On this day ...

1702: Queen Anne, above, acceded to the throne on the death of William III, who died in a riding accident at Hampton Court.

1790: The French Assembly voted to continue slavery in their colonies.

1859: Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind In The Willows, was born in Edinburgh.

1879: Otto Hahn, German physicist and chemist, was born. He discovered nuclear fission, which made the atomic bomb possible.

1910: The first pilot’s licences were granted, by The Royal Aero Club.

1952: An artificial heart was used for the first time on a 41-year-old man, which kept him alive for 80 minutes.

1961: Sir Thomas Beecham, English conductor and founder of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, died.

1966: An IRA bomb destroyed the Nelson Column in Dublin.

1971: Boxer Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali on points to become World Heavyweight Champion.

1983: President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire”.

1990: Figures showed more than 3,000 Britons had fully developed Aids.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Meghan Markle was dubbed ‘queen of hugs’ after she embraced young school girls as she celebrated International Women’s Day with Prince Harry. BIRTHDAYS: Michael Grade, former ITV executive chairman, 76; Micky Dolenz, actor/singer, 74; Gyles Brandreth, ex-MP, author and TV personality, 71; Cheryl Baker, singer/TV presenter, 65; Gary Numan, above, rock musician, 61; Aidan Quinn, actor, 60; Freddie Prinze Jr, actor, 43.