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22 January 1924: Ramsay MacDonald becomes prime minister
Features Ramsay MacDonald was one of the founder members of the Labour party, which he took to power on this day in 1924.
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20 January 1841: Britain takes possession of Hong Kong
Features On this day in 1841, Hong Kong island was ceded to Britain following the Chuenpi Convention, along with a resumption of the opium trade.
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16 January 1991: Operation Desert Storm begins
Features Coalition forces led by the US launched an operation to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi forces on this day in 1991, sending the oil price soaring.
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15 January 1892: the rules of basketball are published
Features Canadian PE instructor Dr James Naismith, working at a YMCA training school, published the 13 rules of basketball on this day in 1892.
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15 January 1759: British Museum opens
On this day in 1759, the British Museum opened in Bloomsbury after Sir Hans Sloane left his collection of books, manuscripts and specimens to the nation.
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14 January 2002: Britain’s foot-and-mouth disease epidemic ends
Features The government finally declared Britain’s foot-and-mouth disease crisis over on this day in 2002, almost a year after the first case had been identified.
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14 January 2005: Huygens probe lands on Saturn’s moon, Titan
Features On this day in 2005, the ESA’s Huygens probe landed on the frozen surface of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
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13 January 1942: Henry Ford patents his plastic car
Features On this day in 1948, Henry Ford was granted a patent for his method of making cars with plastic bodywork.
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13 January 1908: Henri Farman wins the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize
Features On this day in 1908, Anglo-French flyer Henri Farman scooped the 50,000 franc Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize after the Wright Brothers refused to compete.
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