On this day

274: Constantine the Great, Roman emperor who became a Christian, was born. 1879: The discovery of saccharin was reported by chemists Constantin Fahlberg and Professor Ira Pemson in Baltimore. 1881: The British were defeated by the Boers at the Battle of Majuba. 1900: The British Labour Party was founded. Ramsay MacDonald was its secretary and later became leader and Prime Minister. 1902: John Steinbeck, author (The Grapes Of Wrath), was born in California. 1933: The Reichstag building in Berlin was burned down - a ploy by the Nazis to suspend civil rights and press freedom. 1965: Goldie the Eagle escaped from London Zoo and settled in Regent’s Park. His freedom was followed by the media until his recapture on March 10. 1991: The Gulf War ended after Iraqi troops retreated and Kuwait was liberated.