On this day

1770: Scottish explorer James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile.

1840: Impressionist painter Claude Monet was born in Paris. 1896: The speed limit for horseless carriages was raised from 4mph (2mph in towns) to 14mph. It was marked by the first London to Brighton car run, which became a regular and official event from 1927.

1922: The British Broadcasting Company began daily transmissions. At 6pm the news was read by Arthur Burrows, once at normal speed and once at slow speed.

1932: Book tokens went on sale in Britain for the first time. 1940: Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by enemy bombing. More than 1,000 civilians died in the raid.

1941: The aircraft carrier Ark Royal sank near Gibraltar after being hit by an enemy torpedo.

1952: Britain’s first hit parade was published in the New Musical Express. Al Martino’s Here In My Heart was the first number one. 1963: A volcanic eruption under the sea off Iceland created the new island of Surtsey.

2010: British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler left Somalia after more than a year in captivity. The retired couple were abducted by pirates as they sailed their yacht off the Seychelles in October 2009.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Adele sat down with the American chat show host Oprah Winfrey to launch her eagerly awaited album, 30.

Paul and Rachel Chandler left Somalia after captivity.