Today in History

1746 - French forces conquer Madras (now Chennai), India, after a brief siege.

1841 - The London to Brighton railway line opens.

1896 - British force under Horatio Kitchener takes Dongola in the Sudan.

1931 - Britain goes off the gold standard.

1942 - The Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber make its first flight.

1981 - Belize gains its independence from Britain.

1982 - Amin Gemayel is elected as president of Lebanon after his brother’s assassination.

1991 - Armenia gain its independence from the Soviet Union.

2003 - Nasa’s ageing Galileo spacecraft plunges into Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere.

2011 - The Iranian judiciary releases American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal.