ON THIS DAY
117: Hadrian became Emperor of Rome. 1834: The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed, abandoning the system of outdoor relief by which parishes looked after their poor and replacing it with the workhouse. 1876: Frank Richards, author and creator of fat schoolboy Billy Bunter, was born in London as Charles Hamilton. 1900: The Davis Cup for tennis was contested for the first time at Brookline, Massachusetts, and won by the USA. 1940: The Battle of Britain began. 1958: Columbia Records signed a 17-year-old singer called Cliff Richard. 1963: The Great Train Robbery took place at Sears Crossing, Buckinghamshire, when a gang of 15 men, including Ronnie Biggs and Buster Edwards, stole more than £2.6m. 1974: Richard Nixon announced his resignation as US president, the first to do so, because of his implication in the Watergate scandal. 1991: Hostage John McCarthy came home, five years and three months after being kidnapped and held hostage in Beirut. 2008: The opening ceremony of the Olympics took place in Beijing at the “Bird’s Nest” Stadium. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Adam Peaty sensationally won Britain’s first medal of the 2016 Rio Olympics by taking gold in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke and setting a new world record. BIRTHDAYS: Keith Barron, actor, 83; Dustin Hoffman, actor, 80; Connie Stevens, actress and singer, 79; Keith Carradine, actor, 68; Nigel Mansell, former racing driver, 64; The Edge (David Evans), rock guitarist (U2), 56; Angus Fraser, former cricketer, 52; Chris Eubank, former boxer, 51; Princess Beatrice of York, 29.