ON THIS DAY

AMERICAN DAY OF INDEPENDENCE

■■ 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, above, 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 singlehanded 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: Stroke survivor Debbie Matthew, 45, hosted a Tartan Tea Party for Thank You Day, thanking her neighbours for their support over the pandemic.

■■BIRTHDAYS: Gina Lollobrigida, actress, 95; Prince Michael of Kent, 80; Jenny Seagrove, actress, 65; Neil Morrissey, actor, 60; Henri Leconte, former tennis player, 59; Jo Whiley, DJ, 57.

■■ The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2021 was 65.7%