On this day
■ 1812: Limerick writer Edward Lear, author of The Book Of Nonsense, was born in London.
■ 1820: ‘Lady of the Lamp’ Florence Nightingale, hospital reformer who tended the wounded during the Crimean War, was born in Italy.
■ 1926: The TUC called off the General Strike after nine days.
■ 1932: The kidnapped baby son of aviator Charles Lindbergh was found dead.
■ 1935: Self-help group Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by William Wilson in Ohio.
■ 1937: The coronation of King George VI took place in Westminster Abbey and was broadcast worldwide by the BBC.
■ 1949: The Soviet blockade of Berlin ended after 11 months. It had cost the Allies £200 million to fly in food and essential supplies.
■ 1967: John Masefield, Poet Laureate from 1930, died.
■ 2008: An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurred in Sichuan, China, killing more than 69,000 people.
■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Duke of Cambridge laid a wreath in memory of a police officer killed in the line of duty, during a visit to Croydon Custody Centre.
■ BIRTHDAYS: Burt Bacharach, composer/songwriter, 94; Lord Patten of Barnes (Chris Patten), politician and former Governor of Hong Kong, 78; Steve Winwood, singer, 74; Gabriel Byrne, actor, 72; Bruce Boxleitner, actor, 72; Emilio Estevez, actor, 60; Stephen Baldwin, actor, 56; Samantha Mathis, actress, 52; Jason Biggs, actor, 44.