On this day

1587: Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cadiz harbour and sank the Spanish fleet – an action known as singeing the King of Spain’s beard”.

1775: In Lexington, the opening shot was fired – by a British general – in the American War of Independence. This was the shot that was “heard around the world”.

1824: Poet Lord Byron died of a fever at Missolonghi while aiding Greek insurgents against the Turks in their fight for independence. He was 36. 1882: Death of biologist Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution revolutionised scientific thinking.

1906: Pierre Curie, French physicist who worked with his wife on magnetism and radioactivity and who discovered radium, was killed in a carriage accident in Paris.

1927: Mae West was found guilty of indecent behaviour in her Broadway production of Sex. She was sentenced to 10 days in prison and fined 500 dollars. 1956: Prince Rainier III of

Monaco married actress Grace Kelly.

1987: The Simpsons premieres as a short cartoon on the Tracy Ullman Show.

1995: Timothy Mcveigh and Terry Nichols carried out a bomb attack on Oklahoma City, USA killing 168 people.

2005: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as the successor to Pope John Paul II The new Pope took the name Pope Benedict XVI.

2011: Fidel Castro resigned from the Cuban Communist Party and stepped down as party leader after 45 years of holding the title.

Birthdays

Alan Price, musician, 79; Tim Curry, actor, 75; Ruby Wax, comedienne, 68; Sue Barker, sports broadcaster, 65; Ashley Judd, actress, 53; Jason Gillespie, former cricketer, 46; Kate Hudson, actress, 42; Hayden Christensen, actor, 40; Kelly Holmes, former Olympic athlete, 51; Maria Sharapova, pictured, tennis player, 34.