ON THIS DAY
1434: The River Thames froze over and, exactly 281 years later, it froze again – hard enough for a Frost Fair to be held on the ice. 1815: Grace Darling, lighthousekeeper’s daughter and heroine of the wreck of the Forfarshire, was born. 1849: Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy, was born. 1962: The satirical TV programme That Was The Week That Was went out live from the BBC for the first time, introduced by newcomer David Frost, with material written by equally unknown John Cleese. 1963: Lee Harvey Oswald, charged with killing President Kennedy, was shot dead by club owner Jack Ruby at Dallas Police Headquarters. 1965: The Government imposed an experimental 70mph speed limit on motorways.
1991: Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock group Queen, died aged 45. 2005: The biggest overhaul of licensing laws in more than 50 years took effect. It permitted pubs, bars, clubs and stores in England and Wales to serve alcohol for longer – and even round the clock. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Marking the 30th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death, a charity boss said the star’s going public with his HIV diagnosis before he died was a “cultural touchstone moment”.