ON THIS DAY

JULY 22

1209 The first major action of the Albigensian Crusade, the Massacre at Béziers (of 7 000 people) takes place. The crusade was a 20-year campaign to eliminate Catharism – a reaction against the often scandalous lifestyles of the Catholic clergy in southern France.

1499 Despite heavy losses, the Swiss decisively defeat the Holy Roman Emperor at the Battle of Dornach.

1797 At the battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Admiral Nelson loses an arm.

1844 The Rev William Archibald Spooner, who became famous as the man who could not get his words out right, is born. He once called for “three cheers for our dear old Queen”, but said “three cheers for our queer old dean!”. The Heavenly Father, instead of being “a loving shepherd”, was “the Lord is a shoving leopard!” And he once asked: “Is it kisstomary to cuss the bride?” The hymn Conquering Kings Their Titles Take, became “The Kinquering Congs Their Titles Take”. Others: “It’s roaring with pain” for “it’s pouring with rain”, “that’s just a lack of pies” for “pack of lies”,and a “plaster man” instead of a “master plan”. 1918 Lightning kills 504 sheep in Utah.

1933 Wiley Post completes the first solo flight around the world.

1942 Some 300 000 Warsaw Jews are sent to Treblinka Extermination Camp.

1946 Zionist organisation, the Irgun, bombs Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, killing 91 people.

1959 One of the worst films ever, Ed Wood’s cult classic, Plan 9 From Outer Space, premières.

1992 Fearing extradition, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escapes from his own luxury “prison”.

2003 The US Screaming Eagles (the 101st Airborne division) kill Saddam Hussein’s sons, Uday and Qusay.

2011 Domestic lone wolf Anders Breivik kills 77 people in attacks in Norway.

2012 Golfer Ernie Els wins his second Claret Jug at the British Open.

2012 Hashim Amla becomes the first South African to score a triple century.

2015 The oldest Qur’an fragments are found in a collection of Birmingham University, dating to AD568 – AD645.

2017 Golfer Branden Grace records lowest round – 62 – in a men’s major championship at the British Open.

2018 A heatwave in Japan kills 11 people in one day.