BBC ON THIS DAY | Front Page - BBC News
WEB20 February. The Soviets open a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world's biggest space station, Mir. Two 10-year-old boys are charged with the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Bulger in Liverpool. Hundreds of people are reported to have died in Assam as fierce fighting rages in the run-up to Indian elections.
BBC NEWS | Middle East | 1948: The State of Israel is founded
WEBMay 6, 2008 · 1948: The State of Israel is founded. The State of Israel was proclaimed on 14 May 1948, the culmination of nearly 2,000 years of hopes by Jewish people that they would one day return to the land from which the Romans expelled them. The Holocaust of European Jewry in the Second World War strengthened their determination.
BBC ON THIS DAY | 31 | 1997: Princess Diana dies in Paris crash
WEB1997: Princess Diana dies in Paris crash. Diana, Princess of Wales, has died after a car crash in Paris. She was taken to hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning where surgeons tried for two hours to save her life but she died at 0300 BST. In a statement Buckingham Palace said the Queen and the Prince of Wales were "deeply shocked and ...
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Gilgamesh tomb believed found
WEBApr 29, 2003 · Archaeologists in Iraq believe they may have found the lost tomb of King Gilgamesh - the subject of the oldest "book" in history. Gilgamesh was believed to be two-thirds god, one-third human. The Epic Of Gilgamesh - written by a Middle Eastern scholar 2,500 years before the birth of Christ - commemorated the life of the ruler of the city of ...
BBC NEWS | Americas | 9/11 third tower mystery 'solved'
WEBJul 4, 2008 · BBC, Conspiracy Files. One of the twin towers collapses. The final mystery of 9/11 will soon be solved, according to US experts investigating the collapse of the third tower at the World Trade Center. The 47-storey third tower, known as Tower Seven, collapsed seven hours after the twin towers. Investigators …
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam Hussein's last moments
WEBDec 31, 2006 · Saddam Hussein's last moments. In the wake of the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a fuller picture has gradually emerged of how his final moments played out. In an interview with the BBC, one of the witnesses, Judge Munir Haddad, gave a detailed account of what he saw, painting a …
BBC ON THIS DAY | 24 | 1991: Giant of rock dies - BBC News
WEB1991: Giant of rock dies. Freddie Mercury has died aged 45, just one day after he publicly announced he was HIV positive. The lead singer for rock group Queen died quietly at his home in west London of bronchio-pneumonia, brought on by Aids, his publicist said. The flamboyant star is thought to have had the disease for two years, but he ...
BBC News - Why do some Catholics self-flagellate?
WEBNov 24, 2009 · Flagellation is the beating or whipping of the skin, most often on the back, and often drawing blood, as a bodily penance to show remorse for sin. It was a widespread practice in some parts of the Catholic ministry up to the 1960s but is uncommon today, says Professor Michael Walsh, a Catholic historian. Flagellation is acted out for symbolic ...
BBC ON THIS DAY | 18 | 1955: Albert Einstein dies - BBC News
WEB18 April. Albert Einstein has died in hospital in Princeton, New Jersey, aged 76. The eminent scientist and originator of the theory of relativity was admitted to hospital three days ago with an internal complaint. In recent years Dr Einstein had lived a secluded life although he was still a member of staff at the Institute for Advanced Study ...
BBC NEWS | Country Profiles
WEBCountry Profiles. Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions. They also include audio and video clips from BBC archives. Select a country, territory or international organisation from the menus below.