1993 – A floating shrine sinks in Bocaue, Philippines, killing 315 worshippers.
1994 – Colombian footballer Andres Escobar is killed in Medellin for accidentally scoring an own goal during a game against the US.
2002 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon.
Birthdays
Herman Hesse, German writer (1877-1962); Alec Douglas-Home, UK politician (1903-95); Wislawa Szymborska, Polish poet (1923-2012); Larry David, US actor (1947-); Jerry Hall, US model/actress (1956-); Lindsay Lohan, US actress (1986-); Margot Robbie, Australian actress (1990-).