ON THIS DAY DECEMBER 6

1240 The invading Mongols occupy and destroy Kiev.

1424 Don Alfonso V of Aragon grants Barcelona the right to exclude Jews.

1735 First recorded appendectomy, at St George’s Hospital in London.

1745 The army of “The Highland Laddie”, Bonnie Prince Charlie, retreats to Scotland after entering Derby, a mere 190km from London.

1853 Pieter Marais appointed official gold seeker in the Transvaal, after his discoveries in California, during the gold rush there.

1865 The Battle of Platberg is fought during the Orange Free State-Basotho War.

1907 A coal mine explosion in West Virginia kills 362 workers.

1912 The Nefertiti Bust – of the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, sculpted in 1345 BC, and one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt – is discovered.

1917 A munitions ship explodes off Nova Scotia, killing more than 1 900 people. A tidal wave caused by the explosion destroys much of the city of Halifax.

1956 A violent water polo match between Hungary and the USSR takes place at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Dubbed “blood in the water”, the game is called off with Hungary leading 4-0 and a near riot halted by police; Hungary go on to win the gold medal.

1963 Gifted batsman Graeme Pollock – regarded as South Africa’s greatest cricketer and one of the finest batsmen to have played Test cricket – makes his Test debut.

1971 The Democratic Republic of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is recognised by India. Pakistan then breaks off diplomatic relations with India.

1991 Headman Tshabalala, founder member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, is shot dead during a roadside argument near Durban.

1992 Hindus destroy a mosque in Ayodhya, India, leading to riots that kill 1 500 people.

1993 Twelve people are killed in Kathlehong, East Rand, as a result of the bloody feud between the ANC Youth League and SDUs (self-defence units).

2006 Nasa reveals photographs suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.

2017 US President Donald Trump’s administration recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

2017 “Supermassive”, the most distant black hole discovery, is announced by astronomers in the journal Nature. It is 13 billion light years away and 800 times bigger than the Sun.