ON THIS DAY
1879: Conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was born in St Helens. 1895: Conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent was born in Ashford, Kent. 1899: Duke Ellington, jazz composer, bandleader and pianist, was born in Washington, DC. 1909: In a revolutionary Budget, Chancellor David Lloyd George introduced a “supertax” of sixpence in the pound for anyone earning more than £5,000 a year, to pay for pensions and re-armament. 1930: The Academy Award-winning war classic All Quiet On The Western Front opened in America. Twelve years later, its star Lew Ayres refused to fight in World War II, declaring himself a conscientious objector. 1933: Footballers’ shirts were first numbered – from 1 to 22 – in the English FA Cup final at Wembley. 1980: Film director Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, died aged 80. 1990: Stephen Hendry, at 21, became the youngest world snooker champion by beating Jimmy White 18-12 in the final at Sheffield. 1991: A 145mph cyclone devastated the port of Chittagong in Bangladesh, killing more than 100,000 people and making millions homeless. 2011: Prince William and Kate Middleton began their life together as a married couple after a glittering wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey. They sealed their love with not one but two kisses on Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The makers of Channel 4’s controversial show Benefits Street defended scenes in the new series which openly showed drug dealing and drug use. BIRTHDAYS: Anita Dobson, actress, 67; Jerry Seinfeld, comedian, 61; Daniel Day-Lewis, actor, 58; Michelle Pfeiffer, actress, 57; Phil Tufnell, former cricketer, 49; Andre Agassi, former tennis player, 45; Uma Thurman, actress, 45.