1940 ‘Operation Dynamo’, the evacuation of c. 338,000 Belgian, British and French troops over nine days from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, began.
1564 John Calvin (54), influential French theologian during the Protestant Reformation, died.
1911 The first edition of the Irish Worker, organ of the ITGWU and edited by James Larkin, was issued. Averaging 20,000 copies per issue, it was suppressed in December 1914 but was revived in 1930–2 under the editorship of James Larkin Jr.
1964 Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru (74), prime minister of India since independence (1947), died.
1993 President Mary Robinson met Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, the first official contact between a British monarch and an Irish president.
1923 Henry Kissinger, politician, diplomat and influential geopolitical consultant, born in Furth, Bavaria, Germany.
1993 President Mary Robinson made a private visit to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, the first meeting of an Irish head of state with a British monarch.
1974 With a total electrical power breakdown imminent, Chief Executive Brian Faulkner tried to convince the Executive to negotiate with the UWC strikers. The SDLP, however, insisted that the British army should man the power stations. Faulkner resigned and the Executive collapsed.
'
Personal Histories
Personal Histories is an initiative by History Ireland,
which aims to capture the individual histories of Irish
people both in Ireland and around the world. It is hoped
to build an extensive database reflecting Irish lives,
giving them a chance to be heard, remembered and to
add their voice to the historical record.
Click Here to go to the Personal Histories page
1920 Recruitment began, mainly from among demobilised British Army officers, into a new force—the ‘Auxiliary Division’—to augment the RIC.
1939 Michael Longley, poet, notable for ‘Gorse Fires’ (1991), ‘The Weather in Japan’ (2000) and ‘The Stairwell’ (2014), born in Belfast of English parents.
2004 Bob Tisdall (96), Olympic gold medal-winner in the 400m hurdles (Los Angeles, 1932) in a world record time of 51.7 seconds—which was not recognised under the rules at the time because he had hit a hurdle—died.
1866 The SS Great Eastern completed the laying of a transatlantic telegraph cable between Valentia Island, Co. Kerry, and Heart’s Content, Newfoundland.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok