ON THIS DAY

● 1301: The infant Edward of Caernarfon, who later became Edward II, was named Prince of Wales by his father, the English king Edward I.

● 1812: Charles Dickens was born at Landport, Portsmouth.

● 1845: The Portland Vase, a 10-inch Roman glass vessel, was smashed by a hooligan while on loan to the British Museum. It was successfully restored.

● 1928: An amended version of the Book of Common Prayer was approved by the Church of England.

● 1940: WaltDisney’sPinocchio had its world premiere.

● 1976: Two ladies made sporting history: Joan Bazely became the first woman referee of an all-male football match at Croydon, and Diana Thorne became the first woman jockey to win under National Hunt Rules.

● 1990: In the USSR, the Central Committee agreed to end the communist monopoly on power, paving the way for a multi-party democracy.

● 1991: The IRA launched a mortar bomb attack on 10 Downing Street from a van in Whitehall. No one was hurt.

● 1992: Maastricht Treaty signed by 12 countries from the European Community (EC) to create the European Union (EU).

● ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Marks and Spencer was met with an amused response after it released a “love sausage” product for Valentine’s Day.

● BIRTHDAYS: Mick McCarthy, football manager, 61; James Spader, actor, 60; Garth Brooks, country singer, 58; David Bryan, musician, 58; Eddie Izzard, comedian/actor, 58; Ray Mears, survival expert/TV presenter, 56; Chris Rock, actor/comedian, 55.