NOW & THEN
8 FEBRUARY
1587: Mary Queen of Scots was executed after nearly 19 years of confinement for her implication in the Babington plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and restore Roman Catholicism in England. The execution took place at Fotheringay Castle, in Northamptonshire.
1765: A Russian peasant fathered his 69th child. His only wife had a series of multiple births – four lots of quadruplets, seven lots of triplets, and 16 pairs of twins. Almost all survived to adulthood.
1915: The film, The Birth Of A Nation, was released. It was the first film ever screened at the White House. Eighteen actors died during the filming by DW Griffith which involved a cast of 3,000 horses and 18,000 actors.
1921: Jan Smuts was elected first South African prime minister.
1940: Nazis shot every tenth person in two Polish villages near Warsaw in reprisal for deaths of two German soldiers.
1949: The Republic of Ireland declared it was unable to participate in Nato while Ireland remained divided.
1961: It was announced that the long-running radio show Children’s Hour was to end.
1963: Rebels in Baghdad, Iraq, assassinated premier Abdul Karim Kassem, who was replaced by Abdul Salam Arif.
1964: Holland’s Princess Irene renounced her rights to throne to marry Roman Catholic Spanish prince, Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-parma.
1974: Trawler Gaul vanished with its 36 crew off the North Cape of Norway.
1974: Three US astronauts, Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson and William Pogue, returned to Earth after setting record of 84 days in orbit in final Skylab mission.
1989: Muslim resistance fired rocket into crowded area of Afghanistan capital of Kabul, killing seven people.
1990: A punctured oil tanker leaked over 250,000 gallons of oil into Pacific, threatening southern California beaches.
1990: The Scout Association decided to allow girls to join Beaver, Cub and Scout groups – causing great anger in the Girl Guides Association.
1991: Panic buying began as much of Britain was hit by snow, and weathermen forecast -20°C. Schools closed and road, rail and air travel was thrown into chaos.
1991: President George Bush attacked Jordan for allegedly supporting Iraq in Gulf War and fuelling anti-americanism.
1992: Us-european Ulysses space probe passed Jupiter.
1993: 132 people were killed when Iranian airliner collided with jet fighter outside Tehran.
1996: The massive internet collaboration ‘24 Hours in Cyberspace’ took place.
2001: Disney California Adventure Park opened to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
2009: The movie Slumdog Millionaire, from British director Danny Boyle, scooped seven awards at the Baftas, including best film.
2010: A freak storm in the Hindukush mountains of Afghanistan triggered a series of at least 36 avalanches, burying more than two miles of road, killing at least 172 people.