ON THIS DAY

■1429: Henry VI was crowned King of England. Two years later he was also crowned King of France, in Paris.

■ 1814: Adolphe Sax, instrument inventor who gave his name to the saxophone, was born in Dinant, Belgium.

■ 1892: Pioneer aviator Sir John Alcock was born in Manchester.

■ 1893: Composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky died after drinking unboiled water in St Petersburg during a cholera epidemic.

■ 1917: The third battle of Ypres ended when British and Canadian troops captured Passchendaele Ridge.

■ 1935: The RAF’s first monoplane fighter, the Hawker Hurricane, made its maiden flight.

■ 1942: The Church of England relaxed its rule that women must wear hats in church.

■ 1956: A ceasefire was announced between Egyptian, British and French troops fighting for control of the Suez Canal.

■ 1962: The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning South Africa’s racist apartheid policies and called for member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation.

■ 1975: Punk rockers the Sex Pistols played their first gig, at St Martin’s College of Art in London.

■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A couple who won £10,000 a month for the next 30 years on the lottery said the first thing they spent cash on was urgent medical treatment for their cat.

■ BIRTHDAYS: PJ Proby, singer, 82; Sally Field, actress, 74; Ethan Hawke, actor, 50; Rebecca Romijn, former model and actress, 48; Thandie Newton, actress, 48; Nell McAndrew, model, 47; Emma Stone, actress, above, 32.