ON THIS DAY
1666: The Great Fire of London was finally extinguished – it started on September 2.
1879: The first British telephone exchange opened in Lombard Street, London.
1880: England beat Australia by five wickets at the Oval in the first Test match played in England, and WG Grace scored England’s first Test century.
1941: Yellow Star of David badges became compulsory for all Jews living in Nazi Germany.
1966: Hendrik Verwoerd, South African prime minister since 1958, was assassinated in parliament in Cape
Town by Dimitri Tsafendas. 1990: Cricketer Sir Len Hutton, the first professional to captain England, died aged 74. His son Richard was born the very same day in 1942.
2007: Tributes flooded in from around the world after opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The second powerful typhoon to batter Japan in a week unleashed fierce winds and rain on its southern islands.