ON THIS DAY

490BC: The original Marathon was won by a breathless messenger who ran 24 miles from the scene of the Battle of Marathon to the city of Athens. ‘’Rejoice, we conquer,’’ he gasped - then dropped dead. 929: King Wenceslaus of Bohemia, Good King Wenceslas of the Christmas carol, was murdered by his younger brother, Boleslaw. 1573: Caravaggio, Italian painter, was born in Italy. 1685: Judge Jeffreys was appointed Lord Chancellor of England. 1745: God Save The King was first performed at Drury Lane Theatre, arranged by Thomas Arne. 1865: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson qualified to become Britain’s first practising woman doctor. 1923: The Radio Times was first published. 1964: Harpo Marx, the silent one who chased girls and played the harp, died aged 75. 1978: Pope John Paul I died after only 33 days as Pontiff. 1991: Miles Davis, the legendary jazz trumpeter, died aged 65. He invented an entirely new sound which became known as ‘’cool’’ jazz. BIRTHDAYS: Sir Jeremy Isaacs, TV producer and former general director of the Royal Opera House, 84; Brigitte Bardot, actress and animal rights activist, 82; Helen Shapiro, singer, 69; Jon Snow, journalist, 69; Jennifer Rush, singer, 56; Janeane Garofalo, actress and comedian, 52; Mira Sorvino, actress, 49; Mika Hakkinen, former racing driver, 48; Carre Otis, model and actress, 48; Naomi Watts, actress, 48; Hilary Duff, actress and singer, 29. QUOTES OF THE DAY: ‘It’s the lights, darling, they’ll wash you out!’” - Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls admits his resolve not to use spray tan on Strictly Come Dancing is weakening. “I think she’s a messy eater. In my head I like to think she went home with a slice of cake, put on her slippers and watched Coronation Street” - The Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, who presented the Queen with a cake to mark the monarch’s 90th birthday. “I think it’s going to be a total disaster. The BBC are getting a raw deal these days” - Lord Sugar on the purchase by Channel 4 of The Great British Bake Off. “If I once slip up in anything I do, and they don’t want you again, or the public don’t come and attend, you are gone. You’re on the professional scrapheap. They would find somebody else” - Quiz show host Nicholas Parsons, 92, fears for his future. “I say to the merchants of doom, in the words of Shakespeare’s Henry V, if you have no stomach for this fight depart the battlefields” - The Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey’s message to delegates at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.