ON THIS DAY

■■1769: Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica. He expanded the French empire until defeated by an allied coalition which sent him into exile to Elba. He returned to fight at Waterloo, which led to final exile on the remote south Atlantic island of St Helena.

■■1771: Sir Walter Scott, creator of the historical novel, was born in Edinburgh.

■■1842: The first regular British detective force was formed. This division of the Metropolitan Police assumed the name Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 1878.

■■1843: The Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen were opened to the public.

■■1947: The Union Flag was run down for the last time in New Delhi as India gained independence from Britain. Pakistan split from India, also becoming independent.

■■1952: Severe thunderstorms in Somerset and North Devon caused rivers to flood and devastated the towns of Lynton and Lynmouth.

■■1969: The three-day Woodstock pop festival began in upstate New York. More than 400,000 people watched artists such as The Who, Santana and Jimi Hendrix - but massive traffic jams, adverse weather and shortage of food led to the event being declared a disaster area.

■■1987: Caning was officially banned in Britain, except in independent schools.

■■1999: Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles, killed 29 people and injured about 220.

■■ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A 41-year-old man died after taking part in a taco-eating competition during a minor league baseball game in the US state of California, it was reported.

■■BIRTHDAYS: Jim Dale, actor, 85; Tony Robinson, actor/writer/ presenter, 74; Jenny Hanley, actress, 73; The Princess Royal, 70; Robert ‘Jack’ Russell, former cricketer, 57; Ben Affleck, actor, 48; Mikey Graham, singer (Boyzone), 48; Natasha Henstridge, actress, 46; Joe Jonas, singer/actor, 31.

Let us know your community events

Write to What’s On, South Wales Echo, Six Park Street, Cardiff CF10 1XR or email ecletters@walesonline.co.uk including your name, address and daytime contact number. Don’t forget to tell us where and when your event is taking place and what it’s all about.

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