ON THIS DAY

■ 117: Hadrian became Emperor of Rome.

■ 1834: The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed, abandoning the system of outdoor relief by which parishes looked after their poor and replacing it with the workhouse.

■ 1876: Frank Richards, author and creator of fat schoolboy Billy Bunter, was born in London as Charles Hamilton.

■ 1900: The Davis Cup for tennis was contested for the first time at Brookline, Massachusetts, and won by USA.

■ 1940: The Battle of Britain began.

■ 1958: Columbia Records signed up a 17-year-old singer called Cliff Richard.

■ 1963: The Great Train Robbery took place at Sears Crossing, Buckinghamshire, when a gang of 15 men, including Ronnie Biggs and Buster Edwards, stole more than £2.6m.

■ 1974: Richard Nixon announced his resignation as US president, the first to do so, because of his implication in the Watergate scandal.

■ 1991: Hostage John McCarthy came home, five years and three months after being kidnapped and held hostage in Beirut.

■ 2008: The opening ceremony of the Olympics took place in Beijing at the ‘Bird’s Nest’ Stadium.

■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: More than one fifth (23%) of people said live streaming and music was the biggest support to their mental health through lockdown, new figures suggested. ■ BIRTHDAYS: Dustin Hoffman, actor, 85; Connie Stevens, actress and singer, 84; Keith Carradine, actor, 73; Nigel Mansell, former racing driver, 69; The Edge (David Evans), rock guitarist (U2), 61; Angus Fraser, former cricketer, 57; Chris Eubank, former boxer, 56; Princess Beatrice of York, above, 34.

■ The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2021 was 65.7%