On this day

1718: The first machine gun was patented by London lawyer James Puckle who, as a keen fisherman, intended to use it at sea.

1800: George III survived two assassination attempts in one day.

1936: Amy Johnson, pictured, arrived in England after a recordbreaking 12-day, 15-hour flight from London to Cape Town and back.

1940: Nylon stockings went on sale in America. In the first eight hours, 72,000 pairs were sold in New York city alone. 1941: Britain’s first jet-propelled aircraft, the Gloster-whittle E28/39, flew for the first time. 1988: Soviet troops began leaving Afghanistan after eight years of occupation.

1972: Alabama Governor George Wallace was wounded and left permanently paralysed below the waist in an assassination attempt while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Laurel, Maryland. 1991: Edith Cresson became the first woman prime minister of France.

Birthdays

Ted Dexter, former cricketer, 86; Ralph Steadman, cartoonist, 85; Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, 84; Brian Eno, musician/composer, 73; Mike Oldfield, musician, 68; Greg Wise, actor, 55; Brad Rowe, actor, 51; Zara Phillips, 40; Patrice Evra, footballer, 40; Andy Murray, pictured, tennis player, 34.

Quotes of the day

“We are working closely with Portuguese authorities and the German authorities, and we will continue until there is nothing left to do” – Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick delivers a pledge on the investigation into Madeleine Mccann’s disappearance.

“I really want to be on. I used to be a dancer. I really hate dancing now. So that’s why I want to do it, as I really like torturing myself. There’d be loads of masochism in doing it” – Paloma Faith is keen to be asked to do Strictly Come Dancing.