This Week in History: Communism banned, a voyage to Saturn and a miracle on the Hudson
Explore how major events between 12 and 18 January were captured on The Independent’s front pages
The world loses its Starman as tributes pour in following the death of David Bowie. The news continues to look star-ward as the Cassini spacecraft reaches Saturn after a seven-year, two-billion-mile journey, marking a landmark moment in space exploration. Drama unfolds closer to home when a passenger jet makes a crash-landing on the Hudson River, with all 155 people on board surviving in what later becomes known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”. In geopolitics, Romania bans the Communist Party and Moscow moves to recognise Lithuania’s independence as the Soviet Union continues to unravel. Meanwhile, the West edges closer to conflict in the Middle East after UN weapons inspectors discover Iraqi warheads. Within months, a US-led invasion is under way. All are revealed on the front pages of The Independent.
14 January 1988 – New York babies test positive for HIV
Blood tests carried out on newborns across New York reveal that one in every 61 babies born in the city is infected with HIV, providing stark evidence that the virus is spreading beyond the communities first impacted in the early years of the AIDS crisis. The findings raise alarm about transmission among drug users and unborn children. The following year, Princess Diana visits AIDS-infected children in Harlem, publicly hugging young patients in a gesture that helps challenge fear and stigma surrounding the disease.
13 January 1990 – Romania bans communists
Romania’s interim authorities ban the Communist Party after days of mounting pressure from protesters, as angry crowds force concessions from the new leadership. The move signals what many describe as a second phase of the revolution, as the country struggles to define its political future in the wake of Nicolae Ceausescu’s fall.
14 January 1992 – Hillsborough officer not charged
The decision not to charge the only police officer still under investigation over the Hillsborough disaster is condemned by victims’ families as a “whitewash”, renewing anger over the lack of accountability following the deaths of 97 Liverpool supporters. Elsewhere on the front page, brothers Kevin Maxwell and Ian Maxwell risk imprisonment after refusing to answer questions about the Mirror Group pension funds in the wake of their father Robert Maxwell’s mysterious death.
15 January 1999 – Clinton on trial
“The day a President went on trial,” reports The Independent. As Washington is gripped by a snowstorm, President Bill Clinton battles a storm of his own as impeachment proceedings begin in the US Senate. All 100 senators, alongside the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, assemble in the chamber following Clinton’s impeachment the previous month. The trial ends in February 1999 with Clinton acquitted on both charges, allowing him to remain in office.
13 January 2002 – Prince Harry visits rehab centre
Prince Harry is taken to a drug rehabilitation centre at the request of his father, Prince Charles, after the teenager admits to episodes of drinking and drug use the previous summer. The visit, revealed in the press months later, places renewed focus on Harry’s private struggles and the intense scrutiny surrounding the young royal as he comes of age in the public eye.
17 January 2003 – War fears as weapons discovered in Iraq
UN inspectors report the discovery of a dozen empty chemical warheads at newly built bunkers in Iraq, injecting new urgency into an already tense standoff between Baghdad and Washington. While inspectors say no definitive conclusions can yet be drawn, the find bolsters US claims over Iraqi weapons programmes, and the following weeks see diplomatic efforts unravel before a US-led invasion begins in March 2003.
15 January 2005 – Cassini lands on Titan
After a seven-year, two-billion-mile journey through the solar system, NASA’s Cassini–Huygens mission reaches Saturn’s largest moon in a tense and closely watched descent. Jubilant scenes unfold in mission control as scientists confirm the Huygens probe has landed safely on Titan’s frozen surface, marking the most distant soft landing ever achieved and a defining milestone in one of the most ambitious unmanned missions in space exploration.
16 January 2009 – Miracle on the Hudson
Moments after take-off from New York, an Airbus A320 loses power in both engines after striking a flock of birds, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing on the icy waters of the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew are rescued after evacuating onto the wings and nearby ferries, as captain Chesley Sullenberger brings the aircraft down safely in an extraordinary manoeuvre that quickly becomes known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
12 January 2016 – David Bowie dies aged 69
Tributes pour in following the death of David Bowie at the age of 69, just days after the release of his final album, Blackstar. One of Britain’s most influential artists, Bowie reshaped popular music and culture over five decades, reinventing himself through personas such as Ziggy Stardust and leaving a legacy that spanned rock, soul, electronic music, film and fashion.
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