IT HAPPENED TODAY
410:
Rome fell to a western group of the tribes known as the Visigoths.
1793:
France introduced the first national conscription, claiming all unmarried men aged 18 to 25.
1914:
The Battle of Mons, in Belgium near the French frontier, began.
1926:
Rudolph Valentino (above), “the world’s greatest screen lover”, died in New York aged 31 from complications of a ruptured appendix and gastric ulcer. Thousands of women lined his funeral route.
1938:
Len Hutton scored what was then a world record Test score of 364 against Australia at The Oval.
1939:
Germany and Russia signed a short-lived non-aggression pact which left Hitler free to attack Poland.
1940:
The Blitz began as German bombers launched an all-night raid on London.
1960:
Oscar Hammerstein II (above), American lyricist, died. His collaboration with Richard Rodgers produced some of the world’s best-loved musicals including Oklahoma in 1943, followed by South Pacific, The King And I, and The Sound Of Music.
1987:
French racing driver Didier Pironi was killed in a power boat race off the Isle of Wight.
2010:
The pop group One Direction is formed during the British X Factor TV show as the then unknowns Niall Horan, Harry Styles (below), Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson join together.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Aerial images provided a rare glimpse of an isolated tribe in Brazil’s Amazon.
BIRTHDAYS: Shelley Long, actress, 70; Rick Springfield, singer, 70; Edwyn Collins, singer, 60; Shaun Ryder, singer, 57; Mark Butcher, former cricketer, 47; Scott Caan, actor, 43; Ritchie Neville, singer, 40; Glen Johnson, footballer, 35.