Today in History

1776 – George Washington’s army crosses the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.

1854 – Pope Pius IX promulgates the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

1932 – The first issue of the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly goes on sale, promising ‘‘usefulness, cheerfulness and happiness’’ during the Depression.

1941 – New Zealand joins the United States, Britain and Australia in declaring war on Japan.

1942 – A fire sweeps through a locked ward of the Seacliff Mental Hospital, left, north of Dunedin, killing 37 female patients.

1949 – Chinese nationalists, losing ground to Mao Zedong’s communists, depart for Taiwan, where they establish their capital. 1972 – Whetu Tirikātene-Sullivan becomes the first female Māori Cabinet minister, in Norman Kirk’s

Labour government.

1974 – Greece votes decisively to become a republic and abolish the monarchy, which dates from 1832. 1980 – John Lennon is shot dead outside his apartment building in New York. He was 40.

1999 – A jury hearing a lawsuit filed by the Rev Martin Luther King’s family finds that the civil rights leader was the victim of a conspiracy. The US justice department reopened the case but found no evidence of a conspiracy. 2016 – John Glenn, first US astronaut to orbit Earth, dies at 95.

Birthdays

Horace, Latin poet (65BC-8BC); Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87); Diego Rivera, Mexican artist (18861957); Sammy Davis Jr, US singer/ actor (1925-90); Jim Morrison, US singer (1943-71); Bill Bryson, US writer (1951-); Kim Basinger, US actor (1953-); Sinead O’Connor, Irish singer (1966-); Nicki Minaj, US singer-songwriter (1982-); Daneka Wipiiti, NZ netballer (1982-); Simon van Velthooven, NZ cyclist (1988-)