On this day ...

JANUARY 2

17AD: Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso), the celebrated poet, died in Rome.

1492: The Spanish army recaptured Granada from the Moors.

1757: Clive of India captured Calcutta after it had been seized by the Nawab of Bengal. The latter imprisoned 146 British prisoners in the notorious ‘black hole’. Only 23 survived.

1946: King Zog was deposed as ruler of Albania.

1947: Cupro-nickel coins were issued by the British Mint to replace silver.

1952: Pope Pius XII declared that television was a threat to family life.

1971: Sixty-six people were crushed to death when a barrier collapsed at Rangers’s Ibrox ground.

1974: Tex Ritter, American singing cowboy of stage and screen, died. He sang the title song for the classic western High Noon.

1987: The publishers of Enid Blyton’s Noddy books bowed to pressure groups and agreed to expunge all ‘racism’ from them.

2011: Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite, above, died after a long fight with cancer.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Sandwich chain Pret A Manger introduced their 50p discount on hot drinks for customers who use reusable cups. BIRTHDAYS: David Bailey, photographer, 81; Tia Carrere actress, 52; James Marshall, actor, 52; Cuba Gooding Jr, actor, 51; Christy Turlington, above, model, 50; Lucy Davis, actress, 46; Kate Bosworth, American actress, 36.