Dunblane Massacre (13 March 1996)
On 13 March 1996, 16 children between the ages of 5 and 6 were shot and killed alongside their teacher in the gymnasium of Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, Scotland. The killer, Thomas Hamilton later took his own life. This was and still is Britain's deadliest mass shooting. Tennis player Andy Murray and his brother Jamie survived the shooting. Following this, there have been stricter gun laws in Britain and Dunblane also remains to be Britain's last school shooting.
What else happened on this day?
Assassination of Tsar Alexander II (1881)
After 5 unsuccessful attempts on the 62-year-old Tsar of Russia's life, Alexander II was killed in an ambush in 1881.
Election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the Papacy, he becomes Pope Francis (2013)
Following a conclave triggered by the resignation of Pope Benedict VIX, Argentinian born Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected as his successor. He chose the papal name of Pope Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the founder of the Franciscan Order. His papacy lasted 12 years until his death in the early hours of 21st April 2025, Easter Monday.
