On this DAY

1710: Thomas Augustine Arne, composer who wrote the masque Alfred, which included the song Rule Britannia, was born in London. 1836: Isabella Mary Mayson, who became Mrs Beeton of cookerybook fame, was born in London. 1890: Dancer Vaslav Nijinsky was born in Kiev. 1941: The original incident used in Compton Mackenzie’s Whisky Galore occurred in the Hebrides when a cargo ship ran aground with her holds full of whisky. Islanders hid the quarter of a million bottles from Customs officers. 1955: Death of jazz great Charlie “Bird” Parker, aged 35. 1969: Beatle Paul McCartney married photographer Linda Eastman, while George Harrison was arrested for illegal possession of cannabis. 1977: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat said he would not allow a single inch of Arab land to remain under Israeli occupation. 1987: The Government gave the go-ahead to the Sizewell B nuclear processing plant in Suffolk. 1992: Mauritius broke its links with the British Crown, becoming a fully fledged republic but remaining a member of the Commonwealth. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Sister Sledge star Joni Sledge died at the age of 60.