ON THIS DAY
1170:
Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his own cathedral by four knights, believing they were acting on Henry II’s orders. 1721:
Madame de Pompadour, infamous mistress of Louis XV, was born in Paris.
1809:
William Ewart Gladstone was born in Liverpool. Four times British prime minister, he is remembered not only for politics but for the Gladstone bag and the Gladstone collar. 1860:
The world’s first iron-clad warship, Warrior, was launched at Blackwall on the Thames.
1890:
The Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota took place, the last major conflict between Native American Indians - Sioux - and US troops. 1940:
German bombers dropped 10,000 bombs on London on one of the worst nights of the Blitz. Eight Wren churches and Guildhall were destroyed. 1972:
Life Magazine ended publication after 36 years as the leading weekly pictorial magazine. It restarted quarterly issues in 1974.
2006:
UK settles its AngloAmerican loan of post-World War II debt. 2014:
A suicide bomb at Russia’s Volgograd train station killed at least 18 people and wounded 40 others.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Monty Python collaborator and Rutles singer Neil Innes died at the age of 75.
BIRTHDAYS:
Bernard Cribbins, comedy actor, 92; Jon Voight, actor, 82; Marianne Faithfull, singer/actress, 74; Ted Danson, actor, 73; Yvonne Elliman, singer, 69; Martin Offiah, pundit and former rugby league player, 55; Jude Law, actor, 48.