ON THIS DAY AUGUST 13

29BC Roman emperor Octavian, or Augustus Caesar – one of the more effective, but controversial leaders in human history – holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate his victory over the Dalmatians. 1521 Spanish conquistadors capture the Aztec emperor, marking the end of the Aztec Empire.

1814 The Cape of Good Hope is ceded to the British by the Dutch.

1826 Dr René-théophile-hyacinthe Laennec dies. He invented the stethoscope in 1816 after he felt uncomfortable placing his face on a women’s chest to listen to her heart.

1838 About 10 Zulu regiments attack the Voortrekkers at Veglaer, next to the Bushmans River near Estcourt. The attack is repulsed after nearly three days of fighting.

1882 Pedi King Sekhukhune I, and 14 of his advisers, are assassinated at the behest of Mampuru, Sekhukhune’s half-brother.

1913 Stainless steel is invented.

1942 The ‘Manhattan Project’ begins; its aim – to deliver an atomic bomb for the US.

1961 East Germany closes the border with West Berlin and starts building the Berlin Wall. | THE HISTORIAN