ON THIS DAY
1428: Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick, so-called Kingmaker who was the power behind the throne during the Wars of the Roses, was born. He died at the Battle of Barnet in 1471.
1497: The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope in his search for a route to India.
1718: Edward Teach, English pirate who sailed under the name of Blackbeard, was killed off the coast of North Carolina.
1808: Thomas Cook, who pioneered the holiday package tour, was born in Derbyshire.
1819: Mary Ann Evans, who took the pseudonym George Eliot and wrote The Mill on the Floss, was born in Arbury, Warwickshire.
1830: Container transport was introduced by Pickfords, the carriers, in an agreement with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company.
1913: Composer Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft.
1946: The first ballpoint pen went on sale, invented by Hungarian Laszlo Biro.
1963: John F Kennedy, president of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, during the run-up to the 1964 presidential campaign.
1975: The monarchy was restored in Spain when Juan Carlos was sworn in as king in Madrid.
On this day last year: Specific gut bacteria could be used to identify people with irritable bowel syndrome who might benefit from a specific diet, a new study suggested.
Birthdays
John Bird, actor and satirist, 86; Terry Gilliam, animator/filmmaker, 82; Tom Conti, actor, 81; Billie-Jean King, former tennis player, 79; Jamie Lee Curtis, actor, 64; Boris Becker, former tennis player, 55; Scarlett Johansson, actor, 38; Hailey Bieber, model, 26; Molly Rainford, singer and Strictly Come Dancing contestant, 22.
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