On this day

1284: According to legend, the Pied Piper reappeared in the German town of Hamelin. He had rid the town of rats but the townspeople refused to pay him, so he led away 130 children with his pipe, and sealed them in a cave on Koppenburg Mountain.

1830: King George IV – England’s fattest king – died aged 67. His favourite breakfast was two pigeons, three beefsteaks, a bottle of Moselle, a glass of Champagne, two glasses of port and one of brandy.

1857: The first investiture ceremony of Victoria Cross medals took place in Hyde Park. Queen Victoria awarded 62 servicemen this highest military honour.

1862: Kent bowler Joseph Wells, father of HG Wells, became the first man to take four first- class wickets with four successive balls, against Sussex.

1906: The first Grand Prix took place at Le Mans and was won by Hungarian Ferenc Szisz, driving a Renault at an average speed of 63mph.

1909: The Victoria and Albert Museum first opened its doors to the public.

1917: King George V dropped the German titles from the royal family, and Saxe- Coburg- Gotha became Windsor. The name Battenberg was changed to Mountbatten.

1939: The first National Serviceman, number 10000001, Private Rupert Alexander, signed up with the Middlesex Regiment.

1962: A young American tennis player, Billie Jean Moffitt, 18, knocked out top seed Margaret Smith – the match that began Billie Jean King’s long reign at Wimbledon.

1991: After battling for 15 years to prove their innocence, the “Maguire Seven” were cleared of running an IRA bomb factory in England.

2017: A Canadian soldier spoke of her pride at becoming the first female officer to command troops guarding the Queen.