ON THIS DAY
1710:
Thomas Augustine Arne, composer who wrote the masque Alfred, which included the song Rule Britannia, was born in London.
1836:
Isabella Mary Mayson, who became Mrs Beeton of cookery book fame, was born in London.
1890:
Dancer Vaslav Nijinsky was born in Kiev.
1904:
The first mainline electric train in the UK left Liverpool for Southport.
1941:
The original incident used in Compton Mackenzie’s Whisky Galore occurred in the Hebrides when a cargo ship ran aground with her holds full of whisky. Islanders hid the quarter of a million bottles from customs officers.
1955:
Death of jazz great Charlie “Bird” Parker, aged 35.
1969:
Beatle Paul McCartney married photographer Linda Eastman, while George Harrison was arrested for illegal possession of cannabis.
1977:
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat said he would not allow a single inch of Arab land to remain under Israeli occupation.
1987:
The Government gave the go-ahead to the Sizewell B nuclear processing plant in Suffolk.
1992:
Mauritius broke its links with the British Crown, becoming a fully fledged republic but remaining a member of the Commonwealth.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR
Health campaigners called for salt warnings to be compulsory for Chinese takeaways and ready meals.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Liza Minnelli, actress/singer, 73; James Taylor, singer-songwriter, 71; Anish Kapoor, sculptor, 65; Jerry Levine, actor/director, 62; Courtney B Vance, actor, 59; Aaron Eckhart, actor, 51; Graham Coxon, musician (Blur), 50; Pete Doherty, musician, 40.