ON THIS DAY

TODAY: Monday July 20, 2020

41 years ago (1979)

Our front page revealed MPs had voted resoundingly against bringing back capital punishment for murder by 362 votes to 243 after a motion was brought by Conservative backbencher Eldon Griffiths.

PM Margaret Thatcher, Northern Ireland Secretary Humphrey Atkins and Ulster Unionist Rev Iain Paisley were among those who voted in favour of restoring the death penalty which had been abolished in 1965.

46 years ago (1974)

Turkey invaded northern Cyprus after last-minute talks with Turkey in Athens failed. The incursion came after Greek Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios was deposed in a Greek-backed military coup.

The Turkish Cypriot communitiy feared military leaders would ignore their rights and push for unification with Greece.

60 years ago (1960)

Ceylon’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike made history by becoming the world’s first female prime minister.

Her Freedom Party won a landslide victory after pledging to look after the country’s poor. Ceylon became a republic in 1972 and was renamed Sri Lanka.