ON THIS DAY

1702: Queen Anne acceded to the throne on the death of William III, who died in a riding accident at Hampton Court. 1787:

Karl von Grafe, pioneer of plastic surgery, was born in Warsaw. 1790:

The French Assembly voted to continue slavery in their colonies. 1859: Kenneth Grahame, author of children’s books, notably The Wind In The Willows, was born in Edinburgh. 1879:

Otto Hahn, German physicist and chemist, was born. He discovered nuclear fission, which made the atomic bomb possible. 1910:

The first pilot’s licences were granted. The Royal Aero Club granted licence number one to JTC Moore Brabazon (later Lord Brabazon of Tara). 1952:

An artificial heart was used for the first time on a 41-year-old man, which kept him alive for 80 minutes.

1961: Sir Thomas Beecham, English conductor and founder of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, died. 1966: An IRA bomb destroyed the Nelson Column in Dublin. 1971:

Boxer Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali on points to become World Heavyweight Champion. 1983:

President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire”. 1990:

Figures showed more than 3,000 Britons had fully developed Aids. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:

Exercise could be as beneficial as drugs in treating premature ejaculation, researchers from Anglia Ruskin University suggested following a study. BIRTHDAYS:

Lord (Douglas) Hurd of Westwell, former foreign secretary, 94; Michael Grade, former ITV executive chairman, 81; Micky Dolenz, actor/singer, 79; Gyles Brandreth, ex-mp, author and TV personality, 76; Cheryl Baker, singer/tv presenter, 70; Gary Numan, rock musician, 66; Aidan Quinn, actor, 65; Freddie Prinze Jr, actor, 48.

Joe Frazier