ON THIS DAY
1666: The Great Fire of London was finally extinguished – it started on September 2. 1879: The first British telephone exchange opened in Lombard Street, London. 1880: England beat Australia by five wickets at the Oval in the first Test match played in England, and WG Grace scored England’s first Test century. 1941: Yellow Star of David badges became compulsory for all Jews living in Nazi Germany. 1966: Hendrik Verwoerd, South African prime minister since 1958, was assassinated in parliament in Cape Town by Dimitri Tsafendas. 1990: Cricketer Sir Len Hutton, the first professional to captain England, died aged 74. His son Richard was born the very same day in 1942. 2007: Tributes flooded in from around the world after opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. 2012: A four-year-old British girl was found alive underneath the bodies of her family hours after a gunman opened fire on their car in the French Alps. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Prince of Wales sowed seeds for a wildflower meadow named in honour of the Queen in London’s Green Park. BIRTHDAYS: Roger Law, satirist and puppeteer, 76; Roger Waters, rock musician (Pink Floyd), 74; Bruce Rioch, former Arsenal football manager, 70; Rosie Perez, actress, 53; Dolores O’Riordan, singer (The Cranberries), 46; Idris Elba, actor, 45; Greg Rusedski, former tennis player, 44; Tim Henman, former tennis player, 43; Nina Persson, singer (The Cardigans), 43; Pippa Middleton, 34.