On this day

1610: Henry IV of France, “Good King Henry”, was murdered by a mad monk in Paris.

1643: Louis XIV became King of France at the age of four years 231 days – and reigned for more than 72 years.

1727: Artist Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk.

1771: Robert Owen, textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement, was born in Newtown, Wales. 1779: The Oaks was first run at Epsom.

1787: Delegates gathered in Philadelphia to draw up the US Constitution.

1796: Edward Jenner, a doctor in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, made his first vaccination against smallpox, and laid the foundation for modern immunology.

1811: Paraguay proclaimed its independence.

1842: The British periodical Illustrated London News was first published.

1921: The British Legion was founded in London. It became the Royal British Legion in 1971. 1940: Lord Beaverbrook was appointed minister of aircraft production.

1948: Israel was established as a Jewish state following the partition of Palestine.

1955: Eastern Bloc countries signed the Warsaw Pact.

1973: Skylab, the first US space station, was launched.

1987: American actress Rita Hayworth, pictured left, died. 1998: Singer and actor Frank Sinatra, one of the biggest stars of the 20th century died aged 82.

Birthdays

Chay Blyth, round-the-world yachtsman, 82; George Lucas, filmmaker, 78; Francesca Annis, actress, 77; David Byrne, musician (Talking Heads), 70; Robert Zemeckis, film director, 70; Tim Roth, actor, 61; Ian Astbury, singer (The Cult), 60; Cate Blanchett, pictured right, actress, 53; Olly Murs, singer, 38; Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder, 38.