ON THIS DAY

● 1669: Henrietta Maria, French wife of Charles I of England, died near Paris. Henrietta Street, London WC2, is named after her.

● 1771: Scottish explorer Mungo Park was born near Stirling.

● 1855: The Russian Black Sea base of Sebastopol fell to Anglo-French forces after an 11-month siege.

● 1897: Marlborough Street Police Court in London fined taxi driver George Smith £1, making him the first person in Britain to be convicted for drink-driving. He drank three glasses of beer and drove his electric taxi on the pavement in Bond Street.

● 1945: Vidkun Quisling, the “Puppet” Premier of Norway during the Second World War, was sentenced to death for collaboration with the Nazis and was executed on October 24.

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1965: Yale University published a map purporting to show that the Vikings discovered America in the 11th century.

● 1981: Picasso’s anti-war mural Guernica returned to Spain after 40 years’ custodianship in the US. Picasso refused to allow the painting to be shown in Spain until the restoration of democracy.

● 1988: German tennis player Steffi Graf became only the fifth person to complete the Grand Slam, winning the four top women’s tennis tournaments in the same calendar year, when she beat Argentinian Gabriella Sabatini to win the US Open.

● ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A strong but deep earthquake was reported near New Zealand.

● BIRTHDAYS: Judy Geeson, actress, 71; Joe Perry, rock musician (Aerosmith), 69; Carol Decker, singer, 62; Siobhan Fahey, singer, 61; Colin Firth, actor, 59; Guy Ritchie, director, 51.