ON THIS DAY

● 1768: Captain Cook set off on his first voyage, to explore the Antipodes.

● 1787: The Philadelphia Convention, headed by George Washington, began drawing up the USA constitution.

● 1840: The first drama school in Britain opened. Miss Kelly’s Theatre and Dramatic School in Dean Street, London, later became a theatre.

● 1871: The House of Commons passed the Bank Holiday Act, creating public holidays on Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Christmas Day.

● 1935: AmericanathleteJesse Owens set six world records within 45 minutes at Ann Arbor in Michigan.

● 1951: British diplomats Burgess and Maclean were first reported missing – they had defected to Moscow.

● 1962: Coventry’s new cathedral, designed by Sir Basil Spence, was consecrated.

● 1986: Bob Geldof’s Race Against Time had 30 million people worldwide running for Sport Aid to raise money for the starving in Africa.

● LAST YEAR: Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee started a three-day peace walk from Belfast to Londonderry.

● BIRTHDAYS: Sir Ian McKellen, actor, 81; Alastair Campbell, former director of communications for the Labour Party, 63; Paul Weller, rock musician, 62; Julian Clary, comedian, 61; Anthea Turner, TV presenter, 60; Mike Myers, actor, writer and producer, 57; Anne Heche, actress, 51; Robert Croft, former cricketer, 50; Jamie Kennedy, actor and comedian, 50; Cillian Murphy, actor, 44; Jonny Wilkinson, former rugby player, 41.