ON THIS DAY
1452: Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, was born at Fotheringhay, Northants.
1925: London’s first red buses with roofed-in upper decks went into service. Police restrictions had previously prevented them being used in the capital, although they had been in operation in Widnes since 1909.
1935: Italian forces invaded Abyssinia after Mussolini’s bombers pounded border towns.
1940: The Empress of Britain, en route to Canada with child evacuees, was sunk by a German submarine. British warships rescued most of the 634 crew and passengers.
1953: The photograph of William Pettit, wanted for murder, was shown on BBC TV by request from the police, the first time television was used in Britain to help find a wanted man.
1985: Hollywood heartthrob Rock Hudson died of Aids, aged 59. 1996: Cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He commemorated the date with a range of “10/2” branded Nike sportswear.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Donald Trump was reportedly experiencing “mild symptoms” of Covid-19 after revealing he and Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus.