ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It is revealed that Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Bee Gees icon Barry Gibb will be knighted in the New Year Honours list.

Strictly star and ex-ballerina Darcey Bussell becomes a dame. 5 years ago… Michael Schumacher accident.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion suffers a serious brain injury in a skiing accident. To this day the retired driver, below, is reported to remain paralysed and

unable to walk.

Motherwell midfielder and skipper Phillip O’Donnell suffers a fatal heart attack during a Scottish Premier League match. A father of four, he is just 35. 15 years ago… Bob Monkhouse dies.

The comedian, below, and host of gameshows such as Family Fortunes, loses his battle with prostate cancer aged 75 – and will later star in a posthumous advert raising awareness of the disease.

A Christmas episode of Only Fools And Horses which sees Del and Rodney finally become millionaires attracts 24.35million viewers, the largest ever audience for a UK sitcom.

31 years ago… Kylie Minogue hit released.

The Aussie star of the TV soap Neighbours, bottom, releases the single

I Should Be So Lucky. It becomes a smash hit, staying at No1 for five weeks.

Two new laws, the Sex Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act, come into force aiming to give more rights to women. 53 years ago… Thunderball premiere.

The fourth Bond movie, starring Sean Connery, hits screens in the UK. It sees 007 battle Spectre, which is threatening to blow up a city with an atomic bomb.

Described as such by a war correspondent, one of the heaviest raids of the Blitz sees more than

100,000 bombs dropped on London, causing 160 deaths. St Paul’s cathedral narrowly survives.

158 years ago… HMS Warrior launched.

The ship is the first ironclad armoured battleship in the Royal Navy. Powered by steam and sail, she is the largest and most powerful vessel of her day.