ON THIS DAY

• 721 BC: The first recorded eclipse was observed by the Babylonians, according to the Greek astronomer Ptolemy.

• 1813: Dr David Livingstone, missionary and explorer (the first European to see the Victoria Falls on the Zambesi), was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire.

• 1834: The six “Tolpuddle Martyrs”, who fought the decline of agricultural wages, were sentenced to seven years’ transportation to Tasmania. Public outcry had them released after two years.

• 1920: The US Senate rejected for a second time the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles and prevented the US joining the League of Nations, fearing they would have to go to war again if another member state was invaded.

• 1932: Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened. It was the world’s longestsingle-spanarchbridge.

• 1976: Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon announced their separation after 16 years of marriage.

• 1988: Two British soldiers who blundered into an IRA funeral cortege in West Belfast were killed by a lynch mob.

• 1992: Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duchess of York was seeking a divorce from Prince Andrew.

• ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:

Then Brexit secretary David Davis and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier hailed a legal text on a transition deal, which was agreed following talks in Brussels, as a “significant step”.

• BIRTHDAYS: Ursula Andress, actress, 83; Mario Monti, former Italian prime minister, 76; Glenn Close, actress, 72; Bruce Willis, actor, 64.