991 – The Battle of Maldon took place where the English confronted a band of raiding Vikings near Maldon in Essex. The English were defeated and the story was immortalised in a well-known poem

1519 – Ferdinand Magellan’s five ships set sail from Seville to circumnavigate the globe

1675 – The foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London was laid

1743 – The earliest recorded prize fighting rules were formulated

1792 – In the French Revolution the Storming of the Palace took place and Louis XVI was arrested and taken into custody

1809 – Quito, now the capital of Ecuador, declared independence from Spain

1821 – Missouri was admitted as the 24th U.S. state

1842 – The Mines Act became law, prohibiting women and young children from working in the mines

1846 – The Smithsonian Institute in America was created – It’s where a lot of America’s greatest historical artefacts are held

1865 – The first billiard ball not made from Ivory was patented by John Wesley Hyatt

1889 – Dan Rylands of Yorkshire patented the screw top for bottles

1895 – The first London Prom Concert took place

1897 – The R.A.C. or “Royal Automobile Club” was founded

1910 – Britain’s first airmail service was created

1911 – The Parliament Act came into force, reducing the power of House of Lords

1911 – British MPs voted for salaries for themselves for the first time

1944 – In World War II, American forces defeated the last Japanese troops on Guam

1948 – In the US the practical joke show “Candid Camera” made its TV debut after being on radio for a year as Candid Microphone

1954 – Sir Gordon Richards retired as a jockey with record 4,870 wins

1954 – Elvis Presley made one of his first professional appearances, at Overton Park, in his hometown of Memphis

1959 – Four members of The Platters were arrested after a gig in Cincinnati after being found with four 19 year old women in various stages of undress.

1961 – Britain first applied for membership of the EEC

1964 – Mick Jagger was fined £32 in Liverpool for driving without insurance and speeding

1966 – A daylight meteor was seen flying from Utah to Canada before flying back into space. It was the only known case of a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere and leaving it again

1968 – Tom Jones went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Delilah’

1972 – Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested and fined £800 for possession of cannabis in a drugs bust after a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden

1976 – Elton John played the first of ten nights sold out nights at Madison Sq. Gardens in New York City.

1977 – In New York State, a 24-year-old postal employee, David Berkowitz, was arrested for a series of serial killings. He was known as “Son of Sam”

1977 – The Queen visited Northern Ireland for the first time in 11 years as part of her Silver Jubilee tour

1983 – Kajagoogoo sacked their lead singer Limahl who took up a solo career – They’ve recently reformed

1985 – Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran was air lifted to safety when his boat ‘Drum’ overturned while racing off the English coast

1987 – The musical “A Chorus Line” celebrated its 5,000th performance on Broadway

1987 – US soul singer Wilson Pickett was found guilty by a New Jersey court of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life following his involvement in a fist fight in a bar

1990 – The Magellan space probe reached Venus and started to map its surface

1991 – Luciano Pavarotti scored his third UK No.1 album with ‘The Essential Pavarotti II’.

1994 – The last British troops left Hong Kong, having been there since September 1841

1999 – It was announced that Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthur’s had quit the band after finishing his guitar parts on the bands new album.

2002 – Lisa Marie Presley and Nicholas Cage were married in Hawaii

2002 – Former Hear’say singer Kym Marsh married Eastenders actor Jack Ryder in Hertfordshire

2003 – The highest temperature in the UK – 38.5°C or 101.3°F was recorded in Kent. It was the first time the UK had recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit

2003 – Yuri Malenchenko became the first person to marry in space – He married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was in America, via satellite link

2004 – A crackdown on the counterfeiting of goods like DVDs, clothes and training shoes was unveiled by the Government

2004 – It was announced that anyone applying to join the police force would be asked to state their sexuality

2006 – Scotland Yard disrupted a major terrorist plot to destroy aircraft travelling from Britain to America. All toiletries were banned from planes

2007 – Spice Girl Emma Bunton gave birth to a baby boy called Beau at London’s private Portland Hospital.

2010 – Singer Rod Stewart announced he was to become a father for the seventh time at the age of 65

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

1923 – Rhonda Fleming, American actress, star of the 40′s and 50′s nicknamed the “Queen of Technicolor” because her fair complexion and red hair photographed well in Technicolor (89)

1939 – Kate O’Mara, British actress, famous for starring in “Dynasty” as Caress Morrell, and for slumming it in the British sea soap “Triangle” and “Howard’s Way (73)

1940 – Sid Waddell, Legendary Geordie Darts Commentator and former Cambridge graduate (72)

1941 – Anita Lonsborough, British swimmer, winner of the gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960 in the 200 metres breaststroke – She’s married to ex-pro cyclist Hugh Porter (71)

1943 – Ronnie Spector, US lead singer with The Ronettes, known as the “original bad girl of rock and roll” (69)

1946 – Mick Clark, British bassist with 70′s stars The Rubettes who had a Number 1 in 1974 with “Sugar Baby Love” (66)

1947 – Ian Anderson, Scottish singer and flautist with folk-rockers, Jethro Tull, regarded as the man who introduced the flute to rock music (65)

1947 – Alan Ward, Former England cricketer, played five tests as a fast-bowler in the 60′s and 70′s (65)

1950 – Patti Austin, US Grammy-winning R and B and jazz singer, had a hit with “Baby Come to Me” with James Ingram. Quincy Jones is her godfather (62)

1958 – Jack Richards, Former England wicket-keeper, played 8 tests in the 80′s (54)

1959 – Rosanna Arquette, American actress, star of “Desperately Seeking Susan”, “Crash” and “Pulp Fiction” (53)

1959 – Mark Price, British drummer with the band All About Eve, who had a 1988 top ten hit with “Martha’s Harbour” (53)

1960 – Antonio Banderas, Spanish actor, he’s starred in Evita, The Mask of Zorro and the Shrek sequels, He owns 50% of a winery in Spain called Anta Banderas (52)

1960 – Kenny Perry, American golfer, runner-up in two major championships (52)

1961 – Jon Farriss, Australian drummer with the band INXS of “Kick” fame (51)

1967 – Philippe Albert, Belgian former footballer, defender who has legendary status at Newcastle United (45)

1967 – Riddick Bowe, American boxer, former World Heavyweight Champion who once kidnapped his wife and children and served 18 months for it (45)

1967 – Lorraine Pearson, former member of the pop group, Five Star, who did most of the talking in their interviews, she’s also written a novel (45)

1968 – Leigh Marklew, Bradford born Bass player with UK rockers Terrorvision who had a top five hit with “Tequila” (44)

1969 – Emily Symons, Australian actress, played Marilyn Chambers on “Home and Away” and then busty barmaid Louise Appleton in ‘Emmerdale’. Also a contestant in Dancing on Ice (43)

1971 – Roy Keane, Irish hard-man ex-footballer. Played for Man Utd, Notts Forrest, Celtic – and ex-manager of Sunderland and Ipswich (41)

1971 – Mario Kindel¡n, Cuban boxer, the man who beat Amir Khan to win Gold at the 2004 Olympics (41)

1972 – Lawrence Dallaglio, English rugby union star, former captain of the England team, world cup winner in 2003, he famously was one of 21 young choirboys who sang backing vocals on the song “We Don’t Need Another Hero” by Tina Turner (40)

1977 – Aaron Kamin, US guitarist, songwriter and founder member of The Calling (35)

1977 – Matt Morgan, British comedian, Russell Brand’s co-writer, poor man (35)

1978 – Chris Read, English cricketer, wicketkeeper who has played a few tests for England (34)

1990 – Lucas Till, American actor, played Travis Brody on “Hannah Montana: The Movie” (22)

1997 – Kylie Jenner, American reality television, model, actress – best known for starring in ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’, the reality series that she shares with her family. (15)