IT HAPPENED TODAY
1784:
John Wesley (above), signed the “deed of declaration” of the Wesleyan faith.
1874:
Arthur Orton, claimant to the Tichborne estate, was found guilty of perjury and sentenced to 14 years’ hard labour.
1900:
In the Boer War, General Buller relieved Ladysmith, besieged by Boer forces for 118 days.
1912:
The world’s first parachute jump from an aeroplane was made over Missouri, USA, by Albert Berry.
1940:
Sandy’s Half Hour began on radio, with Sandy MacPherson at the organ. It was the start of the modern listeners’ request programme.
1948:
The Royal Family went to see Danny Kaye (below) at the London Palladium, the first “non-command performance” attended by a reigning monarch.
Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where the Beatles made their name, went into liquidation.
1975:
A train from Drayton Park crashed through buffers at Moorgate tube station and killed 42 people.
1986:
Swedish prime minister Olof Palme was shot dead by an unknown assassin in Stockholm.
1989:
In London’s Covent Garden, the world’s biggest litter bin was unveiled — it was sponsored by fast-food operator Kentucky Fried Chicken.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Mount Etna erupted in a fiery show of lava in eastern Sicily.
BIRTHDAYS:
Stephanie Beacham, actress, 71; Mercedes Ruehl, actress, 70; Mike Figgis, film director, 70; Ainsley Harriott, TV chef/presenter, 61; John Turturro, actor/director, 61; Barry McGuigan (above), former boxer and coach, 57; Robert Sean Leonard, actor, 49; Tim Bresnan, cricketer, 33.