IT HAPPENED TODAY
1478:
George, Duke of Clarence, was murdered in the Tower of London. According to legend, he drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.
1516:
Mary I, Queen of England (15531558), daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was born.
1546:
Martin Luther, (above) father of the Reformation, died at his birthplace at Eisleben, Germany, aged 62.
1564:
The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo (below) died in Rome, aged 88.
1678:
John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress was published.
1745:
Count Alessandro Volta, physicist who devised the first battery, was born in Como, Italy. He gave his name to the electrical unit volt.
1911:
More than 6,000 letters were flown five miles from Allahabad to Naini Junction in India by Henri Picquet — the first official airmail.
1915:
Germany’s blockade of Britain by submarine began.
1930:
Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto from pictures taken at Lowell Observatory.
2005:
Fox hunting became illegal in England and Wales. The Hunting Act outlawed hunting with dogs.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Church spires will be used to boost broadband and mobile connectivity in rural areas, the Culture Secretary it was announced.
BIRTHDAYS:
Yoko Ono, artist, 86; Graeme Garden, actor and presenter, 76; Michael Buerk, broadcaster, 73; Sinead Cusack, actress, 71; Cybill Shepherd, (below) actress; 69; Randy Crawford, singer, 67; John Travolta, actor, 65; Greta Scacchi, actress, 59; Matt Dillon, actor, 55; Colin Jackson, former athlete, now presenter, 52; Molly Ringwald, actress, 51; Gary Neville, former footballer, 44.