ON THIS DAY

1840: The first postage stamp – the Penny Black – was issued by the Post Office for use.

1856: Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was born in Freiberg, Moravia (now Czech Republic).

1960: Princess Margaret married Anthony ArmstrongJones (Lord Snowdon) in Westminster Abbey.

1976: An earthquake struck Friuli in Northern Italy, causing 989 deaths and the destruction of entire villages.

1994: The Queen opened the Channel Tunnel.

1994: Nelson Mandela, above, and the ANC were confirmed the winners in South Africa’s first post-apartheid election.

1997: The Bank of England was given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank’s 300-year history.

2004: The series finale of the television sitcom Friends was shown on US channel NBC, attracting 52.46 million viewers.

2013: Three women missing for more than a decade are found alive in the US city of Cleveland, Ohio.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Alcohol-related deaths had reached their highest level for 20 years, according to the Office for National Statistics.