On this DAY

1512: Michelangelo unveiled his painting of the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, above

1755: An earthquake reduced 85% of Lisbon to rubble, killing up to 100,000 people.

1848: WH Smith opened its first railway bookstall at Euston Station, London, the start of multiple retailing in Britain.

1922: The first radio licences went on sale in Britain at a cost of 10 shillings (50p).

1956: Computer ERNIE was born as Premium Bonds first went on sale in Britain.

1993: The Maastricht Treaty took effect – the precursor to the European Union.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Australia recorded no new locally transmitted coronavirus infection for the first time in five months.