IT HAPPENED TODAY
1226:
St Francis of Assisi (above), founder of the Franciscan order, died.
1888:
The first performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Yeoman Of The Guard took place at the Savoy Theatre, London.
1906:
SOS was established as an international distress signal, replacing the call sign CDQ.
1929:
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was renamed Yugoslavia.
The aerosol was patented by LD Goodhue and WN Sullivan.
1952:
Britain’s first atomic weapon was exploded in the Monte Bello Islands, off Australia.
1956:
The Bolshoi Ballet (above) appeared at Covent Garden for the first time. Ballet fans queued outside the theatre for up to 72 hours to secure tickets.
1959:
The postcode, required in the addressing of mail for mechanical sorting, was first used in Britain in Norwich.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Kim Kardashian West (above) left Paris on a private jet after she was robbed at gunpoint of jewellery worth an estimated £8m.
BIRTHDAYS:
Steve Reich, composer, 81; Chubby Checker, singer, 76; Lindsey Buckingham, musician, 68; Fred Couples, golfer, 58; Tommy Lee, rock musician, 55; Gwen Stefani, singer, 48; Neve Campbell, actress, 44; Seann William Scott, actor, 41.