ON THIS DAY
1504:
Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born. He had an extremely long nose and was extremely inquisitive, hence the expression “Nosey Parker”.
1637:
The first Poet Laureate, Ben Jonson, died in poverty. 1844:
The first press telegram in Britain was sent to The Times, announcing the birth of Prince Alfred to Queen Victoria.
1859:
“Worth a guinea a box” appeared on Beecham’s Powders packets – the first known advertising slogan.
1881:
Alexander Fleming, Scottish bacteriologist who discovered penicillin, was born.
1889:
The Savoy Hotel opened on the Strand in London. 1890:
Murderer Walter Kemmler was the first man to die in the electric chair, at Auburn Prison, New York.
1931:
Bix Beiderbecke, legendary jazz trumpeter, died aged 28 from a combination of pneumonia and alcoholism. 1932:
The first film festival was held in the Hotel Excelsior, Venice.
1945:
The first atomic bomb was dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan, from a B29 bomber Enola Gay.
1962:
300 years.
2011:
A march in protest of the death of Mark Duggan in Tottenham, sparked a wave of rioting throughout the country over the following few days.
Jamaica gained independence after being a British colony for more than
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Virgin Galactic said it was on track to commence commercial space flights in 2022, with individual tickets available from 450,000 US dollars (£324,000).
BIRTHDAYS:
Sir Chris Bonington, mountaineer, 88; Ron Davies, Welsh politician, 76; Oliver Tobias, actor, 75; Reece Dinsdale, actor, 63; Michelle Yeoh, actress, 60; Geri Halliwell, singer-songwriter/actress, 50; Robin van Persie, footballer, 39.