1066 – Edward the Confessor dies childless, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England.
1631 – Roger Williams, defender of religious liberty and founder of Rhode Island, landed near Boston, Massachusetts, on February 5, 1631, aboard the ship Lyon. A radical Puritan who argued for the complete separation of church and state, Williams would within five years suffer banishment under Massachusetts law because of his drastic views.
1846 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom.
1869 – The biggest gold nugget in history is found. The “Welcome Stranger” was found at Moliagul in Australia and had a calculated refined weight of 71.081 kg.
1896 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Röntgen has discovered a type ofradiation later known as X-rays.
1917 – Congress passes the Immigration Act which required a literacy test.
2003 – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared before the United Nations Security Council to present evidence that Iraq possessed proscribed weapons of mass destruction and posed an immediate danger.
2008 – C.I.A. admits to ‘waterboarding’ terror suspects
1922 – Readers Digest First Published’
1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
1944 – The Daily Mail becomes the first transoceanic newspaper.
1953 – Sweet rationing ends in Great Britain.
1972 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the development of a Space Shuttle program.
Famous Birthdays:
Susan Hill, 82
Dame Susan Elizabeth Hill, born in Yorkshire England is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works.
Charlotte Rampling, 78
Tessa Charlotte Rampling OBE is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film Georgy Girl, which starred Lynn Redgrave.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 39
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards, a record three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Awards, and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player.
William John Wills: 1834 – 1861
He was a British surveyor who also trained as a surgeon. He was the second-in-command of the Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australia from south to north, finding a route across the continent from the settled areas of Victoria to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Died: 28 June 1861 (age 27 years).
1840 – Two British inventors were born Sir Hiram Stevens, who perfected the machine gun, and Scottish veterinary surgeon John Boyd Dunlop, inventor of the pneumatic bicycle tyre.