IT HAPPENED TODAY
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.
1941:
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 (below) appeared at Covent Garden for the first time.
The postcode, required in the addressing of mail for mechanical sorting, was first used in Britain in Norwich.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
An ad for an online bingo site was banned for suggesting that gambling could provide an escape from depression and a way of paying off debt and medical bills.
BIRTHDAYS:
Steve Reich, composer, 82; Chubby Checker, singer, 77; Lindsey Buckingham, musician, 69; Fred Couples, golfer, 59; Tommy Lee, rock musician, 56; Gwen Stefani (below), singer, 49; Neve Campbell, actress, 45; Seann William Scott, actor, 42.