1963: King's dream for racial harmony
The fight for racial equality in the United States moved a step closer to victory today as Martin Luther King spoke of his dream for freedom in an address to thousands of Americans.
Reverend King was greeted with rapturous applause as he delivered his heart-felt words to a 250,000-strong crowd of civil rights protesters at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
He spoke of the need "to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice".
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther King
He promised that the struggle for equality would continue until "justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream".
Rev King, who has worked tirelessly for an end to racial discrimination through non-violent means, spoke repeatedly of his dream for equality.
"I have a dream," he said. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.
"I have a dream today.
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be engulfed, every hill shall be exalted and every mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
Dr King, who is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) first came to prominence in 1955 when he led a 382-day bus boycott in an attempt to end segregation on city buses.
Since then he has endured numerous arrests, violent harrassment and a bomb attack on his home.
But his struggle continues and it is believed today's speech will have a lasting impact on all who heard it.
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Martin Luther King's speech was received with rapturous applause
In Context
The Rev Martin Luther King spearheaded the campaign against segregation and racial discrimination in the United States.
But his crusade was cut dramatically short, when he was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in the southern US city of Memphis, Tennessee, aged 39.
He was shot in the neck by a rifle bullet as he stood on a balcony from where he was to lead a march of sanitation workers protesting against low wages and poor working conditions
James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison.
But he later retracted his confession and said he had been only a minor player in a conspiracy.
However, his appeals for a new trial were rejected and he died in prison in 1998.
Stories From 28 Aug
1963: King's dream for racial harmony
2003: Blair gives evidence to Hutton
2004: Second gold for Kelly Holmes
1994: Sunday trading legalised
1972: Prince William killed in plane crash
1985: East Germans charged with espionage
1833 - The House of Commons approved the Abolition Act, introduced earlier by Thomas Buxton, abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire.
1859 – A geomagnetic storm causes the Aurora Borealis to shine so brightly that it is seen clearly over parts of USA, Europe, and even as far away as Japan.
1973 - Princess Anne visited Russia, to ride for Britain in an equestrian event, thus becoming the first member of the Royal Family to visit the country.
1994 - Thousands of shops throughout England and Wales opened legally for the first time on a Sunday, following a change in the Sunday trading laws.
1996 - The divorce of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana was finalized in a decree absolute issued in London's High Court. Under the terms of the divorce settlement, Diana was stripped of her 'Royal Highness' title.
2004 - British athlete Kelly Holmes secured a place in Olympic history by winning the 1500m gold in Athens. The runner won the 800m earlier and thus became the first Olympic Briton in 84 years to achieve the middle-distance double.
2005 - An evacuation is ordered by New Orleans, Louisiana mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco as Hurricane Katrina moves closer to Louisiana.
1950: British troops arrive in Korea
A British force of about 4,000 infantry has arrived in Korea from Hong Kong.
The decision to send the troops, as back up for the American-led United Nations force, was taken suddenly a week ago. Until now, the only British support has been from warships in the area and some local air squadrons.
The British force includes the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and 1st Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.
American troops have been in the region since the beginning of July and there has been deep concern in Britain that it has taken so long to send support.
Infantry reinforcements
At the end of July, the Minister of Defence, Emmanuel Shinwell, announced a self-contained expeditionary force, including armour, artillery and engineers, as well as infantry, would be sent to Korea.
But he said ground forces would not be withdrawn from Malaya or Hong Kong to make up the force.
However, it appears following an urgent request from General Douglas MacArthur last week for infantry reinforcements, there was a change of plan in Whitehall.
The self-contained force - including a centurion tank - is still being sent to Korea but is not expected to arrive for another couple of weeks.
Opposition leader Winston Churchill intends to raise the matter when Parliament next meets on 12 September.
The British contingent has arrived at a moment when the United Nations line is under heavy pressure on its northern front and the port of Pohang on the east coast is threatened by Communist encirclement.
Reports from Korea say Communist forces have also moved inland to capture Kigye.
If they are successful, the Communists are expected to turn their attentions next to Taegu, the main centre of allied communications.
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The first British troops arrived from Hong Kong to assist the Americans
In Context
Parliament was recalled on 12 September when the Government announced it was increasing its expenditure on defence and extending the period of national service from 18 months to two years due in part to the demands of the war in Korea.
Two million people died during the Korean war, which ended with an armistice signed on 27 July 1953.
Of the 63,000 UK troops sent to Korea - many National Service conscripts - 1,078 died and more than 1,000 were taken prisoner.
Many were mistreated and subjected to "political re-education". Some 82 prisoners never returned home and are presumed dead.
North and South Korea were eventually separated by a demarcation line which was extended by a 2km (1.5 miles) demilitarised zone on either side.
A peace deal has never been reached. American troops remain stationed in the de-militarized zone on and around the 38th parallel separating North and South Korea.
Stories From 29 Aug
1965: Gemini V returns to Earth
1950: British troops arrive in Korea
2005: Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans
1992: Violence mars German anti-racist rally
1974: Rock fans clash with police at festival
1986: UK's oldest twins turn 100
1533 - Atahuallpa, the 13th and last emperor of the Incas, died by strangulation at the hands of Francisco Pizarro's Spanish conquistadors. His death marked the end of 300 years of Inca civilization.
1831 - Michael Faraday successfully demonstrated the first electrical transformer at the Royal Institute, London.
1835 - The city of Melbourne, Australia, was founded.
1842 - The Treaty of Nanking was signed between the British and the Chinese, ending the Opium War, and leasing the Hong Kong territories to Britain.
1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the
Reitwagen.
1896 - The Chinese-American dish chop suey was invented in New York City by the chef to visiting Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-chang.
1949 – The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, known as First Lightning or Joe 1, at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan.
1966 - At Candlestick Park, San Francisco, the Beatles played their last live concert.
2005 - Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,836 and causing over $115 billion in damage.
Births:
1936 – John McCain, American politician
1938 – Elliott Gould, American actor
1939 – Joel Schumacher, American film director
1958 – Lenny Henry, British writer, comedian and actor
1958 – Michael Jackson, American pop singer (d. 2009)
1971 – Carla Gugino, American actress
1975 – Kyle Cook, guitarist, Matchbox 20
1976 – Stephen Carr, Irish footballer
1976 – Jon Dahl Tomasson, Danish footballer
1978 – Celestine Babayaro, Nigerian footballer
1980 – David Desrosiers, Canadian musician (Simple Plan)
1981 – Lanny Barbie, Canadian pornographic actress
1986 – Lea Michele, American actress and singer
1990 – Nicole Anderson, American actress
1993 – Lucas Cruikshank, American Internet personality
1993 – Liam Payne, British singer (One Direction)
1997: 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 distressed".
Prince Charles broke the news of their mother's death to Princes William and Harry at Balmoral Castle in Scotland where the royal family had been spending the summer.
The accident happened after the princess left the Ritz Hotel in the French capital with her companion, Dodi Al Fayed - son of Harrods owner, Mohammed Al Fayed.
Criminal investigation
Dodi Al Fayed and the vehicle's driver were also killed in the collision in a tunnel under the Place de l'Alma in the centre of the city.
The princess' Mercedes car was apparently being pursued at high speed by photographers on motorbikes when it hit a pillar and smashed into a wall.
Mr Al Fayed and the chauffeur died at the scene but the princess and her bodyguard were cut from the wreckage and rushed to hospital.
The French authorities have begun a criminal investigation and are questioning seven photographers.
Tributes to the princess have been pouring in from around the world.
Speaking from his home in South Africa, the princess' brother, Lord Charles Spencer, said his sister had been "unique".
While it was not the time for recriminations there was no doubt the press had played a part in her death, the earl added.
Hundreds of mourners have gathered at the princess' London home, Kensington Palace and many have laid flowers at the gates.
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Princess Diana's car was being pursued by photographers
A report from Paris on the death of the princess
In Context
Only Princess Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, survived the crash.
Blood tests showed the driver, Henri Paul, had taken both drugs and a large amount of alcohol before the accident.
The royal family was criticised for its reserve during a time when there was an unprecedented national outpouring of grief.
Around one million people lined the streets to see the princess' funeral cortege as it made its way to Westminster Abbey in early September.
No charges were brought against the paparazzi who had been pursuing the princess' car.
But the behaviour of the press came under close scrutiny and the code governing the British media was tightened in December 1997.
An inquest into the princess's death was opened in the UK in 2004. It has been adjourned while the Metropolitan police, led by Lord Stevens, carry out an investigation into the crash. Retired judge Lady Elizabeth Butler-Sloss will conduct preliminary hearings into the inquests in early 2007.
Stories From 31 Aug
1997: Princess Diana dies in Paris crash
1994: IRA declares 'complete' ceasefire
1959: Anglo-US TV debate makes history
1977: Smith keeps power in Rhodesia
1989: Royal couple to separate
1957: Malaya celebrates independence
1939: Germany invades Poland
German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw.
The attack comes without any warning or declaration of war.
Britain and France have mobilised their forces and are preparing to wage war on Germany for the second time this century.
Just before dawn today, German tanks, infantry and cavalry penetrated Polish territory on several fronts with five armies, a total of 1.5 million troops.
My grandfather was killed on the train travelling to Warsaw when it was bombed by the German air force
People's War memories »
Soon afterwards German planes bombarded the cities. They have been making swift progress in penetrating Polish defences which are heavily outnumbered in artillery, infantry and air power.
The cities of Katowice, Krakow, Tczew and Tunel were attacked with incendiary bombs. Air raids on Warsaw began at 0900 local time.
Communications to Katowice have been broken but earlier reports said German planes were coming over in squadrons of 50, every half-hour, and there have been many casualties.
The German Army struck from Slovakia, East Prussia and from Pomerania into the Polish Corridor and the port Danzig, which has declared itself part of the Reich.
The 4th Army came in from East Prussia at Deutsch-Eylau supported by air raids on cities north of Warsaw. There is heavy fighting reported along the whole of the East Prussian border.
Poznan was attacked from the main body of the German Reich and border towns occupied.
The 8th and 10th armies are moving north-east from Silesia towards Warsaw; and the 14th Army struck from Slovakia towards Krakow.
Warning sent to Germany
The Times newspaper reports that when the air raid sirens in the capital first sounded at 0600 inhabitants reacted calmly and some even ran out onto the streets to look up at the sky and had be driven back inside by air raid wardens.
The unprovoked attack follows yesterday's report on German radio that the border town of Gliwice had been raided by a group of Polish soldiers, who had all been shot dead.
German radio broadcast a list of "demands" never submitted to the Polish Government.
The Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, held a meeting with King George today in Downing Street.
Later this evening Mr Chamberlain told a packed House of Commons that British and French Ambassadors in Berlin had given German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop an ultimatum.
He was to tell Berlin that unless the Nazis withdraw, Britain and France would fulfil its promise of support to Poland.
Von Ribbentrop said he would refer the message to Adolf Hitler.
US President Roosevelt of the United States has sent an appeal to the governments of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland urging them to announce publicly their determination not to launch air attacks on civilians.
In reply the British and French governments say they intend to confine their bombing to military objectives, so long as their opponents do the same.
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The Germans have attacked Poland without any declaration of war
In Context
Britain and France were forced to declare war after Germany ignored their separate ultimatums, delivered on 3 September 1939, demanding the withdrawal of German troops from Poland.
In the mid-1930s, Britain's response to the acceleration of Germany's rearmament and the threat of war was to appease rather than confront Hitler and his generals.
By late 1938, Hitler was making speeches that furiously proclaimed Germany's right to annex the Sudetenland, a Czechoslovak territory with a significant German population.
Chamberlain flew to Germany to calm the situation, eventually signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler, giving control of the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany.
With the invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Britain was no longer acquiescent and Chamberlain warned that any further attacks would meet resistance. It took the defeat of Poland six months later to induce the British and French governments to declare war.
Stories From 1 Sep
1939: Germany invades Poland
1983: Korean airliner 'shot down'
1997: Diana driver was 'drunk and speeding'
1976: Water crisis deepens
2003: Widow tells Hutton Kelly felt 'betrayed'
1969: Bloodless coup in Libya
1960: Game on for British betting shops
1945: Japan signs unconditional surrender
Japanese officials have signed the act of unconditional surrender, finally bringing to an end six years of world war.
In the presence of 50 Allied generals and other officials, the Japanese envoys boarded the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay to sign the surrender document.
Within half-an-hour of the signing, a convoy of 42 US ships entered Tokyo Bay and landed 13,000 American troops.
The Supreme Commander of the Allied powers, US General Douglas MacArthur, briefly addressed the dignitaries on the deck of the battleship urging them to comply with the terms of the surrender "fully, promptly and faithfully".
I am safe and in good health. I am a prisoner of war in Japan and am being well treated
People's War memories »
He continued: "It is my earnest hope and, indeed, the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past; a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfilment of his most cherished wish, for freedom, tolerance and justice."
He also referred to the nuclear bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying they had "revised the traditional concept of war". The world had had its last chance, he said, and if it did not devise some greater and more equitable system Armageddon would be at its door.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Japan has agreed to end all hostilities, release all prisoners of war, and comply with the terms of the Potsdam declaration, which confines its sovereignty to the four main islands which make up Japan.
It has also agreed to acknowledge the authority of the US supreme commander. Although Emperor Hirohito will be allowed to remain as a symbolic head of state.
From today the occupying force will be rapidly increased to about 500,000. British landing forces are expected to be relieved by US Army troops within a few days. Some will return home to Britain, others may be deployed for the reoccupation of surrendered ports.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Prince Higashi Kuni, broadcast an appeal to his people to obey the terms of the surrender.
He said the Japanese had to face defeat squarely and "suffer even the insufferable" in seeking to comply with the Emperor's surrender proclamation.
Marshal Joseph Stalin has welcomed the unconditional surrender of Japan.
Under the terms of the agreement the disputed southern Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands will pass into Soviet hands. The islands have been occupied by Japan since the Russo-Japanese war of 1904.
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General MacArthur signs for the Allies on board battleship Missouri
General MacArthur: "The holy mission has been completed"
In Context
The Allies celebrated victory over Japan on 15 August 1945, and that date as well as 2 September are both known as VJ Day.
Japan enjoyed a series of early victories from its entry in the war at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, followed by the conquest of Hong Kong, Burma, the Philippines, Malaya and Borneo.
But the war effort drained the country's economy and hardship prevailed. By 1943 defeats at Midway and Guadalcanal the previous year had contributed to Japan's decline.
Japan suffered further defeats in 1944, then in March 1945 Tokyo came under sustained assault from US bombers. Tens of thousands died and much of the city was razed to the ground.
The Japanese had asked the Soviets to represent them at Potsdam - but under a new deal with the Allies, the Russians were about to break the Russo-Japanese non-aggression pact and did not put their case forward.
On 6 August 1945, the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and three days later a second on Nagasaki. With that and the Soviet declaration of war on 8 August, the Japanese were forced into a surrender that was virtually unconditional.
Emperor Hirohito offered to take the blame for war atrocities committed by the Japanese at a meeting with General MacArthur later in September 1945 but his offer was rejected. He was never tried for war crimes, instead the Americans used him to help push through some democratic reforms that transformed Japanese politics.
Japan regained its independence in 1952 - although the US retained the island of Okinawa until 1972 and still has big military bases there.
Stories From 2 Sep
1945: Japan signs unconditional surrender
1979: Ripper suspected of 12th murder
1984: Seven killed in Sydney biker shootings
1994: Roy Castle loses battle with cancer
1951: Designers prepare to dazzle Venice
2004: Russian school siege ends in violence
More than 200 people are now known to have died after a three-day siege at a Russian school came to a bloody end.
The hostage-takers deliberately fired at the backs of fleeing children as they ran from the building in Beslan, many of them naked and screaming.
Others were killed inside when a woman suicide bomber blew herself up in the middle of the crowded gym where more than 1,000 people are believed to have been held.
Most of the hostage-takers have either been killed or captured, Russian television reports say.
Loud explosions
Hundreds of people have been taken to hospital, most of them pupils at Beslan's School Number One, which is in the Russian republic of North Ossetia.
It is still not clear who the hostage-takers were and what demands they made. Officials have linked the attack to Russia's bloody war with neighbouring Chechnya.
The siege began early in the morning of 1 September (Wednesday) when a group of masked men and women, wearing bomb belts, stormed into the school, opening fire in the courtyard where pupils had gathered for a ceremony to mark the beginning of the school year.
The attackers threatened to blow up the school if troops stormed the building and children were placed at the windows to act as human shields.
According to a report from the Itar-Tass news agency, the attackers demanded the release of fighters seized in neighbouring Ingushetia in June during a raid on the region.
Talks on Thursday between the rebels and the former Ingush President Ruslan Aushev led to the release of 26 women and children.
Then early this morning agreement was reached with the rebels to send in vehicles to remove the bodies of those killed earlier.
Soon after there were two loud explosions and then automatic gunfire could be heard. Heavily armed soldiers began running towards the building.
A group of children, some covered in blood, escaped from the school in the confusion.
Special forces were ordered into the school which, by now, was resounding to the sound of gunfire and explosions as the attackers detonated bombs and mines.
The full horror of events was played out before a live television audience, which watched as a crowd of local people leaped onto a man they assumed to be one of the rebels and beat and kicked him until he was eventually rescued by police.
The shooting went on for several hours. Reports said piles of dead bodies could be seen inside the school gym.
By 1940 local time, the special forces said their operation to secure the school was complete.
Those who survived the bloodshed told how they had been ordered to strip to their underwear and forced to drink their own urine because of the shortage of water.
The attack followed the mid-air destruction of two Russian civilian airliners in August 2004, which was blamed on Chechen women suicide-bombers.
Three months earlier, the rebels had assassinated the pro-Russian Chechen president, Akhmad Kadyrov.
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Some children escaped before troops stormed the school
In Context
The number who died in the siege rose to 335, about half of them children.
The final number of dead will probably never be known. Three days after the siege 180 people were still listed as missing. Many of the bodies were so badly burned as to be unrecognisable.
President Putin admitted mistakes had been made and blamed foreign enemies for the attack, although he did not mention Chechnya by name.
Reports said the hostage-takers got through a police road check. Security forces failed to secure the perimeter to the school which meant many locals got into the area while the standoff continued.
The only hostage-taker to be captured alive, Nur-Pashi Kulayev, a Chechen carpenter, was sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2006.
But many relatives of the dead believe the Russian government should take some of the blame for the bungled rescue attempt.
Stories From 3 Sep
2004: Russian school siege ends in violence
1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany
1998: All feared dead in Swissair crash
1943: Allied troops invade mainland Italy
1984: Typhoon batters Philippines
1976: Hull prison riot ends
1954: National Trust buys remote island
301 – San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.
1189 - Following the death of his father Henry II, Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey in London.
1783 - The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It was signed by representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France, the United States became a free and independent nation.
1939 - In Britain, the formation of the Citizens' Advice Bureau - established to help people understand and comply with new rules and regulations that were introduced at the start of World War II.
1967 - Sweden switched from driving on the left to the right-hand side of the road. (Random)
1976 - Unmanned U.S. spacecraft Viking II landed on Mars (at Utopia Planitia), taking the first close-up color photographs of the planet.
1995 - The online auction Web site eBay was founded in San Jose, California by computer programmer Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb.