ON THIS DAY
1492: Christopher Columbus left Andalucia, Spain, on his first voyage to America. He was actually searching for a land called India. 1778: La Scala Opera House in Milan, the work of Giuseppe Piermarini, was opened. 1829: The cornet was first used in an orchestra, in a performance of Rossini’s William Tell in Paris. 1887: The soldier poet Rupert Brooke was born in Rugby. His early death on active service during the First World War made him famous but he never heard a shot fired in anger - he died from the combined results of a mosquito bite and sunstroke. 1914: The first ship passed through the Panama Canal. 1916: Sir Roger Casement, Irish nationalist, was hanged in London for treason because of his attempts to induce Germany to support the cause of Irish independence. 1926: Electric traffic lights were installed at Piccadilly Circus, the first in Britain. 1955: Samuel Beckett’s nowacknowledged classic Waiting For Godot was performed for the first time in London at the Arts Theatre. The performance was punctuated throughout with the clatter of seats as half the audience walked out. 1966: American comedian Lenny Bruce was found dead from a drugs overdose. 1977: Tandy Corporation released the TRS-80, one of the first personal computers available to the consumer market. 2004: The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopened after being closed for nearly three years following 9/11. 2005: President of Mauritania, Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya, was overthrown in a military coup. 2010: Riots in Karachi, Pakistan, triggered after a senior politician was assassinated. The city-wide riots left 45 people dead and over 100 others injured.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Harry Potter creator JK Rowling was named the world’s most highly paid author, following earnings of £72 million that year.
BIRTHDAYS: Tony Bennett, singer, 92; Steven Berkoff, actor/ director and writer, 81; Martin Sheen, actor, 78; John Landis, film-maker, 68; Ossie Ardiles, former footballer and football manager, 66; James Hetfield, singer/guitarist (Metallica), 55, Karlie Kloss, Victoria’s Secret model, 26.