ON THIS DAY

1803: Composer Hector Berlioz was born near Grenoble.

1894: The first motor show opened in Paris, with nine exhibitors.

1903: The first wildlife preservation society in Britain was founded under the name The Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fau na of the Empire.

1936: Edward VIII abdicated as King after a reign of 325 days, in favour of his brother, the Duke of York, who became King George VI. The announcement was made on BBC radio at 10pm.

1941: Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Hitler and Mussolini announced they were at war with America which retaliated with its own declaration of war on ‘the forces of savagery and barbarism’.

1945: London’s second Waterloo Bridge, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, opened.

1967: The prototype of the world’s first supersonic airliner, Concorde, was revealed.

1979: Rhodesia reverted to British rule as parliament passed a bill to end 14 years of illegal independence from Britain, transferring full authority to Lord Soames until elections were held.

1988: An Ariane-4 rocket, carrying the Astra 1A satellite to bring 16 television channels to Britain, was launched from Kourou, French Guiana.

1994 : Russian president Boris Yeltsin ordered ground troops into Chechnya after a two-week bombing campaign failed to bring the break away territory to heel.

Naturalist and broadcaster David Bellamy died aged 86.

BIRTHDAYS: Anna Carteret, actress, 78; Brenda Lee, pop singer, 76; Jermaine Jackson, singer/ songwriter, 66; John Lukic, former footballe r, 60; Nigel Winterburn, former footballer, 57; Stig Inge Bjornebye, former footballer, 51; Ben Shephard, television presenter, 46.