ON THIS DAY
1626:
Manhattan island was bought from local Indians by Dutch settler Peter Minuit for trinkets worth about 25 dollars.
1840:
The first postage stamp – the Penny Black – was issued by the Post Office for use.
1937:
The German airship Hindenburg exploded at its moorings in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 of the 97 people aboard.
1954:
Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile on the Iffley Road track in Oxford, in three minutes 59.4 seconds.
1960:
Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-jones (Lord Snowdon) in Westminster Abbey.
1966:
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, the Moors murderers, were found guilty at Chester Assizes and sentenced to life in prison.
1976:
An earthquake struck Friuli in Northern Italy, causing 989 deaths and the destruction of entire villages. 1994:
The Queen opened the Channel Tunnel.
1994:
Nelson Mandela and the ANC were confirmed the winners in South Africa’s first post apartheid election.
1997:
The Bank of England was given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank’s 300-year history.
2004:
The series finale of the television sitcom Friends was shown on US channel NBC, attracting 52.46 million viewers.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Alcohol-related deaths had reached their highest level for 20 years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), after jumping by a fifth over the previous year.
BIRTHDAYS:
Bob Seger, rock singer, 77; Jeffery Deaver, author, 72; Tony Blair, former Prime Minister, 69; Graeme Souness, former footballer and manager, 69; George Clooney, actor, 61; Leslie Hope, actress, 57; Chris Shiflett, guitarist (Foo Fighters), 51; Kerry Ellis, musical theatre actress, 43.