ON THIS DAY
NATIONAL DAY OF PAKISTAN
1861: London’s first tram cars, drawn by horses, began operating from Bayswater, designed by a Mr Train from New York.
1919: In Italy, fascism became an organised political movement following the founding of Fasci di Combattimento by Benito Mussolini a month earlier.
1921: Donald Campbell, who emulated his father, Sir Malcolm, by breaking land and water-speed records, was born in Horley, Surrey.
1966: The first official meeting for 400 years between the Catholic and the Anglican churches took place in Rome between Pope Paul VI and Dr Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
1971: Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, proclaimed its independence.
1981: Englishman Mike Hailwood, nine times world motor cycling champion, died two days after a car crash in which his nine-yearold daughter was also killed.
1981: All animal transportation on the Isle of Wight and in southern Hampshire was banned in a successful attempt to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
1989: A 1,000-foot diameter asteroid missed the Earth by a mere 400,000 miles.
1991: In a speech to Conservatives at Southport, John Major outlined plans for his Citizen’s Charter.
2001: The Mir space station was disposed of. It broke up in the atmosphere before falling into the Pacific near Fiji. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The official range of commemorative china celebrating Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding went on sale.
BIRTHDAYS: Barry Cryer, writer/ comedian, 84; Michael Nyman, composer, 75; Alan Bleasdale, playwright, 73; Chaka Khan, singer, 66; Amanda Plummer, actress, 62; Sir Steve Redgrave, retired Olympic rower, 57; Marti Pellow, singer, 54; Damon Albarn, singer, 51; Mike Atherton, former cricketer, 51; Gail Porter, TV presenter, 48; Joe Calzaghe, former boxer, 47; Sir Chris Hoy, six-time Olympic champion track cyclist, 43; Princess Eugenie of York, 29.