ON THIS DAY
1701: Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer who created the centigrade temperature scale, was born in Uppsala.
1703: The first Eddystone Lighthouse was swept away in the Great Storm. More than 8,000 died across the country.
1914: The first two trained policewomen to be granted official status in Britain, Miss Mary Allen and Miss E F Harburn, reported for duty at Grantham.
1919: A massive meteor landed in Lake Michigan.
1942: As German troops arrived in Toulon, the French fleet was scuttled in the harbour to prevent the warships falling into enemy hands.
1944: Between 3,500 and 4,000 tons of high explosives went off in a cavern beneath Staffordshire, killing 68 people and wiping out an entire farm.
1963: The Buchanan Committee warned of future chaos as traffic in cities multiplied.
1967: President de Gaulle vetoed Britain’s entry into the Common Market.
1975: Ross McWhirter was shot dead by Irish gunmen at his home in London. With his twin brother, Norris, he edited The Guinness Book Of Records.
1990: John Major became prime minister at 47, the youngest PM that century.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
A naval engineer who was honoured at Buckingham Palace made sure the day of the ceremony was extra special by proposing to his partner at the palace.
BIRTHDAYS:
John Alderton, actor, 80; Randy Brecker, jazz trumpeter, 75; Charlie Burchill, rock guitarist (Simple Minds), 61; Robin Givens, actress, 56; Roberto Mancini, football manager, 56; Gary Lucy, actor, 39.