Friday, August 19, 2005

On This Day

BBC - On This Day
1987: Gunman kills 14 in Hungerford rampage
A man shoots 14 people dead in the Berkshire town of Hungerford.
1991: Hardliners stage coup against Gorbachev
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is overthrown in a coup as Communist hardliners take over.
2003: UN envoy dies in Baghdad bombing
A massive bomb wrecks the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 17 people including the UN's chief envoy to Iraq.
1942: Allies launch daring raid on Dieppe
Allied troops, mainly Canadian, pull back after nine hours of heavy fighting on the French coast at Dieppe, northwest of Paris.
1960: Moscow jails American U-2 spy pilot
The United States pilot, Francis Gary Powers, is sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Soviet military court.
1975: Davis campaigners stop Test match
Campaigners calling for the release of robber George Davis from prison vandalise the pitch at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds.