On this day
■ 1614: American Indian Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe in Virginia.
■ 1827: Joseph Lister, the surgeon who introduced antiseptics, was born in London.
■ 1874: Johann Sebastian Strauss’s opera Die Fledermaus was first performed, in Vienna.
■ 1900: Spencer Tracy, American actor who won Oscars two years in succession (1937 and 1938), was born.
■ 1902: A stand at Ibrox Park stadium in Glasgow collapsed during a Scotland v England match, killing 26 people and injuring more than 500.
■ 1908: Herbert von Karajan, one of the most prominent conductors of the post-war period, was born in Salzburg.
■ 1908: American actress Bette Davis was born in Massachusetts.
■ 1910: Kissing was banned on the French railways because it could cause delays.
■ 1955: Sir Winston Churchill, aged 80, resigned as Prime Minister, and the following day Anthony Eden took office.
■ 1976: Billionaire recluse Howard Hughes died on his private jet on his way to Houston, Texas.
■ 1982: A British Task Force set out to recover the Falklands from their Argentinian occupiers.
■ 1994: Kurt Cobain, the iconic singer of US grunge band Nirvana, committed suicide – his body was not discovered until three days later.
■ 2008: Hollywood legend Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing Ben-Hur, died at the age of 84.
■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The title Queen Camilla was been used for the first time in an official capacity, appearing on invitations for the King’s coronation.
■ BIRTHDAYS: Michael Moriarty, actor, 83; Jane Asher, actress/writer, 78; Agnetha Faltskog, singer (ABBA), 74; Stan Ridgway, singer, 70; Pharrell Williams, singer, 51; John Hartson, former footballer, 49; Hayley Atwell, actress, 42.