ON THIS DAY

1567: The first state lottery was held in England - 40,000 lots at 10 shillings each were available from St Paul’s Cathedral. 1857: Fred Archer, champion jockey who had 2,748 wins including five Derbys, was born. 1858: H Gordon Selfridge, founder of the London Department Store, was born in Ripon, Wisconsin. 1917: A patriotic appeal was launched for the nation to subscribe to the new War Loan, to finance the staggering cost of the conflict (#5.7 million a day). 1922: Insulin was first used successfully in the treatment of diabetes. 1928: Thomas Hardy, English poet and novelist, died in his native Dorset aged 87. 1973: The Open University awarded its first degrees. 1974: The first surviving sextuplets were born in South Africa. 1989: The second Battle of Naseby was lost when judges refused to halt the M1-A1 link across a field where Cromwell was defeated by Royalists in 1645. 1993: Richard Branson won a legal victory after British Airways apologised for a ‘’dirty tricks campaign’’ against Virgin Atlantic Airways. BIRTHDAYS Arthur Scargill, former mineworkers’ union leader, 78; Anna CalderMarshall, actress, 69; Ben Crenshaw, golfer, 64; John Sessions, comic/ actor, 63; Phyllis Logan, actress, 60; Bryan Robson, football manager, 59; Jason Connery, actor, 53; Mary J Blige, rap singer, 45; Emile Heskey, footballer, 38. QUOTES OF THE DAY “I am a very lazy person with huge drive. It’s the oil tanker thing. Once I get going I don’t want to stop. Once I stop I don’t want to get going” – comedian Eddie Izzard “The truth is, this leadership team is dancing on the strings of Ken Livingstone – and nobody elected Ken Livingstone to be leader of the Labour party last September” – Labour MP Michael Dugher, who was sacked from the shadow cabinet. “I’ve said you’re not a very gifted broadcaster, and goodness you go on, and sometimes you don’t make any sense, but I wish you all the best with it wherever you are going” – broadcaster Eddie Mair’s farewell “tribute” to Robert Peston who is leaving the BBC for ITV. “The first time I drank tequila I ended up on the roof of a hotel in Turkey with a famous German politician” - artist Tracey Emin. “These days the only way I know I am alive is when I wake up in the morning and nothing new has fallen off” – veteran broadcaster Esther Rantzen. “There will always be the part for some old geezer in the corner of the script” – actor Sir Ian McKellen.