ON THIS DAY

1603: Elizabeth I died aged 69, after nearly 45 years as Queen. 1834: Artist and poet William Morris was born in London.

1944: The breakout of prisoner or war camp Stalag Luft III by 76 inmates began. The event was the inspiration for the movie The Great Escape. 1946: Alastair Cooke read his first

Letter From America on BBC Radio. 1953: Queen Mary, widow of George V, died after a lengthy illness. 1958: Elvis Presley, 23, signed up for the US Army in Memphis, Tennessee.

1989: The Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground on a reef in Prince William Sound off the Alaskan coast and released 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sea.