On this day ...

AUGUST 15

1769: Napoleon Bonaparte, above, was born in Corsica.

1842: The first regular British detective force was formed. This division of the Metropolitan Police assumed the name Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 1878.

1939: “The Wizard of Oz” premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

1947: The Union Flag was run down for the last time in New Delhi as India gained independence from Britain. Pakistan split from India, also becoming independent.

1952: Severe thunderstorms in Somerset and North Devon caused rivers to flood and devastated the towns of Lynton and Lynmouth.

1960: Britain’s first motorway restaurant was opened on the M1 at Newport Pagnell.

1969: The three-day Woodstock pop festival began in upstate New York.

1987: Caning was officially banned in Britain, except in independent schools.

1999: Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles, killed 29 people and injured about 220.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Four in five unpaid carers feel lonely or isolated, a poll suggested.

BIRTHDAYS: Jim Dale, actor, 83; Tony Robinson, above, actor/writer/ presenter, 72; Jenny Hanley, actress, 71; The Princess Royal, 68; Robert ‘Jack’ Russell, former cricketer, 55; Ben Affleck, actor, 46; Mikey Graham, singer (Boyzone), 46; Natasha Henstridge, actress, 45; Joe Jonas, singer/actor, 29.