ON THIS DAY
632: Mohammed, founder of the Islamic religion, died in Mecca. 1376: Edward, the Black Prince, son of Edward III of England, died. 1924: George Mallory, on his third attempt at conquering Everest, was seen for the last time at a point 800ft from the summit. 1926: Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, 65, gave her final stage performance at Covent Garden, singing Mimi in La Boheme. 1929: Margaret Bondfield became the first British woman Cabinet minister when she was appointed Minister of Labour. 1959: Liberace defended himself when he successfully sued William Connor, “Cassandra” of the Daily Mirror, for libel. 1968: James Earl Ray, wanted for the murder of Martin Luther King, was arrested in London travelling under an assumed name with a Canadian passport. 1969: Spain closed the frontier with Gibraltar, hoping to cripple its economy after Britain’s refusal to hand over the colony to Spain. 1978: Naomi James arrived back at Dartmouth in her Bermuda sloop Express Crusader after 267 days, to become the first woman to sail around the world via Cape Horn. 1988: Russell Harty, British broadcaster and writer, died aged 53 from hepatitis. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: David Cameron rejected fresh calls to ban zero-hours contracts amid anger over Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley’s admission he paid workers below the minimum wage. BIRTHDAYS: Ray Illingworth, former cricketer and ex-chairman of England selectors, 85; Nancy Sinatra, singer, 77; Colin Baker, actor, 74; Julie Driscoll, singer, 70; Mick Hucknall, singer, 57; Nick Rhodes, musician, 55; Julianna Margulies, actress, 51; Kanye West, US rapper, 40.