1964 ON THIS day

1554

Sir Thomas Wyatt’s forces are defeated in an attempt to take London.

1757

Calcutta is restored to British rule by Robert Clive under the Treaty of Alinagar.

1788

The French report having fired on the natives at Botany Bay to keep them quiet and for stealing, according to British Navy lieutenant William Bradley.

1796

Qianlong, the fourth emperor of the Qing dynasty, abdicates and is succeeded by Jiaqing.

1830

Explorer Charles Sturt and his party, on an inland trip from Sydney, reach the sandy mouth of the Murray River in a whaleboat. Sturt names it Lake Alexandrina.

1900

American Dwight Davis donates a trophy for a British-US tennis competition, later given his name. On August 10 he will win the first competition with his doubles partner at Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, Boston, Massachusetts.

1910

HMAS Parramatta (torpedo boat destroyer), the RAN’s first warship, is launched at Govan, Scotland, by Mrs Asquith, wife of the British prime minister.

1927

The coal ship Galava sinks 5km off Terrigal. Seven of the crew drown, three swim to shore, and two are rescued by a tug.

1943

The Battle of Guadalcanal ends with an Allied victory over Japan.

1964

The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a “record” audience of 73 million viewers.

1986

Australia’s first Anglican women deacons are ordained.

1984

Soviet Premier Yury Andropov dies, 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev, and is replaced by Konstantin Chernenko.

2002

Princess Margaret, sister of the Queen, dies in her sleep in a London hospital aged 71 after a life full of romances.