NOW & THEN
1536:
King Henry VIII married Jane Seymour, the third of his six wives, in the Queen’s Chapel, Whitehall 11 days after the execution of Anne Boleyn.
The Grenadier Guards formed.
John Francis fired a pistol at Queen Victoria as she was driving down Constitution Hill, London, with Prince Albert. Francis was seized by a policeman and was convicted of high treason. The death sentence was commuted to transportation for life.
The Indianapolis 500 car race of 200 laps was inaugurated in the US. It was won by Ray Harroun at an average 74.59mph.
The Minister of Food for the post-war Labour government, John Strachey, told the Commons that bread would be rationed, with the greatest allowance going to manual workers in heavy industry.
Britain relaxed its restrictions on trade with China.
The province of Eastern Nigeria changed its name to Biafra and declared itself an independent republic. Ravaged by a war with Nigeria and famine, it was re-incorporated into Nigeria in 1970.
British Transarctic Expedition completed first surface crossing of the continent, covering 3,600 miles in 464 days.
Spain became 16th member of Nato.
The 45-month Gulf war heated up as Iraq reported new attacks on naval targets near Iran’s Kharg Island oil port.
A mob of militant “lowcaste” villagers massacred at least 42 members of uppercaste landlord families in India’s poor eastern state of Bihar.
Military source said Chinese troops told to prepare for lengthy struggle in government crackdown on student protests.
Cliff Richard issued his 100th pop single.
Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinian guerrillas and captured 12 as they sped toward the coastline, apparently to launch attacks coinciding with Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
France banned beef exports from Britain in “mad cow disease” scare.
One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded occurred in central and eastern Europe, from the Baltic to the
1656:
1842:
1911:
1946:
1957:
1967:
1969:
1982:
1984:
1987:
1989:
1989:
1990:
1990:
1990:
Black Sea, with the epicentre in Romania.
Car bomb exploded near Civil Guard barracks in Vic, Spain, killing at least nine people and injuring 50.
The United Nations imposed arms and other sanctions of warring states in the former Yugoslavia.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit Afghanistan, killing up to 5,000 people.
272 days after the 9/11 attacks, closing ceremonies were held for the clean-up/ recovery efforts at the World Trade Centre site in New York City.
1991:
1992:
1998:
2002:
2003:
Jane Seymour wed Henry VIII on this day in 1536; the match was not a success
At least 70 people associated with the National League for Democracy were killed by government-sponsored mobs in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi fled the scene, but was arrested soon afterwards.
BIRTHDAYS
British actor, 57
Ray Cooney OBE, British playwright and producer, 88; Tim Burgess, singer (Charlatans), 53; Harry Enfield, writer, actor, comic, 59; Steven Gerrard MBE, football manager and former player, 40; Wynonna Judd, country singer and actress, 56; David Shukman, British broadcaster, 62; Sir Tim Waterstone, Scottish bookseller, 81; Helen Sharman OBE, astronaut, 57
ANNIVERSARIES Births:
1672 Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia; 1846 Peter Carl Fabergé, goldsmith and jeweller; 1896 Howard Hawks, film director; 1909 Benny Goodman, clarinettist and band leader; 1949 Bob Willis MBE, English cricketer and broadcaster.
1431 Joan of Arc, French patriot and martyr; 1593 Christopher Marlowe, poet and playwright; 1640 Peter Paul Rubens, painter; 1744 Alexander Pope, poet; 1778 Voltaire, philosopher and historian; 1847 Thomas Chalmers, first Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland; 1912 Wilbur Wright, who made first controlled flight in 1903; 1960 Boris Pasternak, poet and novelist; 1967 Claude Rains, film actor; 1971 Marcel Dupré, organist and composer; 1998 Walter Carr, actor
Deaths: