ON THIS DAY
1666: The Great Fire of London began in Pudding Lane in the house of Thomas Farynor, baker to King Charles II. It ended on September 6 at Pye Corner. Around 13,200 buildings were destroyed as well as St Paul’s Cathedral and 87 other churches.
1726: English prison reformer and philanthropist John Howard was born in Hackney, east London.
1834: Thomas Telford, Scottish engineer, road, bridge and canal builder, died in London and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
1906: Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach the South Pole, completed his sailing round Canada’s Northwest Passage.
1916: The last of the famous Blaydon races – immortalised in the folk song – in Northumberland were held.
1939: On the eve of the official declaration of the Second World War, Ted Drake scored four goals for Arsenal against Sunderland and Bournemouth beat Northampton Town 10-0 at Dean Court.
1945: The formal Japanese surrender to the Allies was signed on board the American battleship USS Missouri.
1973: JRR Tolkien, creator of Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit, died aged 81.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The University of Oxford was ranked first in an international league table for the fifth year in a row.