ON THIS DAY
NATIONAL DAY OF ICELAND 1579: Sir Francis Drake anchored the Golden Hind just north of what would one day be San Francisco Bay, naming the area New Albion. 1703: The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, was born, the 15th of 19 children of a clergyman. 1775: The Battle of Bunker Hill, the second major clash of the American War of Independence, was fought just north of Boston, Massachusetts. 1823: Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he was to use to make raincoats. 1867: Joseph Lister performed a mastectomy on his sister Isabella using carbolic acid as an antiseptic. It was the first operation using antiseptic. 1929: Hitchcock’s Blackmail was premiered in London. The first reel was shot before the studio was equipped for sound and has only sound effects and music: the dialogue begins in reel two. 1970: Edwin Land patented his Polaroid camera. 1972: Five burglars were caught in the Watergate office complex in Washington, election headquarters of the Democratic Party, sparking a major political scandal. 1982: Italian banker Roberto Calvi, known as “God’s banker” due to his close ties with the Vatican, was found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in London. 1991: In South Africa, the repeal of the Population Registration Act of 1950 officially ended apartheid. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Singer Rick Astley claimed his first number one album, titled 50, since his debut nearly 30 years earlier. BIRTHDAYS: Ken Loach, TV and film director, 81; Barry Manilow, singer, 74; Ken Livingstone, former London mayor, 72; Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, Labour politician, 65; Greg Kinnear, actor, 54; Diane Modahl, former athlete, 51; Jason Patric, actor, 51; Venus Williams, tennis player, 37.