Today in History

1413 - Henry V is crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey.

1850 - First Sisters of Mercy in New Zealand arrive in Auckland with Bishop Pompallier.

1865 - Confederate general Robert E Lee surrenders his army in Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War.

1932 - Unemployed workers in Dunedin break into shops and try to storm the hospital board offices during the “angry autumn” in the depths of the Depression.

1940 - Germany invades Denmark and neutral Norway.

1959 - US architect Frank Lloyd Wright dies, aged 91; Nasa presents its first astronauts to the public. 1960 - South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd survives an assassination attempt, despite being twice shot in the face. He was stabbed to death in Parliament six years later.

1972 - Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis put on an opening stand of 387 for New Zealand against the West Indies in Guyana. It remains the fourth-highest opening partnership in test cricket.

1979 - Officials declare an end to the crisis at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, 12 days after a partial core meltdown.

2002 - More than 1 million people line the streets of London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. 2003 - Iraqis celebrate in Baghdad as the city falls to US forces.

2005 - Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles marry.

2021 - Prince Philip dies at Windsor Castle, aged 94.

Birthdays

Charles Baudelaire, French poet (1821-67); Joern Utzon, Danish architect (1918-2008); Hugh Hefner, Playboy creator (19262017); Tom Lehrer, US songwriter and mathematician (1928-); Fred Hollows, NZ ophthalmologist (1929-93); Sir Bill Birch, NZ politician (1934-); Bruce Robertson,

All Black (1952-2023); Paula Bennett, NZ politician (1969-).