On this day

1381: Wat Tyler led the first popular rebellion – against unpopular taxes – in English history. It has become known as the Peasants’ Revolt. 1842: Queen Victoria travelled by train for the first time, from Slough to Paddington. She was the first British monarch to use the train.

1900: The Boxer Rebellion began in China to end the domination and exploitation of the country by foreigners. The Boxers were a secret society, originally formed to practice martial arts.

1944: The first V1 flying bomb, or “doodlebug”, landed in England. Hitler’s “secret weapon” hit a house in Southampton, killing three people. 1956: Real Madrid won the first European Cup, beating Stade de Reims 4-3 in Paris. 1981: Blanks were fired at the Queen during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. 1989: The wreck of the German ship Bismarck, which was sunk in 1941, was found 600 miles west of Brest.