On this day ...

NOVEMBER 7

1783: The last public hanging in England took place at Tyburn (now Marble Arch in London) - forger John Austin was the last to die there.

1867: Scientific genius Marie Curie was born Marie Skłodowska in Warsaw.

1872: The Mary Celeste, the ill-fated brigantine, sailed from New York – and was found mysteriously abandoned near the Azores some time later.

1917: The Bolshevik Revolution, led by Lenin, overthrew prime minister Alexander Kerensky’s government in Russia.

1967: Henry Cooper beat Billy Walker and became the first and only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright.

1974: Lord Lucan disappeared, following the murder of his children’s nanny and serious assault of his wife. He has never been seen since.

1980: Actor Steve McQueen, above, died.

1990: Mary Robinson was elected as the first woman president of the Irish Republic.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Sheep demonstrated a celebrity-spotter’s ability to recognise faces of famous people, including former US President Barack Obama, in a study. BIRTHDAYS: Dame Gwyneth Jones, soprano, 82; Jean Shrimpton, former model, 76; Joni Mitchell, singer, 75; Su Pollard, actress and comedienne, 69; Lindsay Duncan, actress, 68; John Barnes, former footballer and manager, 55; Sharleen Spiteri, above, singer, 51; Rio Ferdinand, former footballer, 40.