On this day

1405: The Mongol leader Tamerlane the Great died during an expedition to conquer China. 1673: Moliere (Jean Baptiste Poquelin), French dramatist and writer of comedies, died on stage. 1818: Karl Christian Ludwig Drais von Sauerbronn patented the “draisine”, the forerunner of the bicycle.

1883: A Mr Ashwell, of Herne Hill, London, patented the Vacant/engaged toilet door sign. 1909: Geronimo, the great Apache leader, died. His real name was Goyathlay, which means “one who yawns”.

1959: The Queen allowed Marlborough House to be used by the government and, as a result, it became the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation. 1972: Volkswagen broke the record held by the Model T Ford by selling the 15,007,034th production model of the Beetle.

1982: Jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Sphere Monk, instrumental in the development of “bebop”, died.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Libyans marked the 10th anniversary of their uprising that led to the overthrow and eventual killing of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

The great Apache leader Geronimo died on this day in 1909.