ON THIS DAY

• 1665: Queen Anne, last Stuart ruler, second daughter of James II, was born in London.

• 1685: The “merry monarch” Charles II died. Some say his last words to his brother James were: “Don’t let poor Nellie starve” – a reference to his favourite mistress Nell Gwyn.

• 1783: English landscape gardener Lancelot “Capability” Brown died. Kew Gardens and the grounds at Blenheim Palace are examples of his work.

• 1918: The Representation of the People Act received Royal Assent, granting the vote to women over 30.

• 1927: A boy violinist in short trousers, aged 10, caused a sensation in Paris when he performed Symphonie Espagnole. The child prodigy was Yehudi Menuhin.

• 1952: King George VI died during the night at Sandringham, aged 56. His daughter, on safari in Africa at the time, succeeded as Elizabeth II.

• 1958: Seven Manchester United footballers – the Busby Babes – were killed when their plane crashed in thick snow at Munich Airport. An eighth, Duncan Edwards, died 15 days later in hospital.

• 1983: Nazi fugitive Klaus Barbie was charged in Lyon, France, with crimes against humanity.

• LAST YEAR: Expedia and trivago were among six online hotel booking sites that agreed to a raft of changes to end misleading sales tactics and hidden charges after a probe by the competition watchdog.

• BIRTHDAYS: Jimmy Tarbuck, comedian, 80; Kevin Whately, actor, 69; Axl Rose, rock singer, 58; Rick Astley, singer, 54.