ON THIS DAY
NATIONAL DAY OF TOGO 1296: The English beat the Scots at the battle of Dunbar. 1521: Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines at the Battle of Mactan. 1737: Edward Gibbon, English historian who wrote The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, was born in London. 1791: Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code, was born in Massachusetts. He made his living as a portrait painter. 1810: Beethoven’s piano piece Fur Elise was published. 1828: The London Zoological Gardens in Regent’s Park were opened. 1937: Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was completed. At 4,200ft long, it was the longest in the world at the time. 1939: In Britain, conscription was introduced for the first time since the First World War. 1950: Apartheid in South Africa (the Group Areas Act), was passed, formally segregating races. 1968: Abortion was legalised in Britain. 1992: Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history. 1994: The first democratic general election was held in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A British teenager who survived earthquaketriggered avalanches on Mount Everest said he was “emotionally trashed” after being rescued. BIRTHDAYS: Anouk Aimee, actress, 84; Michael Fish, former TV weatherman, 72; Ann Peebles, singer, 69; Sheena Easton, singer, 57; Darcey Bussell, ballet dancer, 47; Mica Paris, singer/TV presenter, 47; Jenna-Louise Coleman, actress, 30.