ON THIS DAY
19BC:
Virgil, the Roman poet, died and his tomb in Naples became a shrine.
1327:
Edward II was murdered in the dungeon of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire to ensure his son Edward III could succeed to the throne.
1745:
Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart) and his Jacobite army defeated the English at the Battle of Prestonpans.
1756:
John McAdam, the Scottish surveyor who introduced the “macadam” system of roadmaking, was born in Ayr.
1792:
France was declared a Republic and the monarchy abolished.
1857:
British forces retook Delhi from Indian mutineers.
1866:
Author HG Wells - perhaps most famous for his book The War Of The Worlds - was born in Bromley, Kent.
1915:
Stonehenge, and the surrounding 30 acres of land, was sold by Sir Edmund Antrobus to Mr CH Chubb for £6,600 at auction. Chubb presented it to the nation three years later.
1962:
The British TV quiz programme University Challenge, presented by Bamber Gascoigne, was first transmitted.
1964:
Malta became independent, after 164 years of British rule.
1981:
Belize, originally known as British Honduras, gained its independence.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR
The remains of a pre-historic dwelling dating back 6,000 years were unearthed in a field during a major Scottish Water project.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Shirley Conran, writer, 86; Stephen King, novelist, 71; Charles Clarke, politician, 68; Bill Murray, actor, 68; Ethan Coen, film producer and scriptwriter, 61; Simon Mayo, broadcaster, 60; Rob Morrow, actor, 56; Curtly Ambrose, former cricketer, 55; Faith Hill, singer, 51; Ricki Lake, actress and talk show host, 50; Luke Wilson, actor, 47; Liam Gallagher, rock musician, 46.