BIRTHDAYS

former actor and American football player, 73; actor, 65;

singer, 63; actor, 64, left; singer/actress, 56, right

Elias Howe, inventor of the domestic sewing machine, was born in Massachusetts. He sold the British rights of his machine to a Cheapside corset-maker.

The first doughnut cutter was patented in America by John Blondel. A sea captain, he is said to have invented the hole so he could slip the doughnut over the handle of the ship’s wheel and enjoy his snack while steering.

Wimbledon staged its first lawn tennis championship, at its original site in Worple Road.

Gas masks were