ON THIS DaY

■■1776: The American Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia. It was not fully written or signed until August.

■■1829: The first regular scheduled bus service was introduced in London. It was horse-drawn and ran between Marylebone Road and Bank.

■■1840: The Cunard Line began its first Atlantic crossing when the paddle steamer Britannia sailed from Liverpool to Halifax. The voyage took just over 14 days.

■■1845: Thomas John Barnardo, Dublin-born philanthropist, was born. In 1867 he started homes for some of London’s many destitute children. They became known as Dr Barnardo’s Homes though he never qualified as a medical doctor.

■■1892: James Keir Hardie, standing in the general election at Holytown, Lanarkshire, became the first Socialist to win a seat in the British Parliament.

■■1934: Marie Curie, Nobel Prizewinning scientist who discovered radium, fell foul of her own discovery when she died as a result of overexposure to radioactivity.

■■1968: Alec Rose – later Sir – landed at Portsmouth after sailing single-handed around the world in Lively Lady.

■■1976: Israeli commandos ended the Entebbe hostage crisis in a daring raid in which seven Palestinian terrorists were killed. Three of the 98 hostages – mainly Israeli – also died.

■■ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A 95-year-old woman took her first ever flight, describing it as a “wonderful” experience.

■■BIRTHDAYS: Gina Lollobrigida, actress, 93; Prince Michael of Kent, 78, above; Jenny Seagrove, actress, 63; Neil Morrissey, actor, 58; Henri Leconte, former tennis player, 57; Jo Whiley, DJ, 55.

The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%