ON THIS DAY
1413:
Henry IV, also known as Henry of Bolingbroke, died aged 45 after suffering a stroke at Westminster Abbey.
1549:
Death of Thomas Seymour, Lord High Admiral of England, who married Henry VIII’s widow Catherine Parr. When she died, he planned to marry Princess Elizabeth – but was arrested for treason and executed.
1806:
The foundation stone of Dartmoor prison in Devon was laid by Thomas Tyrwhitt.
1815:
After his banishment to Elba, Napoleon returned to regain power in France. It was his “Last Hundred Days”, ended by defeat at Waterloo.
1819:
The famous and exclusive Burlington Arcade opened in London.
1852:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published. It became the best-selling novel of the 19th century. 1969:
Beatle John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.
1974:
An attempt to kidnap Princess Anne was made by a gunman who fired six shots, then tried to drag her from her car in Pall Mall. He was later charged with attempted murder.
1980:
The pirate radio station Radio Caroline, on the ship Mi Amigo, sank after 16 years of broadcasting.
1989:
The IRA killed two senior Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in an ambush.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Kenny Rogers, hailed “an icon of country music”, died aged 81.
BIRTHDAYS:
Brian Mulroney, former Canadian prime minister, 82; William Hurt, actor, 71; Spike Lee, actor/director, 64; Theresa Russell, actress, 64; Holly Hunter, actress, 63; Paul Merson, former footballer, 53; Michael Rapaport, actor, 51; Alex Kapranos, singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand), 49; Jane March, actress, 48; Freema Agyeman, actress, 42.