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 – Footballer Paul Gascoigne’s booking, (that would have excluded him from the World Cup Final, had England got there), resulted in the famous on pitch crying scenes from Gascoigne.

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.