BBC ON THIS DAY

American GI greeting Russian soldier with handshake and arms round shoulders

1945: Russians and Americans link at Elbe

Russian and American troops join hands at the River Elbe in Germany, bringing the end of the war a step closer.

1984: Libyan embassy siege ends
The siege of the Libyan Embassy in London ends 11 days after the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the St James's Square building.

The Duke of Kent opening the Sierra Leone parliament

1961: Sierra Leone wins independence
Sierra Leone becomes the latest West African state to win independence, after more than 150 years of British colonial rule.

1992: Betty Boothroyd is new Speaker
The House of Commons elects a woman to the post of Speaker for the first time in its 700-year history.

1971: Protest disrupts Welsh language trial
Police in Wales remove demonstrators from the entrance of a courtroom after they disrupted proceedings inside.

Around this Day

24 April

Top Story1993: IRA bomb devastates City of London

25 April

Top Story1980: Tehran hostage rescue mission fails

26 April

Top Story1962: First US rocket lands on Moon

28 April

Top Story1986: Soviets admit nuclear accident

29 April

Top Story1992: LA in flames after 'not guilty' verdict

30 April