ON THIS DAY

1762: George IV, King of England, eldest son of the insane George III, was born. But he did little to enhance the crown, being too fond of wine and women.

1887: Thomas Edison made the first sound recording when he recited Mary Had A Little Lamb which was recorded on to a foil-wrapped cylinder on the Edisonphone.

1908: The first Model T Ford, affectionately known as the “Tin Lizzie”, came off the production line, replacing the Model A.

1925: Norris and Ross McWhirter, British twins who founded the Guinness Book Of Records, were born.

1960: Communications satellite Echo was launched from Cape Canaveral. 1964: Ian Fleming, bestselling author and creator of James Bond, died. 1982: Mexico announced it could not pay its enormous external debt, marking the beginning of the debt crisis that engulfed Latin America.

2012: The Summer Olympics closing ceremony took place in London, which completed the games.

2014: Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall died in her home at the age of 89 following a stroke.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Britain had collapsed into its largest recession on record after lockdown sparked a 20.4 per cent contraction between April and June, the biggest slump of any major global economy.