ON THIS day

■■1746: Spanish painter Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes was born in Fuendetodos.

■■1814: Britain and its allies entered Paris in triumph against Napoleon Bonaparte.

■■1842: Ether was used as an anaesthetic for the first time, by American surgeon Dr Crawford Long.

■■1853: Artist Vincent van Gogh, who painted Sunflowers, was born in the Dutch village of Groot-Zundert.

■■1856: The Crimean War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

■■1867: Alaska was bought by America from Russia for $7.2m – less than two cents an acre.

■■1945: The advancing Russian forces captured the Baltic Sea port of Danzig, also known as Gdansk. ■■1964: The seaside resort of Clacton was the scene of pitched battles by gangs of mods and rockers.

■■1972: The Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act came into force decreeing direct rule from London and prompting the resignation of then prime minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner.

■■1979: The people of Iran voted overwhelmingly in favour of establishing an Islamic Republic in a two-day referendum.

■■1981: US president Ronald Reagan was wounded in an assassination bid outside Washington’s Hilton Hotel.

■■1986: James Cagney, American tough-guy actor, died aged 86.

■■1987: Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh was sold at auction by Christie’s for £24.75m.

■■2002: The Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep at Buckingham Palace at the age of 101.

■■ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A painting by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh, right, was stolen in an overnight raid on a museum that was closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, police and the museum said.

■■BIRTHDAYS: Warren Beatty, actor, 84; Eric Clapton, guitarist, 76; Robbie Coltrane, actor, 71; MC Hammer (Stanley Kirk Burrell), rapper, 59; Tracy Chapman, singer, 57; Piers Morgan, broadcaster and former tabloid editor, 56; Celine Dion, singer, 53; Norah Jones, singer, 42.

■■ The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%