In 2003 the United States space shuttle Columbia launched on this day. Sadly the shuttle disintegrated on re-entry on the 1st of February 2003 killing all seven astronauts onboard.
In 1991 war with Iraq (Operation Desert Storm) began after the United Nation’s deadline for Iraqi forces to leave Kuwait was ignored.
On the 2nd August 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait an act which was condemned by the international community. The United Nations authorised the use of force against Iraq if they had not ended their occupation of their Kuwait by the 15th of January 1991. United States and United Kingdom aircraft carriers in Saudi Arabia were the platform for hundreds of bombing raids on Iraqi targets, by several nations, dropping 85,000 tons of explosives over the following weeks. The bombing raids began on at 23:30 GMT the 16th of January which was 02:30am local time on the 17th of January. A total of 32 countries supplied forces in the initial Iraq war including France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The 24th of February 1991 marked the end of the air bombardment and the start of the ground invasion which saw 10,000 Iraqi troops captive in the first day and the liberation of Kuwait by the 28th of February 1991.
In 1966 United States of America looses H-Bomb over Spain. A B-52 bomber crashed into a KC-135 jet tanker as it refilled over Spain, dropping its payload of four hydrogen bombs. Two of the bombs exploded on impact, one landed relatively un-damaged, while a fourth bomb was lost at sea. During the cold war America flew planes over the Earth constantly carrying nuclear arms, ready to drop at a moments notice. This led to many incidents such as this (thought to be at least 40) were collisions caused nuclear contamination and these incidents came to be known as ‘Broken Arrows’. The final lost H-Bomb was recovered in April 1966.
In 1899 Al Capone, the notorious gangster is born in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
In 1893 Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii is overthrown by Americans. Sanford Ballard Dole, who was born in Hawaii to American parents in 1844, led the coup with support from the United States.
In 1827 Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington who led the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, became commander and chief of the British army.
