1998 - The eye of Hurricane Bonnie hammered the US Atlantic coast near Cape Fear, North Carolina, with howling winds, stinging rains and a potentially devastating surge of water. The leading edge of the eye swept ashore with winds in excess of 160kph at Southport, near Cape Fear, and just a few km from Wilmington. Bonnie, a massive storm more than 720km across, pounded the North and South Carolina coastline with hurricane force winds, torrential rains and a heavy surf for hours before the eye hit the coast. Spectre of damage was expected to linger over coastal regions for two complete tide cycles.
Other important events
1847 - Liberia is proclaimed an independent republic.
1883 - The volcano Krakatoa erupts on the island Krakatau, near Indonesia, creating tsunami waves and killing more than 36,000 people.
1896 - Insurrection begins in the Philippines against the Spanish.
1936 - Treaty ends British occupation of Egypt, except Suez Canal zone.
1950 - UN troops recapture Seoul from the North Koreans.
1952 - Soviet Union announces that it had successfully tested an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.
1959 - Chinese troops cross into India’s northeastern territory after a border dispute.
1996 - A South Korean court sentences former president Chun Doo-hwan to death on charges of masterminding a 1979 coup.
1997 - South Africa’s F.W. de Klerk quits as leader of the opposition National Party.
2003 - Paul Kagame wins Rwanda presidential elections.
2014 - A permanent ceasefire between Israel and fighters in Gaza reaches, ending a seven-week Israeli assault.
