1983 (4) President Ronald Reagan announces that the Global Positioning System will be made available for civilian use. Simultaneous suicide truck-bombings destroy both the French Army and United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 305. A white referendum on a new Constitution to provide for a White, Coloured and Indian Tricameral Parliament yields a 66% yes vote. The Turkish part of Cyprus declares independence. In London 6,800 gold bars worth nearly UK£26 million are taken from the Brinks vault at Heathrow Airport. Dieter Gerhardt is sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. And five Class 12E electric locomotives enter service on the South African Railways, built for the planned MetroBlitz high speed interurban service between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 10:18:23 +0000