ON THIS DAY
1770: Scottish explorer James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile. 1840: Impressionist painter Claude Monet was born in Paris. 1896: The speed limit for horseless carriages was raised from 4mph (2mph in towns) to 14mph. It was marked by the first London to Brighton car run, which became a regular and official event from 1927. 1922: The British Broadcasting Company began daily transmissions. At 6pm the news was read by Arthur Burrows, once at normal speed and once at slow speed. 1932: Book tokens went on sale in Britain for the first time. 1940: Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by German bombing. More than 1,000 civilians died in the raid. 1941: The aircraft carrier Ark Royal sank near Gibraltar after being hit by an enemy torpedo. 1952: Britain’s first hit parade was published in the New Musical Express. Al Martino’s Here In My Heart was the first number one. 1963: A volcanic eruption under the sea off Iceland created the new island of Surtsey. 2010: British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler left Somalia after more than a year in captivity. The retired couple had been abducted as they sailed their yacht off the Seychelles in October 2009. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: New figures showed dementia and Alzheimer’s disease had become the leading cause of death in England and Wales for the first time. BIRTHDAYS: PJ O’Rourke, writer, 70; The Prince of Wales, 69; Bernard Hinault, cyclist - five-time winner of the Tour de France, 63; Letitia Dean, actress, 50; Adam Gilchrist, former cricketer, 46; Faye Tozer, former Steps singer, 42; Russell Tovey, actor, 36.