ON THIS DAY

1770: Scottish explorer James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile. 1840: Artist Claude Monet was born in Paris. 1896: The speed limit for horseless carriages was raised from 4mph (2mph in towns) to 14mph. 1922: The British Broadcasting Company began daily transmissions. At 6pm the news was read by Arthur Burrows, once at normal speed and once at slow speed. 1932: The first book tokens went on sale in Britain. 1940: Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by enemy bombing. More than 1,000 civilians died in the raid. 1952: Britain’s first hit parade was published in the New Musical Express. 1963: A volcanic eruption under the sea off Iceland created the new island of Surtsey. 2010: British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler left Somalia after more than a year in captivity. The retired couple were abducted as they sailed their yacht off the Seychelles in October 2009. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: New figures showed dementia and Alzheimer’s disease had become the leading cause of death in England and Wales for the first time.