1984 - A massive fire, caused by a lightning strike, devastated large parts of York Minster causing an estimated £1m damage. Despite the best efforts of the firefighters, who worked tirelessly to save the cathedral, the fire raged for several hours and caused extensive damage to the building.

1996 - A patent was filed by two British scientists to use genetically engineered mosquitoes to immunize their victims against malaria by transferring a protein in their saliva.

2013 - Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title and ended Britain’s 77 year wait for a men’s champion with a victory over world number one Novak Djokovic. The Scot won 6-4, 7-5 and 6-4.

1988 - An explosion aboard the North Sea oil rig Piper Alpha, off the coast of Aberdeen, resulted in the loss of 167 lives. It is the world’s deadliest ever oil rig accident.

2012 - The Shard, Europe’s tallest building to date and ‘a gleaming feat of glass and gravity-defying engineering’, was officially unveiled in London.

1990 - Paul Gascoigne collected a booking against West Germany, which would have ruled him out of the FIFA World Cup final if England got there. This resulted in the famous on pitch crying scenes.

1954 - The end of food rationing in Britain – almost 9 years after the end of World War II. Smithfield Meat Market in London opened at midnight instead of 6am to cope with the demand for beef.

1987 - Moors murderer Ian Brady offered to assist police searches of Saddleworth Moor for the first time since his conviction.

1916 - The Battle of Somme began. The British Empire and France went to war against the German Empire during World War I. The battle lasted until November 18, 1916 and up to 1.3 million people died.