Today in History

1812 - US declares war on Britain.

1817 - The first Waterloo Bridge opens in London.

1928 - Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

1953 - Egypt becomes a republic and the monarchy is abolished, General Mohammad Naguib becomes the first president.

1954 - Pierre Mendès-France becomes Prime Minister of France. 1965 - Air Vice-Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky assumes office as premier of South Vietnam.

1975 - First North Sea oil pumps ashore in Britain.

1979 - US and Soviet Union sign the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna.

1983 - Li Xiannian is elected China’s first president since the 1960s. 1985 - US space shuttle Discovery, with Saudi Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, launches a satellite for the Arab world. 1988 - Turkey’s Premier Turgut Ozal is wounded slightly by gunman as he addresses a party convention in Ankara.

1990 - Civil war is officially declared in north-east Sri Lanka.

1992 - The Dubai Creek Golf Club and Marina Complex opens.