ON THIS DAY
NATIONAL DAYS OF CUBA, SUDAN AND HAITI 1772: The first travellers’ cheques were introduced by the London Credit Exchange Company. They could be used in 90 cities. 1785: The Daily Universal Register was first published by John Walter. It was renamed The Times in 1788. 1881: The first British postal orders were issued. 1890: Football nets were used in goals for the first time, for a match in Bolton. 1894: The Manchester Ship Canal was opened. 1901: Six states and two territories federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia. 1931: The Road Traffic Act came into force, introducing traffic policemen and compulsory third-party insurance. 1958: The EEC came into being. Its six members were France, Italy, West Germany, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Britain, Ireland and Denmark joined on this day in 1973. 1964: The first Top Of The Pops was aired, with Jimmy Savile as its presenter. 1974: New Year’s Day was celebrated as a national public holiday for the first time. 1992: Egyptian diplomat Butros Butros Ghali became the sixth secretary-general of the UN, taking over from Javier Perez de Cuellar. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of central London as a blockbuster-themed parade celebrating the start of the new year kicked off. BIRTHDAYS: Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), funk musician, 60; Dedee Pfeiffer, actress, 54; Michelle Holmes, actress, 51; Paul Lawrie, golfer, 49; Verne Troyer, American actor, 49; Jonas Armstrong, actor, 37; Colin Morgan, actor, 32; Jack Wilshere, footballer; 26.