ON THIS DAY

■ 1660: The Royal Society was founded in London.

■ 1757: William Blake, mystic and visionary English poet and painter, was born in London.

■ 1905: The Irish political party Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin by Arthur Griffith.

■ 1919: Viscountess (Nancy) Astor became Britain’s first woman MP, holding a safe Plymouth seat for the Tories in a by-election caused by her husband’s elevation of the peerage.

■ 1934: Winston Churchill warned that weak defences could mean that Britain could be “tortured into absolute subjection” in any war with Germany.

■ 1943: The Big Three - Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin - met in Tehran to “plan strategy” and discuss post-war policy, including treatment of a defeated Germany.

■ 1967: Horseracing was suspended in Britain after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

■ 1968: Enid Blyton, creator of Noddy and Big Ears among many other children’s favourites, died.

■ 1983: The government announced an end to the monopoly by opticians on the sale of glasses.

■ 2010: Britain shivered in record low temperatures, including a “ridiculously low” minus 17C in Wales.

■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Royal Mint announced plans to launch a new 50p to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. ■■ BIRTHDAYS: Berry Gordy, Tamla Motown founder, 93; Randy Newman, singer/songwriter, 79; Alistair Darling, former chancellor of the Exchequer, 69; Kris Akabusi, former athlete and TV presenter, 65; Stephen Roche, former cyclist, 63; Judd Nelson, actor, 63; Martin Clunes, actor, 61; Jon Stewart, television host, 60; Mary Elizabeth Winstead, actress, 38; Karen Gillan, actress, 35, above.

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