1645The birth of William Kidd (later known as Captain Kidd). He was tried and executed for piracy in 1701 after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Despite the legends and fiction surrounding Captain Kidd, his actual career was punctuated by only a handful of skirmishes followed by a desperate quest to clear his name.

1848The ship John Wickliffe arrived at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, carrying the first Scottish settlers from Greenock on the Firth of Clyde.

1860The birth of Horatio William Bottomley, English journalist and financier who wanted a life of luxury but whose grandiose business schemes kept leading to bankruptcy. When found guilty of fraud for a third time, he was sentenced to seven years in jail. He founded the patriotic journal John Bull, had been a Member of Parliament, and had gone through millions of pounds when he died in poverty in 1933.

1861London's first tramcars began operating, along the Bayswater Road, from Notting Hill to Marble Arch. They had been designed by a Mr. Train who was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1921The birth of Donald Malcolm Campbell, son of the former world land and water speed holder, Sir Malcolm. He was in awe of his father and was determined to carve his own name as a world speed record-breaker which he did, on numerous occasions. Donald Campbell is buried in the new parish churchyard at Coniston. See picture.

1929Dr. Roger Bannister, the first person in the world to run a mile in under four minutes was born. His world beating record time was 3 min 59.4 sec

1956Queen Elizabeth II laid the foundation stone of the new Coventry cathedral. The new building was built next to the remains of the 14th-century cathedral that had been destroyed in the 2nd World War. See picture.

1966The first official meeting between the Catholic and Anglican churches for 400 years took place when Pope Paul VI and Dr. Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury met in Rome.

1981Mike Hailwood, 9 times World Champion motor cyclist died (aged 40), along with his 9 year old daughter Michelle, following a motoring accident in Warwickshire.

1984Sarah Tisdall, the young British civil servant who tipped off the Guardian newspaper that Cruise missiles were on their way to Britain, was sent to jail for six months.

1985Ben Hardwick, Britain’s youngest liver transplant patient at just three years old, died in hospital. He inspired a national fund raising campaign.

1987More than 30 people were injured when a car bomb exploded at the UK Army headquarters in Rheindahlen, West Germany.

1991Prime Minister John Major issued his Citizens' Charter. Failing public service providers would be forced to offer customers cash refunds or face government budget cuts.

2011Dame Elizabeth Taylor, one of the 20th century's biggest film stars, died in Los Angeles at the age of 79.

2015 89 year old British D-Day landings veteran Ted Turner was presented with the Legion d'Honneur (France's highest honour) at a ceremony at the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea,f or his role in the Normandy invasion in the Second World War.

2016 Ferrybridge C coal fired power station (see picture) near Knottingley produced its last electricitiy after 50 years in service. SSE said that a projected loss of £100m over the following five years made it no longer economical.

2020 The prime minister, Boris Johnson, addressed the nation and told the public that they were only permitted to leave their homes for essential needs, in an attempt to reduce the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

2021 A minute's silence, held at midday, was part of a day of reflection to mark one year since the first coronavirus lockdown. One year on, the UK's official death toll had risen from 364 to 126,172.

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