1939 – The game of darts was banned in public houses in Glasgow because it was ‘too dangerous’.

1951 – The Stone of Scone, (the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned) was found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey in Angus. It had been stolen from Westminster Abbey 107 days earlier by Scottish nationalists who wanted it returned to Scotland. In 1996, in a symbolic response to growing dissatisfaction among Scots, the Conservative Government decided that the Stone should be kept in Edinburgh Castle when not in use at coronations.

1952 – Queen Elizabeth II announced that her children and descendents would bear the surname of Windsor.

1957 – Britain agreed to Singapore self rule, to come into effect in 1958.

1959 – Billy Wright, former England football captain became the first player in the world to play for his country in a hundred matches when England beat Scotland 1-0.

1961 – The trial began, in Israel, of Adolf Eichmann, accused of helping Hitler in his plan to exterminate the Jews. He faced 15 charges, including crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and war crimes.

1973 – The British Government introduced a tar content table to be printed on cigarette packets.

1981 – The arrest of a black man led to hundreds of youths rampaging through the streets of Brixton in south London. Over a 100 vehicles were burned and almost 150 buildings were damaged. Reports suggested that up to 5,000 people were involved.

1983 – The film Gandhi, directed by Sir Richard Attenborough, won eight Oscars, the most any British film has ever won. In October 2004 a four feet high bust of Gandhi was erected in the city of Hull, donated by Hull’s Indian community. The chair of the ceremony, pointed out that no other city in the world had, within half-a-mile, the statues of Wilberforce, Mandela and Gandhi who devoted their lives to fight against slavery, racism and colonialism.

1987 – The London Agreement was secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan. The agreement outlined the framework for an international peace conference hosted by the United Nations, and whose purpose was ‘the peaceful solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.’

2001 – The death of Harry Secombe, Welsh actor, singer and comedian. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show (1951–60).