On this day in history - February 6

What Happened On This Day – February 6

• 1996 The crash of a Boeing 757 aircraft leaves no survivors

  Birgenair Flight 301 was the worst accident involving this type of aircraft.

• 1989 The Round Table Talks start in Poland

  The negotiations between the Polish government and the trade union Solidarność, or Solidarity in English, marked the beginning of the end of communism in Eastern Europe.

• 1959 The first microchip is patented

  For his invention of the integrated circuit, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.

• 1952 Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom

  She succeeded her father, George VI, who died that day.

• 1840 New Zealand becomes a British colony

  While the Treaty of Waitangi is generally celebrated as the country's founding document, many Māori claim they were deceived and unwittingly stripped of their right to govern the country.