ON THIS DAY
1675:
Greenwich Observatory was established by King Charles II, who laid the foundation stone.
1842:
The Mines Act was passed by the British Parliament, forbidding women and children to work underground.
1889:
The screw bottle top was patented by Dan Rylands of Hope Glass Works, Barnsley.
1895:
The first London Promenade Concert took place, founded by Henry Wood and Robert Newman, and played by an orchestra of 80 in the Queen’s Hall.
1897:
The Royal Automobile Club was founded, under the name of The Automobile Club of Great Britain.
1949:
“Acid bath” murderer John Haigh, who confessed to nine killings, was executed at Wandsworth Prison.
1954:
Sir Gordon Richards, champion English jockey, retired after 4,869 wins. 1961:
Britain first applied for membership of the EEC.
1990:
The Magellan space probe reached Venus.
2003:
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent.
2010:
Archaeologists announced that they had discovered Britain’s earliest house at Star Carr, near Scarborough, believed to date back to 8,500 years BC.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Sixth-formers received their A-level results, which were determined by teachers after exams were cancelled. GCSE results followed two days later.
BIRTHDAYS:
Ian Anderson, rock singer (Jethro Tull), 75; Patti Austin, singer and actress, 72; Rosanna Arquette, actress, 63; Antonio Banderas, actor, 62; Charlie Dimmock, TV gardening expert, 56; Roy Keane, former footballer, football manager, 51; Lawrence Dallaglio, former English rugby captain, 50.