ON THIS DAY
1697: The first Sunday service was held in St Paul’s Cathedral. 1766: James Christie, founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London.
1791: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer, died and was reportedly buried in an unmarked grave with several other paupers. 1872: The American brig Mary Celeste was found drifting in the Atlantic, her crew missing. 1901: Walt Disney, cartoon film producer, was born in Chicago. 1933: Prohibition ended in America after 14 years. 1945: Five US Navy bombers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, disappeared over the area which became known as the Bermuda Triangle. 1952: Smog enveloped London and killed more than 4,000 people in less than a week.
1956: Rose Heilbron became Britain’s first female recorder. 1958: The Preston by-pass, Britain’s first section of motorway (the M1, eight-and-a-half miles long) was officially opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Duke of Cambridge revealed a Tina Turner hit brings back treasured memories of his mother singing it at the “top of her voice” with her sons as she drove them to school.