IT HAPPENED TODAY
1651:
Charles II, defeated by Cromwell at Worcester, fled to France, after escaping from Cromwell’s forces by hiding in an oak tree.
1777:
British commander General Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga in the American War of Independence.
1849:
Frederic Chopin Polish pianist and composer, died of tuberculosis in Paris, aged 39.
1860:
The first professional golf tournament was held at Prestwick, Scotland, and won by Willie Park.
1899:
British troops defeated the Boers at Glencoe.
1931:
Mobster Al Capone was jailed for 11 years for tax evasion.
1956:
Calder Hall in Cumbria, Britain’s first large-scale atomic energy station, was opened by The Queen.
The News Chronicle newspaper, created by the merger of the Daily News and Daily Chronicle in 1932, ceased publication.
1989:
San Francisco was hit by an earthquake which measured 6.9 on the Richter scale.
1991:
Four ITV companies — TV-am,Thames,TVSandTSW— lost their licences under changes announced by the Independent Television Commission.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
A couple who had sex in a pizza delivery shop as staff worked on the other side of the counter awaited their sentences.
BIRTHDAYS:
Jim Smith, former footballer and manager, 78; Margot Kidder, actress, 70; Rob Marshall, director, 58; Ziggy Marley, reggae singer, 50; Wyclef Jean, singer/ songwriter, 49; Anil Kumble, former international cricketer, 48; Eminem, rapper/actor, 46 Matthew Macfadyen, actor, 44.