On this day

1861:

London’s first tram cars, drawn by horses, began operating from Bayswater, designed by a Mr Train from New York.

1919:

In Italy, fascism became an organised political movement following the founding of Fasci di Combattimento by Benito Mussolini a month earlier.

1921:

Donald Campbell, who emulated his father, Sir Malcolm, by breaking land and water-speed records, was born in Horley, Surrey.

1966:

The first official meeting for 400 years between the Catholic and Anglican churches took place in Rome between Pope Paul VI and Dr Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

1971:

Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, proclaimed its independence.

1981:

Englishman Mike Hailwood, nine times world motorcycling champion, died two days after a car crash in which his nine-year-old daughter was also killed.

1981:

All animal transportation on the Isle of Wight and in southern Hampshire was banned in a successful attempt to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

1989:

A 1,000ft diameter asteroid missed Earth by a mere 400,000 miles.

2001:

The Mir space station was disposed of. It broke up in the atmosphere before falling into the Pacific near Fiji.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:

Prince Harry extended his tour of Nepal to do his “small bit” to help a disaster response charity rebuild an earthquake destroyed school.