Onthisday

1781: Astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.

1900: British forces under General Roberts captured Bloemfontein in the second Anglo-Boer War. 1927: The lance ceased to be an official weapon in the British Army.

1928: The St Francis Dam near Los Angeles burst, flooding the countryside and killing around 450 people.

1935: The driving test was introduced in Britain. It was voluntary at this stage, becoming compulsory in June.

1938: Hitler invaded Austria, which was made a German Reich province named Ostmark.

1996: Day of the Dunblane massacre, when lone gunman Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 children and one teacher in the local primary school before turning the gun on himself.