1954: US tests massive hydrogen bomb in Bikini

The US has produced the biggest ever man-made explosion so far in the Pacific archipelago of Bikini, part of the Marshall Islands.

It is believed the hydrogen bomb was up to 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

It was so violent that it overwhelmed the measuring instruments, indicating that the bomb was much more powerful than scientists had anticipated.

The bomb was the equivalent of 20m tons of TNT.

One of the atolls has been totally vaporised, disappearing into a gigantic mushroom cloud that spread at least 100 miles wide and dropping back to the sea in the form of radioactive fall-out.

The Atomic Energy Commission announced this was the first in a series of tests to be carried out in the area.

Tests first began in Bikini in 1946 after the natives were moved to the island of Rongerik, then to Ujelan a year later and to Kili on 1949.

This is the second H-bomb test in the area.

A 10.4 megaton bomb was exploded on 1 November 1952 at Enewatak, west of Bikini.

It destroyed one island and left a crater 175 feet deep.

It was hundreds of times more powerful than that used over Hiroshima.

Unlike that device which tapped energy by splitting atomic nuclei, the Enewetak weapon forced together nuclei of hydrogen to unleash an even greater destructive force.

1950: Communist spy jailed for 14 years

Artificially 1969:
The A top nuclear scientist has been jailed for fourteen years at the Old Bailey for spying for the Soviet Union.

Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs, 38, a civil servant from Harwell in Berkshire, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Official Secrets Act.

German-born Fuchs, who fled his home country to escape Nazi persecution in 1933, had come to be regarded as one of Britain's top atomic scientists.

But beneath the facade was a committed Communist who had been passing secrets to the Russians for most of the past decade.

He was convicted on four counts of disclosing atom secrets "calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy" - in England in 1943 and 1947 and in the United States in 1944 and 1945.

The Attorney General, Sir Hartley Shawcross KC, who opened the case for the prosecution, said Fuchs had undoubtedly passed information to the Soviets on many more than four occasions even though he was on trial for four specific offences.

His motivation, said Mr Shawcross, was his "unswerving devotion to Communism".

Fuchs, who until his arrest last month was employed as senior principal scientific officer at the Harwell Atomic Research Establishment, arrived in Britain from Germany, via France, in 1933.

When France was invaded by the Germans in 1940, Fuchs was interned and deported to Canada.

He was released in 1942 and was head-hunted by Birmingham University to carry out atomic research.

It was at this stage he made contact with the Soviets and began regularly passing information relating to atomic energy, the court was told.

Between 1944 and 1946 he worked in the American Atomic Research department in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he was involved in the construction of the first atomic bomb.

The court was told that it was information from the Americans which first led British detectives to suspect Fuchs of espionage .

Defending, Mr Derek Curtis-Bennett, KC, said it was at about this time that his client had started "having doubts about the Russian policy" and began to "see the light".

He added the first three offences had in fact been committed when Russia was an ally of Britain and therefore information passed could not have been regarded as prejudicial to the interests of the state.

Passing sentence, Lord Chief Justice Lord Goddard said: "You have betrayed the hospitality and protection given to you by this country with the grossest treachery."

1969: Concorde flies for the first time

England have

The supersonic airliner, Concorde, has made a "faultless" maiden flight.

The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes before the pilot made the decision to land.

The first pilot, Andre Turcat, said on his return to the airport: "Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well."

The test flight reached 10,000ft (3,000m), but Concorde's speed never rose above 300mph (480kph). The plane will eventually fly at a speed of 1,300mph (2,080kph).

Mr Turcat, his co-pilot and two engineers taxied to the end of the runway at about 1530GMT. Strong winds meant the test flight was in doubt for much of the day.

Two previous test flights had to be abandoned because of poor weather conditions.

Concorde sped down the runway and there was a spontaneous burst of applause from watching reporters and cameramen as the wheels lifted off the ground.

The noise from the four Olympus 593 engines, built jointly by the Bristol division of Rolls Royce and the French Snecma organisation, drowned out any noise from the crowd.

Less than half-an-hour later, the aircraft was brought back down to earth using a braking parachute and reverse thrust.

The crew emerged at the top of the steps, led by Mr Turcat, who gave the thumbs up signal with each hand.

The first British test pilot, Brian Trubshaw, who watched today's flight from the news stand, said, "I was terribly impressed by the way the whole flight was conducted. It was most professional and I would like to congratulate Andre on the way he handled this performance."

The British government has so far invested ?55m in the project. It is hoped Concorde will begin flying commercially in 1973, when it will cut the flying time between London and New York from seven hours 40 minutes to three hours 25 minutes.

1970: Ian Smith declares Rhodesia a republic

Artificially 1969:
The The Prime Minister of Rhodesia, Ian Smith, has declared his country a republic, cutting its last link with the British Crown.

The new Rhodesian Republic, came into being at 2301BST yesterday, unrecognised by the rest of the world and barely noticed by Rhodesians themselves.

Mr Smith signed a proclamation officially dissolving the current parliament and introducing a new Republican Constitution.

The ceremony took place at Government House, until last year the official residence of Sir Humphrey Gibbs and his predecessors as governor and representative of the British Crown.

The creation of the republic breaks an 80-year-old link with the British monarchy - but has been widely anticipated since Mr Smith unilaterally declared the country independent of Britain four years ago.

Since then, Rhodesia has left the Commonwealth and been subject to tough international sanctions.

Mr Smith said: "Today is not such a tremendous day for us Rhodesians. Our Independence Day is the great day.

"Rhodesia did not want to seize independence from Britain. It was forced upon us."

The real question now is whether a Rhodesian republic will gain any international recognition.

The chairman of Mr Smith's Rhodesian Front party, Ralph Nielson, said: "We have cut our ties as to whether or not a republic is going to make all that difference, I sincerely believe it will, particularly in the eyes of the rest of the world.

"I believe various things are going to flow, improved trade and without a doubt, in time, diplomatic recognition."

The British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, has already made clear his Labour government will not recognise the new regime in Rhodesia.

The United States has also indicated it will not recognise Smith's republic "under any circumstances".

1974: Turkish jet crashes killing 345

England have

A Turkish Airlines DC10 has crashed near Paris killing all 345 people on board.

The plane was on a regular flight from Ankara to London via Paris. It came down just minutes after take-off at 1235 GMT, scything a mile-long trail through the forest of Ermenonville.

Among the victims were 200 passengers, many of them British, who had been transferred from British Airways flights cancelled because of a strike by engineers at London airport.

No-one was killed on the ground, although the forest is popular with walkers.

Only blackened stumps of trees remained where the pilot had probably attempted a crash landing. Bits of clothing and other wreckage from the plane were strewn across the whole area.

Hundreds of rescue workers, from the Red Cross, Protection Civile as well as fire and ambulance crews, were on the scene within half an hour.

But there was no-one to be rescued. All that remained to be done was to collect the bodies and take them to the church of St Pierre at Senlis.

From there, soldiers transferred the bodies onto army vehicles during the night to be driven to the medical centre in Paris, where they will be examined by forensic scientists.

Eyewitnesses in the nearby village of St Pathu said they heard an explosion and saw flames coming from the plane long before it plunged into the forest.

Some bodies were found close to the village, about six miles from the crash site, which also suggests the plane may have exploded in mid-air.

Crash investigators looking for clues to the world's worst air disaster to date will start by studying the jet's engines. They are also looking for the black box flight recorder.

The possibility of sabotage has not been discounted.

Among the victims were 17 members of Bury St Edmunds rugby club, returning from a trip to Paris.

1982: Queen opens Barbican Centre

Artificially 1969:
The The Queen has opened the new ?53m Barbican Centre for Arts and Conferences in the City of London.

The centre, which has been 15 years in the making, is the largest arts centre in western Europe and covers five-and-a-half acres of Cripplegate, which was destroyed by Nazi bombers in World War II.

The new multi-million pound building will provide a new home for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Both have performed inaugural concerts for the Queen this evening.

The centre also houses a concert hall for 2,000 people, two theatres, a cinema, a library, a conference centre and several galleries.

'Wonder of the modern world'

The Queen was welcomed by the administrator of the centre, Henry Wrong.

She officially opened As she unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening of the Barbican, the Queen said: "What has been created here must be one of the wonders of the modern world."

More than 3,500 people arrived for the opening night celebrations which culminated in a spectacular fireworks display over the centre's lake.

Plans for a new arts centre at the Barbican were originally given the go-ahead in 1971 when it was proposed that construction would cost ?7m and would take six years to complete.

1972: Nixon makes historic visit to China

England have

The American President Richard Nixon has arrived in China at the start of a week-long summit aimed at ending 20 years of frosty relations between the two countries.

His visit began with an unexpected audience with Chairman Mao Zedong at the leader's home. Few details have been released, but officials said the one-hour meeting involved a "serious and frank discussion".

After a modest reception at Peking airport, the president was formally welcomed at a lavish banquet held in the Great Hall of the People and hosted by Prime Minister Chou En-lai.

Mr Chou described Mr Nixon's long journey to China as a "positive move" responding to the wishes of the peoples of both countries.

He hinted at the years of tension between China and the United States - largely due to American support for nationalists in Taiwan - and credited both governments for "common efforts" to open the gate to better contacts at last.

The president responded positively. "There is no reason for us to be enemies," he said. "Neither of us seeks the territory of the other; neither of us seeks domination over the other; neither of us seeks to stretch out our hands and rule the world."

Using one of Mao's own quotations, Mr Nixon said it was time to seize the day and seize the hour "for our two peoples to rise to the heights of greatness which can build a new and better world".

There followed an elaborate round of toasts, in which the 800 guests at the banquet wandered from table to table clinking thimble-sized glasses containing Chinese firewater.

Commentators said the elaborate banquet was in marked contrast to the coolness of the president's reception at the airport.

This historic visit was engineered by the president's national security adviser, Dr Henry Kissinger, during two visits to China last year. It is part of a policy of rapprochement aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between the two sides.

2001: Ban follows foot-and-mouth outbreak

Artificially 1969:
The The European Commission has banned all British milk, meat and livestock exports following the UK's first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease for 20 years.

The ban - which will run until 1 March - follows yesterday's revelation of a foot-and-mouth outbreak at an abattoir near Brentwood, Essex.

A routine inspection at Cheale Meats abattoir in Essex diagnosed the virus in 28 pigs.

Chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore said all 300 animals at Cheale Meats would be slaughtered immediately.

The National Farmer's Union has said a second suspected case has been discovered in Gloucestershire.

Five-mile animal movement exclusion zones have been placed around the Essex abattoir and the site in Gloucestershire, which is thought to be somewhere between Woodchester and Nailsworth.

The British government is considering imposing its own ban on the export of all livestock, meat and milk from the UK.

This is the latest blow to Britain's already beleaguered farmers following last year's outbreak of swine fever, which led to the slaughter of 12,000 pigs and a temporary ban on the export of live pigs and pig semen.

Agriculture Secretary Nick Brown said: "If we can get on top of this and get back to a disease-free status quickly then hopefully the damage can be minimised.

"But if it goes on for some time the damage could be substantial."

Shadow agriculture minister Tim Yeo criticised the government for not doing enough to prevent the outbreak.

"British farmers cannot survive another round of dithering from MAFF like that which took place in the autumn over classical swine fever," he said.

"The government should have acted sooner to prevent the risk of this disease entering Britain through sub-standard meat imports."

Foot-and-mouth is a highly infectious viral disease that can affect cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. Symptoms include blisters in the mouth causing increased salivation and lameness.

Animals do not actually die from the disease but stop gaining weight and dairy cattle produce less milk.

The last major outbreak in Britain was in 1967, while the most recent outbreak in the European Union happened in Greece last year.

1997: Dolly the sheep cloned by scientists

England have

Scientists in Scotland have announced the birth of the world's first successfully cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep.

Dolly, who was created at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, was actually born on 5 July 1996 although her arrival has only just been revealed.

Dolly is the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult cell. Previous clonings have been from embryo cells.

The sheep's birth has been heralded as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the decade although it is likely to spark ethical controversy.

Scientists in Scotland cloned a ewe by inserting DNA from a single sheep cell into an egg and implanted it in a surrogate mother.

They now have a healthy seven-month-old sheep - Dolly - who is an exact genetic duplicate of the animal from which the single cell was taken.

DNA tests have revealed that Dolly is identical to the ewe who donated the udder cell and is unrelated to the surrogate mother.

Embryologist Dr Ian Wilmut, from the Roslin Institute, said: "It will enable us to study genetic diseases for which there is presently no cure and track down the mechanisms that are involved."

The research, published in Nature magazine, follows the Edinburgh team's success in cloning sheep embryos. Last year they produced two identical sheep, which were clones of an original embryo.

The company which has bought the rights to the research, PPL Therapeutics, said Dolly would help to improve understanding of ageing and genetics and lead to the production of cheaper medicines.

US President Bill Clinton has set up a special task force to investigate cloning in order to examine the legal and ethical implications.

1986: Filipino coup leaders tell Marcos to go

Artificially 1969:
The Two senior members of the Philippines government have taken refuge in the defence ministry building in the capital, Manila, after denouncing President Ferdinand Marcos.

Yesterday, Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and chief of staff Lieutenant-General Fidel Ramos accused the president of planning to arrest leaders of the opposition.

They called on ministers and army officers to help them topple Marcos and then took over Camp Aguinaldo, the defence ministry.

Speaking from Camp Aguinaldo, Mr Enrile told the press Mrs Aquino had won the election and Marcos should step down.

"We had no plans to stage a coup d'etat. But we are going to defend ourselves from an imminent assault," Mr Enrile said.

Lt-Gen Ramos told American TV all 13 regional army commanders had pledged their support for a coup, while Marcos claimed he had control of "99% of the military".

Heavily armed troops have surrounded the building and President Marcos has said the situation is "under control".

He also accused the two men of conspiring to assassinate him and his wife, Imelda, and demanded their surrender.

In elections held on 7 February, the main opposition party, led by Corazon Aquino, and President Marcos both claimed victory.

The US has attempted to mediate by sending US special envoy Philip Habib who reports back to President Reagan later today.

Mrs Aquino, widow of Benigno Aquino assassinated on his return from exile three years ago by Marcos supporters, rejected Mr Habib's proposal last week for a power-sharing government.

Mrs Aquino has accused the president of stealing power and called for a one-day general strike next week and a boycott of businesses owned by the Marcos entourage .

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, Cardinal Jaime Sin, is also demanding an uprising.

He has called on the people to support Mr Enrile - despite the fact that he helped Marcos impose martial law in 1972 - and Lt-Gen Ramos.

"If such a government does not of itself freely correct the evil it has inflicted on the people then it is our serious moral obligation as a people to make it do so," he said.

"The way indicated to us now is the way of non-violent struggle for justice."

1991: US bombers strike civilians in Baghdad

England have

Hundreds of Iraqi civilians have been killed and wounded in Baghdad by American bombers.
Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz said: "This was a criminal, pre-meditated, planned attack against civilians."

Local reports say two laser-guided precision bombs hit an air-raid shelter in the middle class district of Amiriya, five miles from the centre of the Iraqi capital.

So far 235 bodies have been recovered, 12 hours after the attacks at 0445 GMT and 0450 GMT.

Continuing fires and intense heat in the bunker complex - which includes a school, mosque and supermarket - have hampered rescue efforts and 300 people are still thought to be trapped inside.

Many of the victims are thought to be women and children.

White House spokesperson Martin Fitzwater said the loss of civilian life was "truly tragic", but described the bunker as a well-known military target.

"We don't know why civilians were at this location. We do know that Saddam Hussein does not share our sanctity for human life," he continued.

One American intelligence officer said the bunker had been transmitting military signals until the moment the bombs hit.

Another US spokesperson in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, suggested Saddam had deliberately created a human shield - a tactic he has used before - to inflame international opinion against allied air strikes.

The Baghdad shelter manager said: We didn't have a single military man in the shelter. It is allocated to civilians."

According to intelligence sources the shelter was built during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s with a 10 to 15-foot thick concrete ceiling, reinforced with steel, designed to withstand electro-magnetic pulses from a thermo-nuclear blast.

Both sides are investigating the incident - caught on camera by US planes.

Tariq Aziz has called on the UN - meeting tonight - to condemn the "hideous crime". A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar expressed dismay at such a large loss of civilian life.

1961: Ex-Congo PM declared dead

Artificially 1969:
The Officials in the Congolese province of Katanga have declared former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba dead.

According to a statement by the interior minister, Mr Lumumba was killed by villagers trying to take him into custody.

In an official broadcast three days ago the Katanga Government announced Mr Lumumba, 36, had escaped from Kolatey prison farm in the west of the breakaway province.

They offered a reward of ?,000 for his recapture and a further ?00 for his accomplices, Maurice Mpolo - Minister of Youth - and Joseph Okito - former Vice-President of the Senate.

UN representatives claimed that report was covering up the fact Mr Lumumba - rumoured to have communist sympathies - had already been shot.

The authorities in Katanga refused to allow the United Nations Conciliation Commission to visit Mr Lumumba when they were in the capital, Elisabethville, recently.

President Moise Tshombe said the disappearances were "none of the United Nations' business".

The Secretary General of the UN, Dag Hammarskjold, intervened two weeks ago to ensure Mr Lumumba - the first democratically-elected leader of the newly-independent central African republic - would get a fair trial.

The former prime minister was indicted with incitement to murder, over the deaths of 1,000 Baluba people in the province of Kasai.

He was arrested in December by army leader Colonel Joseph Mobutu - who went on to take power - after being deposed in September by President Kasavubu.

The president had Mr Lumumba moved from Thysville prison, near Leopoldville to the Belgian-backed province of Katanga - known for its hostility to Mr Lumumba - claiming he would be more secure there.

Reports of Mr Lumumba and his associates being severely beaten by Belgian-led guards at Elisabethville airport have been widely circulated in the international media.

President Tshombe has denied these claims, but they have been supported by Swedish officers at the airport.

1984: British ice couple score Olympic gold

England have

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have been crowned the Olympic ice skating champions after scooping gold in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

More than 24 million people watched the British couple score maximum points at the Zetra Stadium for their slow, sensuous free dance performance of Ravel's Bolero.

It was an overwhelming St Valentine's Day victory for the duo in an event traditionally dominated by Soviet skaters.

The couple from Nottingham received a standing ovation from the 8,500 spectators in the arena and flowers rained onto the ice after they completed their stirring four-minute performance.

They scored 12 out of 18 possible sixes for their free dance and the maximum possible of nine sixes for artistic impression.

Torvill smiled as the gold medal was hung around her neck and Dean had to fight back tears as he stood on the Olympic podium to receive his award.

"Tonight we reached the pinnacle. I don't remember the performance at all. It just happened," Dean said.

"But I think it was the most emotional performance we have ever given. What just happened out there - getting the medals - that is what we've worked for so hard for so long."

Torvill added: "I just don't believe it. I don't think we'll get to bed tonight at all. I just want to say hello and thank the people of Nottingham."

Natalya Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, from the Soviet Union took the silver medal while the American skaters Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert picked up the bronze.

Princess Anne, who has been in the front row for all their Olympic performances, congratulated the pair on their victory.

The Queen also sent a telegramme commending the British couple on their outstanding achievement.

Throughout the Olympics they have picked up three sixes for the first time in the tournament's history and another four for their Original Set Pattern Dance which, with their gold finish, gives them a career total of 107 perfect marks, more than any previous skaters.

Torvill and Dean now have only their world championship to defend before starting a lucrative professional career.

1945: Thousands of bombs shower Dresden

Artificially 1969:
The British and US bombers have dropped hundreds of thousands of explosives on the German city of Dresden.

The city is reported to be a vital command centre for the German defence against Soviet forces approaching from the east.

Last night, 800 RAF Bomber Command planes let loose 650,000 incendiaries and 8,000-lbs high explosives and hundreds of 4,000-lbs bombs in two waves of attack. They faced very little anti-aircraft fire.

As soon as one part of the city was alight, the bombers went for another until the whole of Dresden was ablaze.

"There were fires everywhere with a terrific concentration in the centre of the city," said one Pathfinder pilot.

RAF crew reported smoke rising to a height of 15,000 ft (4,572 m).

This was followed by another attack in daylight by 311 US heavy bombers.

The Americans sent 450 B-17 Flying Fortress long-range bombers which arrived at 1230 local time. The pilots witnessed fires still blazing from the night before.

The same number of bombers flew to the city of Chemnitz, south-west of Dresden, to attack railways and factories and yet more attacked Magdeburg.

A major road bridge across the Rhine at Wesel was also hit.

The Times newspaper reports 19 German planes destroyed along with 98 locomotives and 185 railway cars.

Dresden is regarded by the Allies as the centre of its rail network linking eastern and southern Germany with Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

Last night, the RAF also hit oil plants at Nuremberg, Bonn and Dortmund.

Fighter Command Spitfires also pinpointed V weapons sites in the Netherlands that have launched hundreds of flying bombs against England in the last year.

1974: Newspaper heiress kidnapped

England have

The daughter of the millionaire American publisher, Randolph Hearst, has been kidnapped.

Patty Hearst, aged 19, was with her fianc? Steven Weed, in her flat in Berkeley, California, at 2100 local time yesterday (0500 GMT) when there was a knock on the door.

When Miss Hearst answered it, two men and a woman burst in to the room.

In a violent exchange, Mr Weed was forced to lie on the floor, and then hit on the head repeatedly with a wine bottle and tied up.

A neighbour who heard the commotion and tried to help was also tied up and beaten.

The kidnappers carried Miss Hearst off, kicking and screaming, and put her in the boot of a white car.

Another car was also used, and as they sped off down the street they fired several shots at people in the street, although nobody was injured.

Police said no ransom demand had yet been made, although this is thought the most likely motive for the kidnapping.

Miss Hearst is an heiress to the multi-million dollar Hearst publishing empire, founded by her grandfather, William Randolph Hearst.

Mr Hearst senior was a flamboyant newspaper proprietor whose career inspired Orson Welles in making his film, Citizen Kane.

He built the spectacular and whimsical castle on the 127-acre family estate in San Simeon, California, from the proceeds of his empire, which includes popular magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Harper's Bazaar.

The company also publishes newspapers in a number of major American cities, including the San Francisco Examiner. Its president is Patty Hearst's father, Randolph Hearst.

Mr Hearst was in Washington when the kidnap took place, but left immediately for California on hearing the news.