NOW & THEN
22 JUNE
Richard II, aged ten, acceded to the Throne of England on the death of his grandfather Edward III the previous day.
Declaration of the Covenanters against Charles II.
MCC defeated Hertfordshire by an innings and 27 runs in the first important cricket match played on Lord’s cricket ground in St John’s Wood.
Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee was celebrated.
Northern Underground line opened in London.
The coronation of King George V took place.
Liverpool’s Liver clock Great George was brought into use.
Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson, former Chief of Imperial General Staff, was shot dead by two Irishmen in London.
Joe Louis won the world heavyweight boxing title by knocking out James J Braddock in eighth round in Chicago. He defended the title successfully 25 times before retiring on 1 March, 1949.
France capitulated and accepted Germany’s armistice terms.
Hitler invaded USSR along 1,200-mile front, breaching Molotov-ribbentrop Pact and triggering over-extension of forces which turned emphasis of Second World War against Germany.
United Nations accepted applications for membership from East and West Germany.
The inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic, the cut-price airline, took place.
After 17 years, John Craven read his 2,926th and last children’s Newsround on BBC TV.
Tottenham Hotspur FC directors accepted a takeover bid by Terry Venables, the manager, and Alan Sugar, the computer millionaire.
Lloyd’s of London reported record losses of £2.91billion.
The Daily Telegraph started a newspaper price war by cutting its midweek cover price to 30p, matching the Times.
John Major resigned as leader of the Conservative Party to force a leadership election. He later won the contest and regained leadership of the party.
Robert Thompson and
Jon Venables were granted parole after serving eight years for murdering two-year-old James Bulger in Liverpool when they were ten.
An earthquake struck a region of northwestern Iran killing at least 261 people and injuring 1,300 others.
The largest hailstone ever recorded fell in Aurora, Nebraska.
John Swinney resigned as leader of the SNP after a series of poor election results.
Conservative MP John Bercow was appointed Commons Speaker. The Buckingham MP beat nine other candidates, including Labour’s Margaret Beckett and Tory veteran Ann Widdecombe, to be named 157th Speaker.
Nine people were killed and 100 injured during a subway train collision in Washington DC.
BIRTHDAYS
DAME ESTHER RANTZEN Broadcaster and campaigner, 80
Dan Brown, novelist, 56; Bobby Gillespie, Scottish musician, 58; Kris Kristofferson, US actor, singer and songwriter, 84; Cyndi Lauper, singer, 67; Alan Osmond, singer, 71; Jimmy Sandison, Scottish former footballer, 55; Prunella Scales CBE, British actress, 88; Jimmy Somerville, Glasgow-born singer, 59; Alastair Stewart OBE, newscaster, 68; Meryl Streep, US actress, 71; Todd Rundgren, US musician, 72
ANNIVERSARIES
1887 Erich Maria Remarque, German novelist (All Quiet on the Western Front); 1906 Billy Wilder, film director; 1909 Joe Loss, dance band leader; 1910 Lord Hunt, soldier, author, leader of the successful British Everest expedition 1952-53; 1910 Sir Peter Pears, tenor; 1910 Anne Ziegler, singer.
1956 Walter de la Mare, poet; 1969 Judy Garland (Frances Gumm), singer and film actress; 1987 Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz), US actor and dancer; 1998 Benny Green, musician, writer and broadcaster; 1998 Maureen O’sullivan, US film actress; 2009 Steve Race OBE, musician, composer and broadcaster; 2019 Judith Krantz, author.