on this DAY

1489: Thomas Cranmer, Henry VIII’s first reformed Archbishop of Canterbury, was born. He was responsible for The Book of Common Prayer in 1549.

1644: The Battle of Marston Moor took place, in which Cromwell’s Roundheads defeated Prince Rupert’s Cavaliers and left 3,000 dead. One of the fatalities was Rupert’s poodle Boye, which he took everywhere with him.

1865: The Salvation Army was originated by William Booth, with a revival meeting in Whitechapel.

1937: Amelia Earhart Putnam, American aviator, and co-pilot Fred Noonan were lost near Howland Island in the Pacific during their attempt to fly round the world.

1950: US troops arrived in Korea.

1956: Elvis Presley recorded Hound Dog and Don’t Be Cruel in RCA’s New York Studio. The release reached number one.

1961: Writer Ernest Hemingway died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in Ketchum, Idaho.

1964: President Johnson signed the USA Civil Rights Bill.

2005: Live8 took place around the globe, as the world’s biggest music stars united to press political leaders to tackle poverty in Africa.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Research revealed that chemicals flushed down household drains had caused around 20 per cent of male river fish to have female characteristics.