ON THIS DAY

● 1066: Harold of England defeated the Norwegians under Harold Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, unaware that William of Normandy was preparing to invade the south coast.

● 1660: Samuel Pepys drank his first cuppa, after reading that tea made the body active and lusty.

● 1818: The first blood transfusion using human blood, as opposed to earlier attempts with animal blood, took place at Guy’s Hospital in London.

● 1885: It snowed in London, the earliest recorded winter fall despite reports that on June 12 1791 there had been snow sighted over the capital. That was recorded as late summer, not winter, snow.

● 1897: Britain’s first motor bus service started in Bradford.

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1933: More than 25,000 queued to see the Shroud of Turin when it went on show to the public for the first time in 400 years at Turin Cathedral.

● 1962: Sonny Liston won the world heavyweight boxing title, knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round in Chicago.

● LAST YEAR: Baby Archie Mountbatten-Windsor made his royal tour debut in South Africa, sporting a pair of striped dungarees – which had already sold out online in the UK.

● BIRTHDAYS: Michael Douglas, actor, 76, and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones, actress, 51; Felicity Kendal, actress, 74; Mark Hamill, actor, 69; Michael Madsen, actor, 63; Heather Locklear, actress, 59; Ronnie Whelan, former footballer and manager, 59; Will Smith, actor, 52; Olivier Dacourt, former footballer, 46; Declan Donnelly, presenter,

45; Jodie Kidd, model/TV personality, 42.