1924 – The birth of Leslie Phillips, CBE and English actor with a highly recognisable ‘upper class accent’. Originally known for his work as a comedy actor playing English stereotypes in the Carry On films and the Doctor series, Phillips subsequently made the transition to character roles.

1949 – The Badminton Horse Trials were held for the first time, at Badminton, Gloucestershire.

1961 – The birth of actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane’s series Butterflies.

1964 – BBC Two launched, with a power cut because of a fire at Battersea Power Station.

1968 – The Conservative right-winger, Enoch Powell, made a hard-hitting speech attacking the government’s immigration policy. Mr Powell said Britain had to be mad to allow in 50,000 dependents of immigrants each year. He compared it to watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre. “Like the Roman, I seem to see the river Tiber foaming with much blood.”

1969 – British troops guarded public utilities in N. Ireland after post offices were bombed.

1974 – The conflict in Northern Ireland claimed its 1,000th victim, a petrol station owner from County Fermanagh.

1981 – Steve Davis became the world snooker champion at 23 years of age, beating Doug Mountjoy at Sheffield. On 17th April 2016 he announced his retirement, aged 58. Davis won six world titles and 28 ranking titles, putting him joint second on the all-time list with Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins.

1989 – Scientists said that the Earth had narrowly missed being struck by a passing asteroid weighing 400 million tons.

1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian died. Between the end of World War II and the dawn of television he worked as a radio performer. His film credits included parts in nine films such as Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Italian Job. His world famous Benny Hill Show Hill ran for nearly four decades and remained a cult series in much of the world long after Hill’s death.

2016 – The Queen visited the Royal Mail Windsor delivery office to mark the 500th anniversary of the postal service. (Additional note – In 1516, Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts, in an act that was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail).