Anniversaries

Births: Edward, the Black Prince, 1330; George Heriot, jeweller and goldsmith, 1563; Nicolas Poussin, painter, 1594; Thomas Randolph, poet and playwright, 1605; Charles de Lafosse, historical painter, 1636; Cesare Bonesana, Marchese di Beccaria, jurist and economist, 1738; Georg Joseph Vogler, composer, 1749; Edvard Grieg, composer, 1843; Paul Gilson, composer, 1865; Charles Wood, musician and scholar, 1866; Harry Langdon, silent film comedian, 1884; James Norval Harald Robertson-Justice, actor, 1905.

Deaths: Robert I, King of the Franks, killed in battle 923; Wat Tyler, rebel, beheaded at Smithfield, 1381; Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, 1467; James Knox Polk, 11th US President, 1849; Ary Scheffer, painter, 1858; Frederick III, Emperor of Germany, 1888; Mihail Eminescu, poet, 1889; William Le Baron Jenney, architect, 1907; Maurice Henry Hewlett, novelist and poet, 1923; Charles Francis Bush, inventor of the arc lamp, 1929; Evelyn Underhill, poet and writer, 1941; Wendell Meredith Stanley, biochemist, 1971.

On this day: the Magna Carta was sealed by King John at Runnymede, near Windsor, 1215; the Turks were victorious over the Serbs at Kossovo, Serbia, 1389; During the rebellion against Mary of Scotland, her forces were defeated at the Battle of Carberry Hill, 1567; Harrow School was founded, 1571; Commodore Anson arrived at Spithead in his ship Centurion after circumnavigating the world, 1744; using a kite during a thunderstorm, Benjamin Franklin experimented with electricity, 1752; the first stone of the new London Bridge was laid by the Duke of York, 1825; in the US, Charles Goodyear patented a vulcanised rubber process, 1844; the boundary between the State of Oregon and Canada was declared to be the 49th Parallel, 1846; the Stamp Duty on newspapers in Britain was abolished, 1855; a massacre of Christians took place at Jedda, 1858; the Englishman Carlisle D. Graham went over Niagara Falls (for the second time) in a seven-foot barrel, and survived, 1887; Prince Peter Karageorgevich was elected king by the Serbian Assembly, 1903; the steamer General Slocum caught fire in the East River of New York City resulting in over 1,000 dead, 1904; the first non-stop transatlantic flight was completed by Alcock and Brown, 1919; Dame Nellie Melba made a public broadcast from the Marconi works at Chelmsford, Essex, 1920; the French submarine Phenix sank off Indochina with the loss of 63 lives, 1939; the British army launched Operation Battleaxe offensive in the Western Desert, but was repulsed by Rommel, 1941; the Lake District, England was made into a National Park, 1951; the first London performance of the musical show Bye Bye Birdie was staged, 1961; Georges Pompidou became President of France, 1969; the first general election in Spain for more than 40 years resulted in a victory for the Democratic Centre party, 1977; Maj-Gen Jeremy Moore accepted the surrender of all Argentine forces on East and West Falkland, 1982.

Today is the Feast Day of St Adelaide or Aleydis, St Dulas, St Edburga of Winchester, St Germana Cousin, St Hesychius of Durostorum, St Landelinus, St Orsisius and St Vitus.