ON THIS DAY

1428:

Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick, so-called Kingmaker who was the power behind the throne during the Wars Of The Roses, was born. He died at the Battle of Barnet in 1471.

1497:

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope in his search for a route to India.

1718:

Edward Teach, English pirate who sailed under the name of Blackbeard, was killed off the coast of North Carolina.

1808:

Thomas Cook, who pioneered the holiday package tour, was born in Derbyshire.

1819:

Mary Ann Evans, who took the pseudonym George Eliot and wrote The Mill On The Floss, was born in Arbury, Warwickshire.

1830:

Container transport was introduced by Pickfords, the carriers, in an agreement with the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Company.

1913:

Composer Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft.

1946:

The first ballpoint pen went on sale, invented by Hungarian Laszlo Biro.

1963:

John F Kennedy, president of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, during the run-up to the 1964 presidential campaign.

1975:

The monarchy was restored in Spain when Juan Carlos was sworn in as King in Madrid.