ON THIS DAY

1752 Pope Stephen II elected to succeed Zacharias, but dies two days later.

1775 American Revolutionary and Founding Father, Patrick Henry proclaims “Give me liberty or give me death”, speech in favour of Virginian troops joining US Revolutionary war.

1801 Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St Michael’s Castle.

1806 After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark begin their arduous journey home.

1846 Henry Warden makes the first known reference to Bloemfontein when he writes to the governor about a farm between Philippolis and Thaba Nchu with the name “Bloem Fontein”, belonging to JN Brits.

1857 Elisha Otis’s first lift is installed in New York City.

1881 The three-month siege of British soldiers in the Old Fort in Potchefstroom ends amicably with Boer leader Piet Cronje inviting the British officers to dinner at the Royal Hotel.

1888 In England, The Football League, the world’s oldest professional association football league, meets for the first time. 1918 Germany shells Paris, France, killing 256 people.

1919 In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement. 1921 Germany says it will be unable to meet its Great War reparation payments. 1933 The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator. 1939 The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovak air force, beginning the Slovak-hungarian War.

1944 RAF gunner Flight-sergeant

Nicholas Alkemade survives a jump from his Lancaster bomber from 18 000 feet (5 500m) over Germany without a parachute; his fall broken is by pine trees and soft snow, and he suffers only a sprained leg.

1945 The Swallow Sidecar Company headed by William Lyons agrees to change its name to Jaguar.

1956 Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world.

1972 Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel breaks 93 bones after successfully clearing 35 cars.

1987 Soap The Bold and the Beautiful premieres.

2018 A Sahara sandstorm turns snow in Sochi, Russia, orange in one of the largest transfers of desert sand. | The Historian