Today in History

1525 - Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, is tortured and executed by Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes.

1825 - Britain and Russia sign a treaty settling the border between Canada and Alaska, then a Russian possession.

1933 - Nazi decree suppresses civil liberties in Germany.

1945 - Escaped Kiwi prisoner of war David Russell is captured and executed in Italy. He is awarded a posthumous George Cross.

1953 - James Watson and Francis Crick announce they have determined the structure of DNA.

1975 - An Underground train crashes into buffers at Moorgate station, London, killing 42 people.

1983 - The final episode of TV show M*A*S*H airs in the US, watched by 106 million viewers.

1986 - Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme is assassinated on a street in Stockholm while walking home from a cinema.

1990 - The Royal New Zealand Navy abolishes the rum ration - the last navy to do so; Soviet legislature passes a landmark law allowing citizens to acquire land and bequeath it to their children.

1991 - First Gulf War ends as Iraq accepts a ceasefire after its retreat from Kuwait.

1993 - Four federal agents and six members of the Branch Dravidian Christian sect are killed when authorities raid its headquarters in Waco, Texas. A 51-day standoff ensues. 1996 - Britain’s Princess Diana formally agrees to divorce Prince Charles.

2013 - Pope Benedict XVI resigns, aged 85.

Birthdays

Linus Pauling, US scientist (1901-94); Bugsy Siegel, US gangster (1906-47); Frank Gehry, Canadian- born architect (1929-); Mario Andretti, Italian-born racing driver (1940-); Brian Jones, Rolling Stones musician (194269); Ian Smith, NZ cricketer (1957-).