ON THIS DAY

Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 9:1, NLTse).

Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

Adventurer, writer and a name synonymous with passion, Giacomo Casanova escapes from prison in Venice.

Scottish vet John Boyd Dunlop patents pneumatic bicycle tyre.

World War I: Battle of Beersheba: The “last successful cavalry charge in history” performed by the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade.

Spanish flu virus kills 21 000 in US alone in one week.

Failed assassination attempt on Benito Mussolini by 15-year-old Anteo Zamboni, who was lynched on the spot.

World War II’s Battle of Britain ends and with it the threat of invasion. Beaten in the air, the Luftwaffe would have been unable to provide cover for an invading ground force.

Suez Crisis: The UK and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.

Rhodesian commandos launch a raid across the border into Mozambique.

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and about 3 000 Sikhs are killed.

A pair in Coventry, England, ties for the world record for the longest singles tennis match at 80 hours 21 minutes.

American tennis star Venus Williams makes her professional debut at age 14 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over World No 58 Shaun Stafford in Oakland, California.

Nigerian political activist Ken SaroWiwa is one of eight people sentenced to death for killing four Ogoni leaders. Saro-Wiwa had prominently protested on behalf of the Ogonis against pollution of their land by oil companies. The murders are believed to have been carried out on the instructions of General Sani Abacha who led the country’s military regime.

Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted. | The Historian