On this day ...

NOVEMBER 6

1814: Adolphe Sax, instrument inventor who gave his name to the saxophone, was born in Dinant, Belgium.

1892: Pioneer aviator Sir John Alcock was born in Manchester.

1893: Composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky died after drinking unboiled water in St Petersburg during a cholera epidemic.

1917: The third battle of Ypres ended when British and Canadian troops captured Passchendaele Ridge.

1935: The RAF’s first monoplane fighter, the Hawker Hurricane, made its maiden flight.

1942: The Church of England relaxed its rule that women must wear hats in church.

1956: A ceasefire was announced between Egyptian, British and French troops fighting for control of the Suez Canal.

1962: The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning South Africa’s racist apartheid policies.

1975: Punk rockers the Sex Pistols, above, played their first gig, at St Martin’s College of Art in London.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Sleep deprivation disrupts brain cell communication in much the same way as alcohol, a study found. BIRTHDAYS: PJ Proby, singer, 80; Sally Field, actress, 72; Ethan Hawke, actor, 48; Rebecca Romijn, former model and actress, 46; Thandie Newton, actress, 46; Nell McAndrew, model, 45; Emma Stone, above, actress, 30.