1532: Pizarro tricks Incan Emperor Atahualpa
On 16th November 1532,
Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish explorer and
conquistador, springs a trap on the Incan emperor, Atahualpa. With fewer than 200 men against several thousand, Pizarro lures Atahualpa to a feast in the emperor’s honour and then opens fire on the unarmed Incans. Pizarro’s men massacre the Incans and capture
Atahualpa, forcing him to convert to
Christianity before eventually killing him.
1998
Benazir Bhutto is elected Prime Minister of
Pakistan - the first women leader of a Muslim country in the modern era.
1995
In
Britain, the Queen mother, aged 95, undergoes hip replacement
surgery in London.
1983
English football hooligans cause a night of mayhem in
Luxembourg following the national team’s failure to qualify for the European Championships.
1979
The British government announces that Sir Anthony Blunt, personal adviser on art to the Queen, is the “fourth” man in the notorious Cambridge spy ring.
1976
In England, 7 men are sentenced to a total of 100 years in prison after being found guilty of stealing £8 million from the Bank of America in London last year. At the time, the robbery was considered to be the largest of its kind.
1973
NASA launches Skylab 4, designed t conduct a series of experiments in space.
1965
The
Soviet Union launches the unmanned spacecraft Venera 3, which eventually lands on the surface of the planet
Venus, becoming the first space probe to successfully land on another planet.
1959
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, opens on
Broadway in America.
1945
The United States ships 88
German scientists, many of whom previously worked for the Nazi’s, to America to assist in the production of rocket technology.
1849
In Russia, Fyodor Dostoevsky is sentenced to death for his alleged anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group. His receives a
reprieve at the last minute.
1776
The American Revolution: Hessian mercenaries capture Fort Washington on Long Island from the Patriots.
1384
Jadwiga is crowned Queen of
Poland. 1961
British heavyweight boxer Frank Bruno.1942
Champion jockey Willie Carson.1915
Sir
Maurice Oldfield, head of the British Intelligence Service.
1896
Oswald Mosley, English Fascist Party leader.1811
English politican
John Bright born in Rochdale, Lancashire. A peace campaigner, he argues against Britain's involvement in the
Crimean War. Becomes best known for his opposition to the
Corn Laws and support the Reform Act of 1867.
