ON THIS DAY
1274:
Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland who defeated the English at Bannockburn, was born at Turnberry, Ayrshire.
William of Orange defeated the deposed Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.
Shakespearean censor Thomas Bowdler was born. Though he loved the Bard’s works, he considered some to be vulgar and “unfit to be read by a gentleman in the company of ladies”. His solution was to cut lumps wholesale - and from this came the verb “to bowdlerise”.
Explorer Captain James Cook set sail from Plymouth on his third voyage of discovery, in search of a passage around the the northern coast of America from the Pacific side.
George Gershwin, American composer, whose work included Rhapsody In Blue and Porgy And Bess, died aged 38 of a brain tumour.
Puppets Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby Loo first appeared on BBC Television. The episodes were repeated for more than 25 years.
China’s great Terracotta
1690: 1754: 1776: 1937: 1950: 1975:
Army was uncovered near the ancient capital of Xian. More than 6,000 life-sized warriors were made around 206BC to guard the tomb of the first emperor.
America’s Skylab I returned to Earth after 34,981 orbits in six years.
1979: 1989:
Theatre lights weredimmed in London and around Britain as a mark of respect to Lord Olivier, who died in his sleep, aged 82.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR:
Flashman, the archetypal bully from the novel Tom Brown’s Schooldays, is alive and well in the age of Facebook and Twitter, a study found.
BIRTHDAYS:
Giorgio Armani, fashion designer, 84; John Kettley, TV weatherman, 66; Leon Spinks, former boxer, 65; Richie Sambora, rock guitarist (Bon Jovi), 59; Suzanne Vega, singer, 59; Craig Charles, comedian/actor, 54; Tony Cottee, former footballer, 53; Lil Kim, Rapper and pop star, 44.