In 1991 Terry Anderson, the US citizen held hostage in Lebanon, was freed from his captors after six and a half years.

Fellow countrymen Thomas Sutherland was also captured by Islamic terrorists while he was in Lebanon on the 9^th of June 1985. After more than six years of captivity (a total of 2,353 days) he was also released with British hostage Terry Wait.

They were all held by the same Islamic terrorist group. Terry Anderson was held captive longer than any other American in history.

In 1983 the SAS (Special Air Service – Britain’s elite special forces) ambushed three IRA (Irish Republican Army) gunman in an undercover operation, killing two and injuring a third that escaped.

In 1981 NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia launched on its maiden voyage

The first shuttle produced for NASA was Columbia whose maiden voyage was on the 4^th of December 1981. After 27 successful missions but on her 28^th, mission, which took off on the 16^th of January 2003, Columbia and her seven crew were lost. The Shuttle disintegrated on re-entry over East Texas, 16 minutes before it was due to land.

On the 8^th of July 2011 NASA’s last space shuttle mission was launched. NASA had a total of five space rated shuttles and a sixth, Enterprise, which was a test ship never intended for space.

 

In 1976 Benjamin Britten, considered to be Britain's leading composer, died aged 63.

In 1971 A bomb exploded killing 15 people, including two children and three women in Belfast, N. Ireland.

It was originally thought to have been caused by an IRA (Irish Republican Army) Bomb that exploded by accident, however in 1977 a man confessed to the attack on behalf of the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

In 1214 King William I of Scotland died and he was succeeded by his son Alexander II aged just 16