ON THIS DAY

1760: George III became King, beginning one of the longest reigns in British history – 60 years of tremendous change, during which he went violently insane. 1803: Joseph Hansom, inventor of the Hansom Cab in 1834, was born. They proved the most popular of London’s cabs and were later introduced in New York. 1863: The English Football Association was formed at a meeting at Freeman’s Tavern in Great Queen Street, London. 1881: The Gunfight At The OK Corral took place outside Tombstone, Arizona Territory, between the Ike Clanton gang and the Marshal Virgil Earp, his deputised brothers Wyatt and Morgan and Doc Holliday. 1905: Norway became independent from Sweden. 1940: The P-51 Mustang made its maiden flight. 1950: The rebuilt chamber of the House of Commons was opened by King George VI, having been destroyed by bombing in 1941. 1955: The New York underground paper Village Voice was first published, backed by Norman Mailer. 1965: The Beatles went to Buckingham Palace to be presented with their MBEs. 1986: Jeffrey Archer resigned as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, after allegations that he had made a payment to a prostitute to avoid a scandal. He denied the allegations and fought a successful libel case. 2015: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes on the red carpet for the world premiere of James Bond film Spectre. BIRTHDAYS: Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State, 69; Andrew Motion, former poet laureate, 64; Cary Elwes, actor, 54; Natalie Merchant, singer (10,000 Maniacs), 53; Steve Howey, former footballer, 45; Ronnie Irani, former cricketer and commentator, 45; Austin Healey, former rugby player, 43. QUOTES OF THE DAY: “Light pollution isn’t just a problem for people wanting to look at the stars. It’s also a problem for birds, who get confused about when they should begin the dawn chorus. They sing for so long that they don’t have any energy left to mate” – Labour MP Helen Goodman. “Acting is a craft. You just don’t suddenly do it. You can’t do it on your own in your bedroom either. It takes ages before you are really good at it” – Actor Michael Sheen. “Dresses. My most expensive was £15,000: my ‘artist’s robe’, in brocade silk with big ceramic buttons” – Crossdressing potter Grayson Perry on his biggest extravagance. “Sir Humphrey Appleby would be proud of my solution to the new runway question. Just build half a runway at both airports” - Paul King, of Hassocks, West Sussex, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph.