ON THIS DAY
1843: Nelson’s Column was completed in Trafalgar Square, London.
1852: The building of the new House of Commons was completed with the opening of the Press Gallery.
1862: Richard Jordan Gatling patented his machine gun.
1918: The German fleet mutinied at Kiel. 1922: The tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter.
1952: Queen Elizabeth II opened her first Parliament. Also Dwight D Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson in the US presidential election to become the USA’s 34th president.
1958: Baroness Elliott of Harwood became the first woman to address the House of Lords.
1963: The Beatles played at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen Mother and assorted dignitaries.
1979: Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and held more than 60 staff and Marines hostage.
1980: Ronald Reagan was elected 40th US president.
1992: Democrat Bill Clinton won the US presidential election. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Duchess of Cambridge met inmates at a women’s prison as part of her work on addiction and mental health.
BIRTHDAYS: Loretta Swit, actress, 80; Malandra Burrows, actress, 52; Matthew McConaughey, actor, 48; Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs, rap star and music mogul, 48; Luis Figo, former footballer, 45; Louise Redknapp, singer/television presenter, 43; Heather Tom, actress, 42.