ON THIS DAY
1653:
Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Long Parliament which had governed during the Civil War.
1657:
The Spanish fleet at Santa Cruz Bay was destroyed by the English under Admiral Blake.
1770:
Captain James Cook discovered New South Wales, Australia.
1841:
The Murders In The Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe, considered to be the first modern detective story, was published in the USA.
1887:
The world’s first motor race took place along the banks of the river Seine from the centre of Paris to Neuilly.
1889:
Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, the son of a customs official who changed his name from Schickelgruber.
1893:
Harold Lloyd, bespectacled comedian famous for his stunt scenes, was born in Nebraska. 1929:
The first Italian parliament made up exclusively of Fascists led by Benito Mussolini was opened by Victor Emmanuel III.
1972:
Apollo 16 landed on the moon.
1989:
Scientists said that the earth narrowly missed being struck by a passing asteroid weighing 400 million tons.
1999:
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 21 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School, Colorado.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
22 people were killed following a 12-hour shooting rampage in Nova Scotia.
BIRTHDAYS:
Leslie Phillips, actor, 97; George Takei, actor, 84; Peter Snow, TV reporter, 83; Ray Brooks, actor, 82; Michael Brandon, actor, 76; Jessica Lange, actress, 72; Louise Jameson, actress, 70; Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor, 60, Carmen Electra, model and actress, 49.