ON THIS DAY

■■ 1653: Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Long Parliament which had governed during the Civil War.

■■ 1657: The Spanish fleet at Santa Cruz Bay was destroyed by the English under Admiral Blake.

■■ 1770: Captain James Cook discovered New South Wales, Australia.

■■ 1841: The Murders In The Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe, considered to be the first modern detective story, was published in the USA.

■■ 1887: The world’s first motor race took place along the banks of the river Seine from the centre of Paris to Neuilly.

■■ 1889: Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, the son of a customs official who changed his name from Schickelgruber.

■■ 1893: Harold Lloyd, bespectacled comedian famous for his stunt scenes, was born in Nebraska.

■■ 1929: The first Italian parliament made up exclusively of Fascists led by Benito Mussolini was opened by Victor Emmanuel III.

■■ 1945: Soviet troops entered Berlin.

■■ 1972: Apollo 16 landed on the moon.

■■ 1989: Scientists said that the Earth narrowly missed being struck by a passing asteroid weighing 400 million tons.

■■ 1999: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 21 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School, Colorado.

■■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Deep-dive researchers reported that elephant seals slept for just two hours a day, in 10-minute bursts to avoid predators.

■■ BIRTHDAYS: George Takei, actor, 87; Peter Snow, TV reporter, 86; Ray Brooks, actor, 85; Michael Brandon, actor, 79; Jessica Lange, actress, 75; Louise Jameson, actress, 73; Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor, 63, above, Carmen Electra, model and actress,

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