On this day

1660: The Royal Society was founded in London.

1757: William Blake, mystic and visionary English poet and painter, was born in London. 1905: The Irish political party Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin by Arthur Griffith.

1919: Viscountess (Nancy) Astor became Britain’s first woman MP, holding a safe Plymouth seat for the Tories in a by-election caused by her husband’s elevation of the peerage.

1934: Winston Churchill warned that weak defences could mean that Britain could be “tortured into absolute subjection” in any war with Germany.

1943: The Big Three – Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin – met in Tehran to “plan strategy” and discuss post-war policy, including treatment of a defeated Germany. 1967: Horseracing was suspended in Britain after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

1968: Enid Blyton, creator of Noddy and Big Ears among many other children’s favourites, died. 1983: The government announced an end to the monopoly by opticians on the sale of glasses. 2010: Britain shivered in record low temperatures, including a “ridiculously low” minus 17C in Wales.

Birthdays

Berry Gordy, Tamla Motown founder, 91; Randy Newman, singer/songwriter, 77; Alistair Darling (pictured), former Chancellor of the Exchequer, 67; Kris Akabusi, former athlete and TV presenter, 62; Stephen Roche, former cyclist, 61; Judd Nelson, actor, 61; Martin Clunes, actor, 59; Jon Stewart, television host, 58; Mary Elizabeth Winstead, actress, 36; Karen Gillan, actress, 33.

Quote of the day

“I think it would be sensible for Dior to sever links with Depp. Anything can be stopped by pressing a button if they really want to” – the British public relations expert, Mark Bokowski, commenting on the screening of a TV ad for Dior’s Sauvage fragrance, featuring the newlydisgraced American actor, Johnny Depp.