IT HAPPENED TODAY
1610: Henry IV of France, ‘Good King Henry’, was murdered by a mad monk in Paris.
1643: Louis XIV became King of France at the age of four years and 231 days — and reigned for more than 72 years.
1727: Artist Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk.
1779: The Oaks was first run at Epsom.
1796: Edward Jenner (above) made his first vaccination against smallpox, and laid the foundation for modern immunology.
1811: Paraguay proclaimed its independence.
1842: The British periodical Illustrated London News was first published.
1921: The British Legion was founded in London — it became the Royal British Legion in 1971.
1948: Israel was established as a Jewish state following the partition of Palestine.
1955: Eastern Bloc countries signed the Warsaw Pact.
1987: American actress Rita Hayworth (above) died.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Forget sharp suits and shoulder pads — for most employees the ideal leader looks exactly like them, not the designer-clad employer often portrayed in TV or films, a new study revealed.
BIRTHDAYS: Chay Blyth, round-theworld yachtsman, 78; George Lucas, filmmaker, 74; Francesca Annis, actress, 73; David Byrne, musician (Talking Heads), 66; Robert Zemeckis, film director, 66; Tim Roth, actor, 57; Ian Astbury, singer (The Cult), 56; Cate Blanchett (below), actress, 49; Olly Murs, singer, 34; Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder, 34.