ON THIS DAY
1746: Spanish painter Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes was born in Fuendetodos. 1814: Britain and its allies entered Paris in triumph against Napoleon Bonaparte. 1842: Ether was used as an anaesthetic for the first time, by American surgeon Dr Crawford Long. 1853: Artist Vincent van Gogh, who painted Sunflowers, was born in the Dutch village of Groot-Zundert. 1856: The Crimean War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. 1867: Alaska was bought by America from Russia for $7.2m less than two cents an acre. 1945: The advancing Russian forces captured the Baltic Sea port of Danzig, also known as Gdansk. 1964: The seaside resort of Clacton was the scene of pitched battles by gangs of mods and rockers. 1972: The Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act came into force decreeing direct rule from London and prompting the resignation of then prime minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner. 1979: The people of Iran voted overwhelmingly in favour of establishing an Islamic Republic in a two-day referendum. 1981: US president Ronald Reagan was wounded in an assassination bid outside Washington’s Hilton Hotel. 1986: James Cagney, American tough-guy actor, died aged 86. 1987: Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh was sold at auction by Christie’s for £24.75m. 2002: The Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep at Buckingham Palace at the age of 101. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Tyrannosaurus rex may have been the most fearsome creature ever to walk the Earth, but he was also a sensitive lover, a new discovery suggested. BIRTHDAYS: Warren Beatty, actor, 81; Eric Clapton, guitarist, 73; Robbie Coltrane, actor, 68; MC Hammer (Stanley Kirk Burrell), rapper, 56; Tracy Chapman, singer, 54; Piers Morgan, broadcaster and former tabloid editor, 53; Celine Dion, singer, 50; Norah Jones, singer, 39.