ON THIS DAY
1596: Sir Francis Drake died at sea off Panama. 1756: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg. He composed 20 operas, 17 masses, 41 symphonies, 27 string quartets and 21 piano concertos - and still died a pauper in 1791, aged 35. 1778: Joseph Bramah patented the valved flush toilet. 1832: Lewis Carroll, children’s author, was born in Daresbury, near Warrington, as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. 1859: Kaiser Wilhelm II, third German emperor and grandson of Queen Victoria, was born. He was forced to abdicate after the First World War. 1879: Edison patented his electric lamp. 1885: Jerome Kern, US composer regarded as the father of the modern musical, was born in New York. His major work was Show Boat. 1901: Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer whose operas include Rigoletto, Traviata and Aida, died aged 87. 1926: John Logie Baird gave a public demonstration of television to members of the Royal Institution in London. 1944: The 900-day siege of Leningrad ended. 1951: Atomic bombs were tested in Nevada for the first time. 1967: Round-the-world yachtsman Francis Chichester was knighted by the Queen at Greenwich with a sword which once belonged to Sir Francis Drake. 1973: America signed a ceasefire to end its military action in Vietnam. 1992: Gennifer Flowers accused Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton of being a liar after he denied having a 12-year affair with her. 2010: American novelist JD Salinger, the author of The Catcher In The Rye, died aged 91. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Television duo Ant and Dec said they hope to inspire youngsters from working-class backgrounds after they were honoured for their contribution to entertainment. BIRTHDAYS: Nick Mason, rock musician (Pink Floyd), 74; Mimi Rogers, actress, 62; Bridget Fonda, actress, 54; Alan Cumming, actor/ director, 53; Robbie Earle, former footballer, 53; Mike Patton, rock singer, 50; Dean Headley, former cricketer, 48; Mark Owen, singer (Take That), 46; Marat Safin, retired tennis player, 38.