ON THIS DAY

• 1776: The oldest ofthe classic horse races, thest Leger, was first run at Doncaster.

• 1848: Branwell Bronte, brotherofthe Bronte sisters, died. Hewas theinspirationfor the violent drunk, Hindley Earnshaw, in Emily Bronte’swuthering Heights (1847).

• 1852: The first hydrogenfilled airship, powered by a 3hp steam engine built by Henri Giffard, madeits maiden flight at Versailles in France.

• 1853: The Northern Daily Times became the first provincial newspaper in England.

• 1896: American writer F Scott Fitzgeraldwas born. He became analcoholic in his early 20s and died aged 44 after having two heart attacks. He wrotethe definitive 1920s novel The Great Gatsby in 1925.

• 1930: The first performance of

Private Lives by Noel Coward took place at the Newphoenix Theatre, London.

• 1953: Therobe, the first film made in Cinemascope, was premiered in Hollywood.

• 1960: Thefirst nuclearpowered aircraft carrier, theuss Enterprise, was launched in Newport, Virginia.

• 1975: Everestwas climbed by thesouth-west face forthe first time by Dougalhaston and Doug Scott.

• LAST YEAR: A powerful 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck north-east Pakistan.

• BIRTHDAYS: Brian Glanville, footballwriter and novelist, 89; Gerry Marsden, singer (The Pacemakers), 78; Helenlederer, actress and writer, 66; Theo Paphitis, entrepreneur (Dragons’ Den), 61; Jack Dee, comedian and actor, 59.