On this day

1566: James VI of Scotland, later James I – and first Stuart king – of England, was born in Edinburgh Castle.

1623: Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher who invented the first calculating machines, was born. Other research led to the invention of the syringe and hydraulic press and with it, Pascal’s law of pressure.

1820: A baton was first used to conduct an orchestra in England, by Ludwig Spohr.

1829: The London Metropolitan Police was founded by Sir Robert Peel.

1896: Bessie Wallis Warfield (Mrs Simpson) was born in Baltimore. She later became the Duchess of Windsor, after Edward VIII, pictured above with the duchess, abdicated the throne because of his love for her. 1903: Wally Hammond, England and Gloucester cricketer, was born.

1905: The world’s first all-motion picture theatre opened in Pittsburgh.

1910: Deutschland, the first Zeppelin airliner, was launched, and crashed on June 28.

1953: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, pictured above right, went to the electric chair in New York, having been found guilty of spying for the Soviet Union.

1967: The Monterey Pop Festival attracted thousands of hippies to watch stars including Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin and The Who.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The House of Commons exchanged Brexit debate for classical music when an MP, a TV presenter and two parliamentary staffers performed as a string quartet inside the famous chamber.