On this day

June 5th

1900 - Atlantic Ocean: The German liner "Deustschland III" sets a new speed record of 23.61 knots.

1908 - Britain: The Miners Federation decides to affiliate to the Labour Representation Committee.

1926 - London: Britain signs an accord with Turkey over disputed territory on the Turkish-Iraqi border.

1933 - Italy: Conductor Arturo Toscanini refuses to conduct at the Bayreuth Wagner festival in protest at the Nazis.

1943 - Buenos Aries: A military junta is formed under President Arturo Rawson. The new labour minister is Juan Peron.

1946 - Britain: The Derby back at Epsom after six years is won by "Airbourne" at 50-1 under Tommy Lowrey.

1953 - Washington: The Senate votes to bar China's entry into the UN.

1961 - London: Dr Arthur Michael Ramsey takes office as Archbishop of Canterbury.

1974 - India: A Smallpox outbreak puts around 10,000 people at risk.

1977 - Seychelles: President James Mancham is deposed in a coup while in London for the Commonwealth Conference.

1991 - Stockholm: The Nobel prize-winner Mikhail Gorbachev, pleads with the west not to set conditions for helping the USSR.

1992 - Warsaw: Polish Peasants Party Leader Waldemar Pawlak is named Prime Minister.

1998 - France: A novel by French writer Alexander Dumas is published in book form 150 years after it was written. The work entitled La Maison Royal de Savoie was discovered by an historian serialised in a magazine.

2004 - USA - The movie star and former President of the United States Ronald Reagan dies from pneumonia at his home in Bel Air California aged 93.

June 6th

1906 - Europe: Italy Reaffirms its Triple Alliance with the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires.

1915 - Britain: 24 people die, and 40 are injured in Zeppelin raids across the East Coast.

1918 - Western Front: US marines attack German forces near Chateau Thierry, capturing 100 prisoners.

1921 - London: King George V opens Southwark Bridge.

1925 - Detroit USA: Walter P Chrysler founds the Chrysler Motor Company.

1932 - Britain: The Train "Cheltenham Flyer" reaches a record average speed of 81.6 mph over 77 miles.

1933 - Berlin: The Nazis set up a Race Council to encourage "Aryan" births and check mixed marriages.

1950 - Canberra: Prime Minister Menzies agrees to compromise on his bill to ban the Communist Party.

1953 - Britain: Sir Gordon Richards wins the Epsom Derby at the 28th attempt aboard Sir Victor Sassoon's "Pinza".

1966 - Britain: The BBC broadcasts the first episode of the comedy series "Till Death Us Do Part."

1975 - Britain: The British People vote overwhelmingly for continued membership of the European Common Market.

1977 - Britain: Beacons are lit across the nation to begin the Queens Silver Jubilee Festivities.

1985 - Brazil: A skeleton allegedly that of the Auschwitz "Angel Of Death" Josef Mengele is exhumed outside Sao Paulo.

1995 - Tokyo: Seven members of the Aum Supreme Truth religious cult, including its leader Shoko Asahara are charged with the Tokyo gas attack.

2005 - New York: The Oscar nominated American actress Anne Bancroft famous for her role of "Mrs Robinson" in The Graduate, passes away at Mount Sinai hospital from Uterine cancer aged 73.

2010 - USA: NASA scientists discover that one of Saturn's moons: TITAN, has the sustainable atmosphere to support life.

June 7th

1900 - China: Boxer rebels cut off railway links between Peking and Tientsin.

1909 - Paris: The French government announces it will spend £120 million on new ships.

1911 - Mexico: Over 100 people are killed after an earthquake in Mexico city.

1917 - Western Front: A new Flanders offensive sees the British capture territory south of Ypres held by the Germans since 1915.

1923 - London: King George V grants a charter of incorporation to the Federation of British Industries.

1925 - Cairo: Nine people are sentenced to death for the murder of Sudan Governor-General Sir Lee Stack.

1931 - UK: Britain's most violent earthquake on record is felt from the English Channel to the Scottish Highlands.

1938 - Austria: The Nazis declare that all Austrians who want to marry must prove their "Aryan" ancestry.

1942 - USSR: The Red Army launch a new offensive on Sevastopol.

1946 - Italy: Royalist riots take place in Rome, Naples, and Pisa.

1950 - Warsaw: East Germany signs a treaty recognising the Oder-Neisse Line as its frontier with Poland.

1960 - Britain: The first NHS hearing aids are issued.

1966 - USA: Ex-actor Ronald Reagan wins the Republican nomination for Governor of California.

1969 - Britain: The Maltings concert hall at Snape in Suffolk is destroyed by fire.

1970 - New York: The Who perform their rock opera "Tommy" at the Metropolitan Opera House.

1972 - Britain: Lester Piggott wins the Epsom Derby aboard Mr J. Galbreath's "Roberto".

1981 - Iraq: The Israeli's bomb a nuclear plant near Baghdad.

1984 - London: 120 people are arrested when fighting breaks out outside Parliament during a mass lobby by striking miners.

1985 - Lebanon: Israeli-backed militiamen seize 21 Finnish troops of the UN peacekeeping force.

1990 - Britain: The British Medical Association opposes proposals for hospitals to become self-governing bodies.

1993 - USA: The actor/director Woody Allen loses a bitter child custody battle with Mia Farrow.

1999 - Indonesia: Indonesians choose between over 40 political parties in the country's first democratic election for 44 years.

2011 - USA: The American TV network NBC buys the right to four Olympic Games from 2014 onwards for $4.3 billion.

2012 - London: Archaeologists discover the remains of the 16th century "Curtain Theatre" where some of Shakespeare's plays were first performed.

1982: Fifty die in Argentine air attack
Up to 50 British servicemen have died in an Argentine air attack on two supply ships in the Falklands.
Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram were anchored off Fitzroy in Port Pleasant, near Bluff Cove, when they were bombed in a surprise raid by five Argentine Skyhawks. Sir Galahad burst into flames instantly. The exact number of injured is still unknown.

The ships had almost completed an operation to move support troops of the Fifth infantry brigade from San Carlos to join forces advancing on the capital Port Stanley when the attack occurred.

The decision to make the dangerous journey was taken after the discovery that the settlements of Fitzroy and Bluff Cove had apparently been deserted by Argentine troops.

Moving the soldiers round by sea in landing ships was intended to save a lengthy trek across the bogs and mountains, which would have delayed support reaching other troops.

The attack came before adequate air defences could be installed, and the men on board, many from the Welsh guards, were helpless as Argentine air planes pounded them.

Helicopters which had been moving equipment rushed to rescue survivors, some of whom had jumped overboard to escape the rapidly-spreading flames.

Black smoke poured out as the guards' ammunition started to ignite. On the cliff tops, medical staff waited for helicopters to bring the injured to shore.

Many of the injured had suffered burns, as the speed of the attack meant the crew had no time to put on protective masks.

In a week of raids at San Carlos, not a single ship has been sunk. Now, two have been lost in a single attack.


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RFA Sir Galahad caught fire immediately






In Context
The battle of Bluff Cove, as it came to be known, claimed 48 lives, one fifth of all British fatalities during the Falklands conflict.
A memorial service was held at the Fitzroy settlement on the Falklands for the men who died aboard the two ships, and Sir Galahad was towed out to sea and sunk as a war grave.

The captain of Sir Galahad, Phil Roberts, later gave his account of the day.

He said: "It all happened very suddenly. The planes came out of nowhere and they bombed us and the ship was set on fire very rapidly. We had to abandon ship fairly quickly. The scene was horrific".

The Argentines surrendered on 14 June.


Stories From 8 Jun
1982: Fifty die in Argentine air attack
1968: James Earl Ray quizzed over King death
1999: Liar Aitken jailed for 18 months
1963: Ward charged over 'immoral earnings'
1978: Woman takes world sailing record


http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witne...947639.stm




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2...default.st

June 8th

1913 - London: Suffragette Emily Davidson dies from her injuries after never regaining consciousness from when stepping in front of the Kings horse "Amner" during the Epsom Derby.

1914 - London: Alexander Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" is performed for the first time outside Russia, with the great bass Chaliapin.

1923 - London: MPs pass the Matrimonial Bill, allowing wives to divorce husbands for adultery.

1924 - USA: 10,000 American Indians gather at Sand Springs, Oklahoma, to discuss the problems faced for Indians in the modern US

1930 - Bucharest: The Rumanian Parliament votes to oust King Ferdinand and elects the exiled Crown Prince Carol as king.

1934 - Eastern Europe: Poland, Rumania, and the USSR sign a pact guaranteeing their present frontiers.

1941 - Syria: British Empire and Free French forces launch an invasion of the pro-Vichy territory.

1946 - London: Britain and the US agree in principal to an 11-state German Federation.

1948 - Germany: 83 year old composer Richard Strauss is cleared by a Frankfurt "denazification" court.

1960 - Buenos Aires: The Argentine government demands the return of Adolf Eichmann from Israel.

1962 - London: The last trolley-buses are taken out of service.

1966 - London: Tories ask for the script of "Till Death Us Do Part" which called Edward Heath a "grammar school twit."

1968 - USA: Assassinated Senator Robert Kennedy is laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery.

1973 - Madrid: General Franco appoints Admiral Luis Blanco as President after ruling Spain alone for 34 years.

1978 - Britain: Sailor Naomi James arrives home after a round-the-world trip, shaving two days off Sir Francis Chichester's time.

1982 - London: Ronald Reagan becomes the first US President to address a joint session of parliament.

1985 - Britain: Boxer Barry McGuigan beats Panamanian Eusebio Pedroza to win the WBA featherweight title.

1992 - Paris: Senior PLO official Atef Bsesio is assassinated during a routine trip to meet French officials.

2007 - Australia: New South Wales suffers its worst storms and floods in 30 years, nine people lose there lives.

June 9th

1902 - South Africa: 10% tax is imposed on the profits of goldmines in the Transvaal region.

1903 - Germany: The Daimler motor factory at Cannstadt is destroyed by fire.

1920 - London: King George V opens the Imperial War Museum, housed at Crystal Palace.

1927 - Canberra: The Duke of York opens the new Australian Parliament House.

1937 - Jerusalem: A Royal Commission looks into the possibility of a divided Palestine.

1939 - Britain: More than 30 bombs go off in post boxes in cities across the country.

1943 - Mediterranean: Allied Forces begin an assault on the Italian island of Pantelleria.

1945 - Britain: The RAF announce the introduction of the new "Vampire" jet fighter, with a capable speed of 500 mph.

1951 - Nuremberg: The last remaining group of Nazis convicted of war crimes by the Allied Tribunal are hanged.

1956 - Washington: Eisenhower undergoes emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction.

1958 - Britain: The Queen opens the new £7 million facilities at Gatwick Airport.

1959 - USA: The US Navy launches the nuclear submarine "George Washington", the first vessel equipped with Polaris missiles.

1960 - Britain: One of the UK's oldest cars, the Armstrong Siddeley, is announced it is to be going out of production.

1964 - India: Veteran politician Lal Bahadur Shastri is sworn in as India's new Prime Minister, following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru.

1969 - London: Enoch Powell proposes the repatriation of immigrants from Britain.

1975 - London: The Commons is broadcast live by radio for the first time.

1982 - Britain: The 20p coin goes into circulation.

1984 - Italy: A judge explains Mehmet Ali Agca was hired by the Bulgarians to kill the Pope in a plot to undermine Solidarity.

1985 - Sri Lanka: Over 100 Tamils are reported to have been killed inside a week by security forces.

1988 - Britain: Mike Gatting is sacked as England Cricket Captain for "irresponsible" off-field behaviour during a test match.

1989 - Hong Kong: Shares crash in response to the massacre of students in China.

1991 - Tripoli: In an attempt to improve relations with Britain, Libya breaks all links with the IRA.

1996 - Bangkok: King Bhumibol of Thailand, (aged 68) celebrates 50 years on the throne. He is the world's longest-serving monarch.

2007 - New York: The filly "Rags To Riches" trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, becomes the first filly in 106 years to win the Belmont Stakes.

June 10th 1977 I made my entrance to the world

June 10th

1904 - Britain: Scottish Golfer Jack White wins the Open Championship at Royal St Georges.

1908 - London: Parliament passes the Invalid and Old Age Pensions Act.

1921 - Britain: Unemployment reaches 2.2 million.

1924 - Paris: President Alexandre Millerand Resigns.

1934 - Rome: Italy win the World Cup beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in extra time in the Stadio Torino, watched by a beaming Benito Mussolini.

1935 - New York: Scientists claim that vitamin B-1 will cure neuritis.

1947 - Ottawa: President Truman arrives on a first state to Canada by a US president.

1948 - Cambridge: Field Marshal Smuts is installed as chancellor of the university.

1955 - Kenya: The amnesty terms offered to the Mau Mau in January are withdrawn by the British government.

1962 - Chile: England lose their World Cup quarter final 3-1 to Brazil.

1965 - London: A ceremony at St Pauls Cathedral marks the 750th anniversary of Magna Carta.

1971 - Britain: Joe Gormley defeats Mick McGahey to become president of the National Union Of Mineworkers.

1974 - Humberside: 28 people are killed in a massive explosion at a chemical plant at Flixborough.

1977 - USA- Martin Luther King's killer James Earl Ray breaks out of jail in Tennessee.

1981 - Tehran: Ayatollah Khomeini sacks President Bani Sadr as head of Iran's armed forces.

1991 - Britain: The House of Commons approves the bill to curb fighting dogs.

1994 - London: Legendary footballer Bobby Charlton is knighted.

1996 - Northern Ireland: All-party talks on the future of Northern Ireland begin, but without Sinn Fein, excluded because of continued IRA terrorism.

1999- Iraq: Iran is accused of firing SCUD missiles into Iraq, following a terrorist attack two days ago which killed six senior members of the Mujahedin guerrillas.

2003 - USA: "The Spirit Rover" is launched, beginning the onset of NASA's exploration Rover mission.

June 11th

1903 - Scotland: Harry Vardon wins his fourth open golf championship at Prestwick.

1908 - London: The opening of the Rotherhithe Tunnel, under the River Thames takes place.

1909 - France: 60 people die in an earthquake that destroys five villages in Provence.

1915 - Balkans: Serbian troops invade Albania and take Tirana.

1925 - London: The first reported aerial murder takes place when a London gem dealer is thrown out of an aeroplane.

1934 - Spain: The southern provinces are cut off and paralysed by striking peasants.

1936 - London: The BBC names Leslie Mitchell as its first television announcer.

1944 - USSR: The Russians open a new offensive against the Finns in Karelia.

1945 - Canada: Mackenzie King's Liberal Party are returned to power in a general election.

1951 - Brussels: King Leopold III announces that he will abdicate on July 16.

1954 - Britain: "Under the Net" a first novel by Iris Murdoch is published.

1960 - Rome: Actress Ingrid Bergman's marriage to Roberto Rossellini is annulled.

1963 - USA: President Kennedy orders National Guards to protect two Negros enrolling at the university of Alabama.

1964 - USA: Martin Luther king is Jailed for trying to force integration of a Florida restaurant.

1972 - Tripoli: Colonel Gaddafi states that Libya is giving aid to the IRA.

1973 - South Africa: 1,500 students are expelled from university after demanding the appointment of a coloured rector.

1975 - Uganda: A tribunal finds British author and lecturer Denis Hills guilty of "treason" for criticising Idi Amin.

1981 - London: The Queen opens the Nat West Tower, Europe's tallest building.

1982 - Falklands: The Ministry of Defence announce that 42 British troops died at Fitzroy.

1988 - London: 80,000 people celebrate Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday at Wembley stadium.

1992 - USA: The last survivor of the Titanic, Marjorie Robb, dies in Boston aged 103.

1997 - London: MPs vote overwhelmingly to impose a total ban on handguns after an enquiry into the Dunblane massacre.

1999 - Kosovo: British troops pour into Kosovo only to find a small Russian force has already arrived, causing diplomatic chaos between NATO members and Russia.

2007- Bangladesh: Mudslides kill 130 people in Chittagong.

June 12th

1908 - Vienna: Half a million people watch celebrations of Emperor Franz Josef's Diamond Jubilee.

1919 - Wales: Nationalists call for a Welsh regional parliament.

1921 - Britain: Sunday postal delivery and collections end.

1930 - Germany: German boxer Max Schmeling beats American Jack Sharkey for the World Heavyweight Title.

1931- Chicago: Al Capone and 68 henchmen are charged with breach of Prohibition laws.

1935 - Argentina: Bolivia and Paraguay sign an armistice to end their three-year-old war over the disputed Chaco area.

1938 - Czechoslovakia: The Sudeten German Party makes big gains in national elections.

1943 - Algiers: King George VI arrives to visit the Allied forces.

1945 - London: Dwight D Eisenhower receives the freedom of the city and is awarded the Order of Merit.

1957 - Paris: Maurice Bourges-Manoury, a Radical, becomes premier.

1960 - New Delhi: 783 Sikhs are arrested while demonstrating for an independent Sikh State.

1962 - San Francisco: Three inmates of Alcatraz dig their way out using spoons.

1964 - Australia: A crowd of 300,000 greet The Beatles on their arrival in Adelaide.

1972 - Belfast: Three civilians are killed in a gun battle between the IRA, the Army and Protestants.

1975 - Athens: Greece officially applies for membership of the Common Market.

1980 - Britain: British Steel announces the closure of its Consett works on September 30 with the loss of 3,700 jobs.

1983 - London: Michael Foot resigns as Labour party leader.

1988 - Stuttgart: Ireland beat England 1-0 in the opening match of the European Nations Championship.

1994 - Switzerland: Voters reject government plans to provide United Nations peacekeeping troops.

1998 - Japan: Japan announces that its economy is officially in recession. The news causes a slump in stock markets across the world.

1999 - Belgium: The Belgium government defies European Union instructions by putting back chicken and egg products on shop shelves after the recent dioxin chemical scare.

2012- USA: Henry Hill the New York mobster turned FBI informant dies in hospital in Los Angeles aged 69