ON THIS DAY
1645: The Battle of Naseby took place in Northamptonshire during the Civil War. Cromwell’s Parliamentarians (Roundheads) defeated the Royalists (Cavaliers) under Prince Rupert, defending King Charles I. 1789: Whiskey distilled from maize was first produced - by a clergyman, the Rev Elijah Craig. He called the liquor bourbon because he lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky. 1839: The first Henley Regatta on the Thames took place. 1840: The first reduced-rate railway excursion was introduced when Newcastle & Carlisle Railway ran a works family outing from Newcastle to Carlisle. 1873: King Priam’s treasure of 8,700 priceless pieces was discovered in Turkey by German/American Heinrich Schliemann. In disinterring it, he destroyed what was left of Troy. 1919: John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown took off from Newfoundland on the first non-stop transatlantic flight to Galway, Ireland, in a Vickers Vimy. 1940: German troops entered Paris and the Swastika flew from the Eiffel Tower. Eight days later the armistice was signed and the Vichy government was set up. 1964: Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Robben Island, sparking international protests. 1970: Bobby Charlton played his 106th and last football match for England in the World Cup in Mexico. His first was on April 19, 1958, against Scotland. 1982: Argentinian troops on the Falkland Islands surrendered when General Mario Benjamin Menendez agreed to an armistice.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR
Two formerly homeless dogs starred as page boy and flower girl in their animal-loving owner’s wedding day, even walking her down the aisle.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Mike Yarwood, entertainer, 77; Donald Trump, United States president, 72; Sir Antony Sher, actor/writer, 69; Paul Boateng, former British High Commissioner to South Africa, 67; Will Patton, actor, 64; Paul O’Grady, comedian, 63; Boy George, singer, 57; Yasmine Bleeth, actress, 50; Steffi Graf, former tennis player, 49.