ON THIS DAY

JUNE 29

1613: The Globe Theatre in London burned down after a cannon was fired during a Shakespeare play and set fire to the straw roof.

1801: The first census in Britain was carried out showing a population totalling 8,872,000.

1905: The inaugural meeting of the Automobile Association (AA) took place at the Trocadero Restaurant in London, attended by 50 motorists.

1960: BBC Television Centre opened in London.

1966: Barclays Bank introduced Barclaycard, the first British credit card.

JUNE 30

1520: Montezuma II, last Aztec ruler, was killed in Mexico City during the Spanish conquest of Mexico under Cortez. 1859: The great tightrope walker Blondin crossed Niagara Falls from the US to Canada in just eight minutes. The rope was stretched 1,100ft and suspended 160ft above the Falls.

1974: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Soviet-born ballet dancer, defected while on tour in Canada with the Bolshoi Ballet.

JULY 1

1858: Charles Darwin presented his theory on evolution and natural selection to the Linnean Society in London.

1872: Louis Bleriot, aviation pioneer, was born in Cambrai, France. He was the first person to come to Britain without arriving by sea. 1916:FirstdayofthebattleoftheSomme in the First World War. In less than 24 hours there were 60,000 British casualties.

1937: The 999 emergency service came into operation in Britain.

2007: A ban on smoking in public places came into effect across England, spelling an end to drinkers having a cigarette in pubs, bars and clubs.

JULY 2

1865: The Salvation Army was originated by William Booth, with a revival meeting at London’s Whitechapel.

1950: US troops arrived in Korea.

1956: Elvis Presley recorded Hound Dog andDon’tBeCruelinRCA’sNewYorkStudio. The release reached number one. 1964: President Johnson signed the USA Civil Rights Bill, prohibiting racial discrimination.

2005: Live8 took place around the globe, as the world’s biggest music stars united to press political leaders to tackle poverty in Africa.

JULY 3

1806: Michael Keen, of Isleworth, exhibited the first edible cultivated strawberry, which he called Keen’s Seedling.

1928: A policeman’s helmet and a bunch of red roses were among the pictures shown on John Logie Baird’s first television transmission in colour at Baird Studios, London.

1969: Brian Jones, who had just left the Rolling Stones, was found drowned in his swimming pool.