On this day: Cornerstone of the Freedom Tower laid

On this day in 2004 the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York. Picture: Getty

1700: Truce was signed in war between Russia and Turkey.

1776: The Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia.

1779: French force took Grenada in West Indies.

1798: Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Alexandria, Egypt.

1802: United States Military Academy at West Point opened with an intake of ten cadets.

1829: The first scheduled horse-drawn bus service was introduced in London.

1840: The Cunard Line began its first Atlantic crossing from Liverpool.

1848: The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels.

1883: The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States by France.

1892: James Keir Hardie became the first Socialist to win a seat in the British Parliament.

1904: Work began on the construction of the 40-mile Panama Canal.

1937: First successful flight in a helicopter was made by Hanna Reitsch in Germany.

1946: Republic of the Philippines was founded after 47 years of United States rule.

1957: V Molotov, DJ Shepilov and GM Malenkov were expelled from Presidium of Central Committee of Soviet Communist Party.

1968: Alec Rose landed at Portsmouth after sailing single-handed around the world.

1972: North and South Korea renounced use of force and agreed on principles to unify Korea peacefully without outside interference.

1976: Israeli commandoes flew to rescue 103 hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

1986: Sikh militants killed 12 people in India’s Punjab State.

1988: United States naval team dispatched to Persian Gulf after US destruction of Iranian passenger jetliner killing 290.

1992: Steffi Graf won the ladies singles title at Wimbledon.

1996: The Prince of Wales delivered his divorce terms to the Princess, said to be £15 million.

2004: The cornerstone of Freedom Tower was laid on the site of the World Trade Center, New York City.

2007: BBC correspondent Alan Johnstons freed by Gaza captors after being held for 114 days.

2009: The Statue of Liberty’s crown reopened after security fears following the World Trade Centre attacks.

BIRTHDAYS

Neil Morrissey, actor, 52; Doddie Weir, rugby player and commentator, 44; René Arnoux, French racing driver, 65; Mark Davis, English golfer, 51; David “Kid” Jensen, Danish Canadian-born British television presenter and radio broadcaster, 64; Prince Michael of Kent, 72 Henri Leconte, French tennis player, 51; Ute Lemper, German chanteuse, 51; Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress, 87; Jenny Seagrove, British actress, 57; Colin Welland, British actor and playwright, 80.

ANNIVERSARIES

Births: 1790 Sir George Everest, surveyor-general of India after whom mountain was named; 1845 Thomas Barnardo, founder of homes for destitute children; 1872 Calvin Coolidge, 30th United States president; 1898 Gertrude Lawrence, actress.

Deaths: 1761 Samuel Richardson, novelist; 1826 Thomas Jefferson, 3rd United States president;

1831 James Monroe, 5th US president; 1881 William H Bonney, outlaw “Billy the Kid”; 1934 Marie Curie, discoverer of radium; 2008 Sir Charles Wheeler, journalist; 2012 Eric Sykes CBE, British comedian.