ITHAPPENED TODAY
1226:
St Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, died.
1778:
Captain James Cook anchored at Alaska.
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 in the United States.
1941:
The film The Maltese Falcon directed by John Huston and based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1929 novel of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, premiered in New York City.
1952:
Britain’s first atomic weapon was exploded in the Monte Bello Islands, off Australia.
1956:
The Bolshoi Ballet appeared at Covent Garden for the first time.
1959:
The postcode, required in the addressing of mail for mechanical sorting, was first used in the UK in Norwich.
2008:
Former NFL running back, broadcaster and actor OJ Simpson found guilty of charges of kidnapping and armed robbery.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex viewed a rare copy of the American Declaration of Independence as they toured the county that inspired their royal titles.
Steve Reich, composer, 83; Chubby Checker, singer, 78; Lindsey Buckingham, musician, 70; Fred Couples, golfer, 60; Tommy Lee, rock musician, 57; Gwen Stefani
singer, 50; Neve Campbell, actress, 46.