On this day

1530: Following his arrest for treason, Cardinal Wolsey was recalled to London and died on the way, at Leicester. He was buried there in Abbey Park. 1797: Gaetano Donizetti, opera composer (Lucia de Lammermoor), was born in Bergamo, Italy.

1832: Louisa M Alcott, author of Little Women, was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. 1895: Busby Berkeley, choreographer and director who revolutionised Hollywood musicals, was born. His kaleidoscopic ballets, with overhead shots to show the changing patterns his dancers could create, were his trademark in films such as 42nd Street and Gold Diggers Of 1933.

1907: Florence Nightingale, the “Lady of the Lamp”, was presented with the Order of Merit by Edward VII for her work during the Crimean War. 1932: The first performance took place of Cole Porter’s The Gay Divorcee, in New York, starring Fred Astaire and featuring the song Night And Day. 1934: First broadcast of a royal wedding - that of the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina in Westminster Abbey.

1986: Debonair British-born actor Cary Grant died.

2010: A French couple came forward with 271 previously unknown works by Picasso – a staggering trove worth £50 million.

Birthdays

Dame Shirley Porter, former politician, 91; Diane Ladd, actress, 86; David Rintoul, actor, 73; Don Cheadle, actor, 57; Ryan Giggs, footballer, 48; Anna Faris (pictured), actress, 45; Simon Amstell, comedian/tv presenter, 42.

Quote of the day

“It’s an incredible job. To be paid to interrogate the news; to have so much freedom; to be able to do something every day about what you learn is going on when you first wake up” – Jon Snow reflects on his Channel 4 News job. He steps down next month.