ON THIS DAY, MAY 22

334BC Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia. Alexander remains undefeated in battle until his death in 323BC, by which time he has constructed one of the largest empires in ancient history and forged a reputation for being one of the most successful military commanders ever.

1176 The Hashshashin (from whom we get the word “assassins”) attempt to assassinate Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria.

1455 Richard, Duke of York, captures King Henry VI of England at St Albans, beginning the War of Roses.

1840 The transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.

1849 Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats. He is the only US president to hold a patent.

1859 Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes author, Boer War medic and editor at Bloemfontein’s The Friend, is born.

1919 Dendrochronology, using growth ring patterns in wood to date sites, is born.

1927 An earthquake near Xining, China causes 200 000 deaths.

1939 Germany and Italy sign a co-operation agreement, the Pact of Steel.

1973 US president Richard Nixon confesses his role in the Watergate cover-up.

1977 The Orient Express makes its final European scheduled run, after 94 years.

1987 The first Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand beating Italy in Auckland.

2010 Inter Milan become the only team to win the treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League.

2012 Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world at 634m.

2017 Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

2017 Donald Trump becomes the only sitting US president to visit Jerusalem’s Western Wall.

2017 Researchers report the birth of mice from frozen sperm stored on the International Space Station.

2017 The Western Cape declares a drought disaster – the worst in 113 years.