On this day

Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by German bombing. More than 1,000 civilians died in the raid.

z 1770: Scottish explorer James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile. z 1840: Impressionist painter Claude Monet was born in Paris. z 1940:

z 1941: The aircraft carrier Ark Royal sank near Gibraltar after being hit by an enemy torpedo.

z 1952: Britain’s first hit parade was published in the NME. Al Martino’s Here In My Heart was the first number one. z 1963: A volcanic eruption under the sea off Iceland created the new island of Surtsey.

z 2010: British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler left Somalia after more than a year in captivity. The retired couple had been abducted as they sailed their yacht off the Seychelles in October 2009.