ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

by JAMES MOORE

1 year ago…princess Beatrice weds

Prince Andrew’s eldest daughter marries property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a private ceremony at Windsor.

7 years ago…mh17 Flight tragedy

A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet is downed by a missile over Ukraine, from an area controlled by prorussian rebels. All 298 people aboard are killed.

10 years ago… Golfing victory

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, aged 42, above, wins The Open by three shots at Royal St George’s in Sandwich, Kent.

16 years ago…ted Heath dies

Former Tory Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, who had been premier between 1970 and 1974, dies from pneumonia aged 89.

21 years ago…murder shock

The body of eight-year-old Sarah Payne is discovered in West Sussex. Roy Whiting would later be convicted for her abduction and murder.

26 years ago… Robbie quits

Robbie Williams, right, sensationally announces he is leaving Take That to launch a solo career.

40 years ago… Humber Bridge opens

The 1.3-mile suspension bridge over the Humber Estuary, connecting the East Riding of Yorkshire with North Lincolnshire, is officially opened by the Queen.

47 years ago…tower of London blast

A terrorist bomb explodes at the Tower of London, leaving one person dead and 41 injured, many of them children.

53 years ago…yellow Submarine debuts

The animated Beatles adventure movie, famous for its title song, is released in cinemas.

65 years ago…disneyland opens

Walt Disney’s first theme park opens in Anaheim, California, with rides and attractions spread over 160 acres.

76 years ago… Big Three Meet

British PM Winston Churchill, US President Harry S. Truman and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, left, attend The Potsdam Conference to discuss the fate of Europe after Germany’s World War Two defeat.

103 years ago… Romanovs executed

Following the Russian revolution, Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and five children are executed by Bolshevik gunmen at Yekaterinburg.