On this day

490BC: The Greeks defeated the Persians under Darius at the Battle of Marathon. Philippides had run 150 miles in two days in a futile attempt to ask the Spartans to assist the Greek army, but in the end their help was not required.

1759: The British under General Wolfe won the Battle of Quebec – but Wolfe was shot and died in the fighting.

1788: New York became federal capital of the new United States of America.

1944: William Heath Robinson, the English artist known for his drawings of complex machinery which performed simple tasks, died.

1957: The Mousetrap, a murdermystery, became Britain’s longest running play, reaching its 1,998th performance.

2008: Hurricane Ike ravaged parts of Texas and Louisiana, battering the US coast with 110mph gusts of wind and torrential rain.