This Day In History
1975 Baader-Meinhof blow up embassy
A tense stand-off at the West German embassy in Stockholm has ended in violence, with the death of at least three people. Five Baader-Meinhof ...1984 Scientist finds Aids virus
The discovery of a virus which may cause Aids, the fatal disease sweeping through America, has been hailed as a “monumental breakthrough” in medical ...1971 Haitian dictator dies
Haiti’s ruler, Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, has died after 14 years in power. President Duvalier, who declared himself “president for life” in 1964, died ...1987 Tamil Tigers blamed for bus garage blast
More than 100 people have been killed after a bomb exploded in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Nearly three hundred others were wounded when ...1972 Apollo 16 safely on Moon after engine crisis
The Apollo 16 mission has landed on the Moon after a seven-hour crisis that nearly aborted the mission altogether. Astronauts John Young and Charles ...1984 Libyan embassy shots kill policewoman
A police officer has been killed and ten people injured after shots were fired from the Libyan People’s Bureau in central London. WPC Yvonne ...1964 ‘Great Train Robbers’ get 300 years
Some of the longest sentences in British criminal history have been imposed on men involved in the so-called “Great Train Robbery”. Sentences totalling 307 ...2000 White farmer shot dead in Zimbabwe
A white farmer in Zimbabwe has been shot dead by squatters occupying his land. David Stevens was taken from his property 75 miles (120 ...1970 Critical explosion cripples Apollo 13
An explosion on board Apollo 13 has caused one of the most critical situations in American space history and put the lives of the ...1975 Beirut street battle leaves 17 dead
At least 17 people have been killed and 30 wounded in an ambush by right-wing Lebanese forces on a bus carrying Palestinians in Beirut. ...1998 Northern Ireland peace deal reached
The Northern Ireland peace talks have ended with an historic agreement. The accord – dubbed the Good Friday Agreement – was reached after nearly ...1999 President of Niger ‘killed in ambush’
The president of Niger, Ibrahim Bare Mainassara, has been shot dead in an apparent coup attempt. However, his death has been described as a ...2000 Asylum voucher scheme enforced
Asylum seekers in the UK will now receive vouchers to buy food and clothes, under controversial plans which have come into effect despite months ...1998 Papon guilty of war crimes
Former French cabinet minister Maurice Papon has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for his part in deporting Jews from France during World ...1957 BBC fools the nation
The BBC has received a mixed reaction to a spoof documentary broadcast this evening about spaghetti crops in Switzerland. The hoax Panorama programme, narrated ...