ON THIS DAY

1509: Henry VIII married his sisterin-law, Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives. 1776: English landscape painter John Constable was born in

East Bergholt, Suffolk, son of a landowner and miller. He had seven children, four of whom became painters.

1864: Opera composer Richard Strauss was born in Munich.

1952: Denis Compton hit his

100th century.

1955: Some 82 spectators were killed when a car skidded off the track during the Le Mans 24-hour race. 1975: The first oil was pumped ashore from the North Sea Argyll oil fields.

1979: Tough-guy actor John Wayne, real name Marion Michael Morrison but known as The Duke, died of cancer. He was 72.

1990: It was reported that divorce was costing Britain £4 million a day in legal and welfare payments.

BIRTHDAYS

Jackie Stewart, pictured, racing driver, 79; Vince Earl, actor and comedian, 74; Joe Montana, former American footballer, 62; Hugh Laurie, actor, 59; Jean Alesi, racing driver, 54; Jane Goldman, screenwriter and author, 48; Joshua Jackson, actor, 40.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“A middle-aged musician nursing a hangover in his mate’s dressing room is a dead duck” – Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.

“With all that we have today, I think it has become difficult for young people to fully appreciate the hardships we endured during the war. It was hard but it was also fulfilling” - Dame Vera Lynn, 101, the “Forces Sweetheart”. “Why do women athletes have to be naked? I watched figure skating and the woman is virtually naked. She has got a few wisps of cloth and the man is in evening dress. You think nakedness is usually a sign of submission, it’s a sign of inequality” – Feminist and academic Germaine Greer.

“I have now seen everything. In the charity shop where I volunteer, a young woman wanted to pay 5p for a carrier bag using her credit card” – Maggie Hughes, of Gnosall, Staffordshire, in a letter to the Sunday Telegraph.