1943: Italy declares war on Germany
One month after the surrender of the
Italian army, Prime Minister
Pietro Badoglio declares war on
Germany, Italy’s former
Axis partner. Much of Italian territory, however, was still in
German hands, and a
puppet state led by deposed Italian leader Benito
Mussolini was established in the north. Nevertheless, most Italians opposed Mussolini’s new government, and
the Allies received invaluable aid from Italian resistance fighters during their continuing liberation of German-controlled
Italy. 2005
British playwright
Harold Pinter is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
1996
British racing driver
Damon Hill, driving a Williams, wins the
Japanese Grand Prix to win the Formula One World Championship.
1992
The British government announces that it is likely to close a third of the countries deep coal mines, heralding the further demise of mining in
Britain. 1988
After a protracted legal battle the British government fails to stop the publication of ex-senior
MI5 officer Peter Wright’s
autobiography Spycatcher. 1984
British darts player John Lowe achieves the first televised 9-dart 501 in a major event during the world match play championships in England.
1977
Palestinian terrorists’ hi-jack a Lufthansa jet beginning a four day siege in which the plane is forced to land and take off from a number of airports in the Middle East before stopping at Mogadishu,
Somali, where
German security forces storm theplane and end the hi-jacking.
1971
In an attempt to prevent the
IRA smuggling arms into Northern Ireland, the British Army start to blow up a series of small cross boarder roads from Ireland to Northern Ireland.
1976
91 people are killed as a Boeing 707 plane crashes into a street in Santa Cruz,
Bolivia. 1923
Istanbul is replaced by Ankara as the new capital of
Turkey. 1843
In New York City, America, Henry Jones and 11 others establish B'nai B'rith, one of the oldest Jewish
charity organisations in the world.
1812
The War of 1812: British and Indian forces defeat the Americans at the Battle of Queenstown Heights, on the Niagara frontier in Ontario,
Canada. 1792
In Washington D.C., the cornerstone to the Executive Mansion which is to become The
White House is laid.
1942
American singer/songwriter Paul Simon born in Newark, New Jersey. Teams up with Art Garfunkel during the 1960s and 'Simon and Garfunkel' have a series of major hit songs such as 'The Sound of Silence', 'America' and 'Homeward Bound' as well as their record-breaking album 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' (1970). Also writes 'The Graduate' for the 1968 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.1937
Greek singer Nana Mouskouri is born on the Mediteranean island of Crete.1925
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is born in Grantham. First enters Parliament in 1959 and joins the Shadow Cabinet of Conservative leader
Edward Heath in 1967. Is Secretary of State for Education and Science (1970-74)and defeats Heath in the 1975 leadership election to become the first woman to head a British
political party. Becomes Britain's first woman Prime Minister in 1979 and wins a further two elections before resigning in 1990 after a challenge to her position. During her 13 year leadership, Britain wins the
Falklands War against
Argentina (1982); trades unions lose much of their industrial power; unemployment rises and Britain sees the birth of 'Thatcherism' - 'right-wing'policies which include the sale of
council houses and the privatisation of
public sector utilities such as water, gas and electricity. Becomes Britain's longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th Century in 1988. In 1992, two years after resigning from office, she is created a Life Peer.
1913
French
actor and singer Yves Montand is born in
Italy. First performs as a singer and impressionist in Marseilles and
Paris. Becomes one of France's best-known film actors after making his debut alongside Edith Piaf in 'Star Without Light' in 1946. Marries French actress Simone Signoret in 1951 and becomes an
elder statesman of the French cinema until his death in 1991.
1853
British actress
Lillie Langtry is born in Jersey in the Channel Islands. Marries Edward Langtry in 1874 and first appears on stage in 1881. Becomes famous for being the mistress of the Prince of Wales, later
Edward VII of England. Dies in 1929.
