Approximately 1,500 Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro’s regime attempted an invasion, financed and directed by the USA. The invasion failed

Libya responded by blowing up a Pan Am passenger jet over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988)

King Alfonso XIII left Spain and went into exile in Rome, Italy.

Approximately 5,000 youths rampaged through the streets, attacking police officers, damaging buildings, looting shops and setting cars alight

25 years ago today (7th April 1986): British home computer pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair sold his entire computer product range and the Sinclair brand name to Amstrad

20 years ago today (9th April 1991): Georgia declared its independence from the Soviet Union

10 years ago today (1st April 2001) Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was arrested in Belgrade for corruption, embezzlement and genocide 25 years ago today (7th April 1986) British home computer pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair sold his entire computer product range and the Sinclair brand name to Amstrad 20 years ago today (9th April 1991)…

The Beatles gave their first performance at The Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Is it as futile to rewrite history as it is to rewrite a football match after the final whistle blows?

King Henry VIII's Madness Explained

Archaeologists have revealed that six cannons that belonged to the bloodthirsty British pirate Henry Morgan have been recovered from a river in Panama.

Swashbuckling adventurer Morgan sent three ships and a crew of 470 men to capture the Castillo de San Lorenzo el Real de Chagres, a fort that guarded the approach to Panama City, the capital, in 1671.

The Gulf War ended – a ceasefire came into effect at midnight – for more, click here.

For more on this topic, click here.

150 years ago today (4th March 1861) Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th President of the USA 75 years ago today (7th March 1936) Adolf Hitler ordered his troops into the demilitarised zone of the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact 20 years ago today (14th March 1991) The ‘Birmingham…

“The Soviets have opened a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world’s biggest space station, Mir. The successful launch of Mir comes just over three weeks after the American space shuttle Challenger disaster, in which seven astronauts died….more“

Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War [more]

For more on Decimal Day, click here.

No one has figured out how to read the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript, but now we know how old it is.

Finnish scientists are analyzing a golden, cloudy beverage found in a 19th century shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, hoping new beers can be modeled on an ancient brew.

In the months before and after the end of World War II, Tuviah Friedman tirelessly hunted Nazis as part of a militia in liberated Poland, and he reveled in his nickname, the Merciless One.

CBBC's Horrible Histories triumphed over its adult counterparts at the British Comedy Awards – and rightly so, says Gerard Gilbert

Angie Powell, 57, and her husband Rhodri, 56, uncovered the 20ft wide, six ft high, wall painting as they peeled back wallpaper and mortar from their grade II listed home.

Like a virus, revolt has spread rapidly over the last few weeks from Tunisia to Egypt, with additional riots and protests in nearby Jordan and Yemen and rumblings that Syria may be next. As alarming as the spread of uprisings might be, the recent chain of events echoes numerous periods of discontent that stretch back more than 200 years.

The body of Oliver Cromwell, former Lord Protector of England, was dug up and “executed” more than two years after his death [more]

In Paris, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe, honouring unidentified soldiers who fell in WWI [images]

The American space shuttle “Challenger” exploded shortly after lift-off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing all 7 astronauts [video]

40 years ago (2nd Feb. 1971) Idi Amin became President of Uganda. He had overthrown Milton Obote in a military coup the previous week. 100 years ago (6th Feb. 1911) Birth of Ronald Reagan, American actor and 40th President of the United States. 40 years ago (7th Feb. 1971) Women in Switzerland were finally given…

The first members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley [official website].

Primary school children in Bacup, England were terrified during a school assembly when administrators told them World War III was happening and London was being bombed.

John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States [video].

History study needs facts first, analysis later

Does Tom Hooper's Oscar-tipped Brit-flick about George VI's struggles with his stammer talk sense or take liberties?

Death of Sir Francis Galton, British anthropologist, explorer, eugenicist, statistician, and meteorologist, known for his pioneering studies of human intelligence, for devising the concept of correlation, and for creating the first weather map [more]

The Gulf War begins with “Operation Desert Storm” after a UN deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait expired [more].