ON THIS DAY
1792: Sir John Herschel, astronomer who first mapped the stars of the southern hemisphere, was born in Slough.
1802: Sculptor and animals painter Sir Edwin Landseer was born in London. He designed the bronze lions at the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square.
1875: Maurice Ravel, French composer (Bolero), was born.
1876: Alexander Graham Bell patented the first telephone.
1917: The Dixie Jazz Band One-Step was the world’s first jazz record to be released - ironically by the all-white Original Dixieland Jazz Band.
1941: British troops invaded Italian-held Ethiopia.
1965: State troopers and local law enforcement assault 600 civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama. The event was dubbed Bloody Sunday.
1975: The body of kidnapped heiress Lesley Whittle was found in a 60ft drain shaft. She had been held for 52 days then strangled by Donald Neilson, The Black Panther, who was later given five life sentences.
1989: China declares martial law in Lhasa, Tibet. Reports claim Chinese troops fired on Tibetan monks and civilians demanding independence, killing hundreds.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Bosses at a horticulture firm hoped to reap a rich harvest after spending £1,250 on a pumpkin seed.
BIRTHDAYS: Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO, 75; Sir Ranulph Fiennes, explorer, 73; William Boyd, author, 65; Sir Vivian Richards, former cricketer, 65; Bryan Cranston, actor, 61; Ivan Lendl, former tennis player, 57; Mary Beth Evans, actress, 56; Rachel Weisz, actress, 47; Bel Powley, actress, 25.