THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

MAY 18

1990: A treaty was signed in Bonn introducing economic and monetary union between East and West Germany.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Gay couples in Taiwan planned a mass wedding registration after politicians voted to legalise samesex marriage.

MAY 19

1984: Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate from 1972, died aged 77. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked their first wedding anniversary with a photo montage on Instagram.

MAY 20

1991: In the USSR, the government passed a new law allowing Soviet citizens to leave the country of their own free will.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A memorial honouring the lives of the 11 men who died in the Shoreham Airshow crash was unveiled.

MAY 21

1966: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) ended Henry Cooper’s hopes of winning the world heavyweight crown for Britain in round six.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A Sherpa mountaineer extended his record for successful climbs of Mount Everest with his 24th ascent of the world’s highest peak.

MAY 22

1981: ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others. He was sentenced to 30 years minimum.