1920 – Sir William Robertson, who enlisted in 1877, became a field marshal in the British Army, the first man to rise to this rank from private.

1927 – Sir Henry Segrave beat Malcolm Campbell’s land speed record in his ‘Mystery’ car (a 1,000 hp Sunbeam with a World War I aircraft engine) on the Daytona Beach, clocking 203.79 mph. He became the first driver to exceed 200 mph.

1940 – The Bank of England introduced thin metal strips into banknotes as an anti-forgery device.

1942 – World War II and the bombing of Lübeck. It was the first major success for the RAF Bomber Command against Germany and a German city.

1943 – John Major, former British Prime Minister, was born.

1967 – The Torrey Canyon oil tanker ‘refused’ to sink, despite more than a day of heavy bombing. Tens of thousands of tons of oil formed a slick 35 miles long and up to 20 miles wide around the area.

1981: The first London Marathon is won by American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen, who cross the finish line hand in hand after two hours, 11 minutes and 48 seconds.

1988 – Lloyd Honeyghan became the first British boxer to regain a world title since Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis, 71 years previously. Honeyghan knocked out Jorgé Vaca of Mexico in the third round at the Wembley Arena, London.~

1998 – Europe’s longest bridge officially opened in Lisbon, Portugal. The Vasco da Gama Bridge is an impressive 7.6 miles (12.3 km) long! Construction began in February 1995; the bridge was opened to traffic on 29 March 1998, just in time for Expo 98, the World’s Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.

1999 – The case of James Hanratty was sent back to the Court of Appeal, 37 years after he was hanged for murder. New DNA evidence emerged and a police inquiry highlighted flaws in the original investigation.

2004 – The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants.

2014 – Same sex weddings in England and Wales became legal, several months earlier than had been planned.

2015 – A memorial to the murdered soldier Lee Rigby was opened at Middleton Memorial Gardens in Greater Manchester. The 25 year old fusilier was killed outside Woolwich Barracks in London on 22nd May 2013 by Islamist extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

2017 – George Michael’s funeral took place, three months after his sudden death at the age of 53. On the same day, Theresa May sends a letter to the EU invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally triggering Brexit.

2019 – Billie Eilish released her first-ever album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” At the 2020 Grammy Awards, it won Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Its best-selling single, “Bad Guy,” won Record of the Year and Song of the Year.