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On This Day: London subway fire kills 30

On Nov. 18, 1987, a fire under a wooden escalator in London's King's Cross subway station killed 30 people and injured dozens others.

By UPI Staff
On November 18, 1987, a fire under a wooden escalator in London's King's Cross subway station killed 30 people and injured dozens others. File Photo by Christopher Newberry/Wikimedia
1 of 5 | On November 18, 1987, a fire under a wooden escalator in London's King's Cross subway station killed 30 people and injured dozens others. File Photo by Christopher Newberry/Wikimedia

Nov. 18 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1883, the United States adopted Standard Time and set up four zones -- Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific.

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In 1928, Mickey Mouse appeared for the first time, with Walt Disney doing the voice of his soon-to-be-famous creation, in Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon produced.

In 1936, the fascist governments of Germany and Italy recognized rebel Gen. Francisco Franco as leader of Spain amid the Spanish Civil War. Franco ruled the country until he died in 1975.

In 1961, weary of ordering a full-scale deployment of troops, President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisers to South Vietnam.

In 1963, push-button telephones made their debut.

In 1969, Kennedy clan patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy, passed away at his Hyannis Port home at the age of 81.

Former Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and his wife Rose Fitzgerald in a photo taken on September 9, 1953. UPI File Photo

In 1978, more than 900 people died in a mass suicide-murder led by the Rev. Jim Jones at the People's Temple commune in Guyana following the slaying of U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan, D-Calif. It was the worst tragedy of its kind in modern history.

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In 1987, a fire under a wooden escalator in London's King's Cross subway station killed 30 people and injured dozens others. Debris under the escalator caused the blaze.

In 1991, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim faction Islamic Jihad freed Church of England envoy Terry Waite and U.S. professor Thomas Sutherland. Waite had been held for nearly five years, Sutherland for more than six.

In 1999, 12 people died in the collapse of the Aggie Bonfire at Texas A&M University. It was a tradition at the school to construct the bonfire before A&M played Texas in football.

In 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling, declares the state's ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional, guaranteeing gay couple the right to marry.

File Photo by Steven E. Frischling/UPI

In 2004, Britain outlawed fox hunting in England and Wales.

In 2006, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes in a lavish ceremony at a 15th-century castle in Italy. They would have a daughter, Suri, and divorce six years later.

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In 2011, British boy band One Direction released its first album, Up All Night. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

In 2013, the Dow Jones industrial average topped 16,000 for the first time.

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

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