1993: Wounded Bosnian girl flown to UK
A five-year-old girl who was severely injured in the fighting in Bosnia is flown to Britain for treatment.

2003: Britain swelters in record heat
Britain records its hottest-ever day with temperatures above 100F, jamming roads and packing beaches across the country.

1999: Millions marvel at total eclipse
Up to 350 million people in Europe and Asia witness the last total solar eclipse of the century.

1961 East Germany began construction of the Berlin Wall, which served as a symbol of the Cold War, separating East Berlin from West Berlin until 1989.

1961: Berliners wake to divided city
Troops in East Germany seal off the border between East and West Berlin, shutting off the escape route for thousands of refugees from the East.

2000: Rescuers race to save stricken Kursk
A rescue operation is underway to save the lives of more than 100 sailors on board a Russian submarine grounded at the bottom of the Barents Sea.

1914 After some 10 years of work, the Panama Canal opened to ships.

1960 The island of Cyprus became an independent republic.

1998: Clinton admits Lewinsky affair
President of the United States, Bill Clinton, admits having an inappropriate relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

1964: South Africa banned from Olympics
South Africa are barred from taking part in the 18th Olympic Games in Tokyo over its refusal to condemn apartheid.

1987: Gunman kills 14 in Hungerford rampage
A man shoots 14 people dead in the Berkshire town of Hungerford

Viking 1 launched
The robotic U.S. spacecraft Viking 1, built to explore the surface of Mars, was launched this day in 1975 and nearly one year later landed on Chryse Planitia, a flat lowland region in the northern hemisphere of the planet.

1986: Giant glacier threatens eco disaster
A huge glacier in Alaska is threatening to cause an ecological disaster in the region.

1485 Wars of the Roses ended in England
Henry Tudor (the future Henry VII) defeated the Yorkist king Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth Field on this day in 1485, effectively ending the Wars of the Roses and establishing the Tudor dynasty on the English throne.

1305 William Wallace executed
On this day in London, William Wallace was executed for treason, condemned for leading Scottish resistance forces during the first years of the long and ultimately successful struggle to free Scotland from English rule.