1888 – The first English Football League matches were played.

1914 – World War I: Private Thomas Highgate became the first British soldier of the war to be executed for desertion. He was undefended and called no witnesses in his defence, as all his comrades had been shot and killed. Highgate claimed that he was a ‘straggler’ trying to find his way back to re-join his regiment after having been separated from his comrades. His execution was almost as hasty as his trial, as senior officers insisted that he be executed ‘At once, as publicly as possible’. Posthumous pardons for over 300 such soldiers were announced in August 2006, including Highgate.

1921 – Sir Harry Secombe, entertainer and singer was born. On the same day in 1925, Peter Sellers, English actor and comedian was born.

1944 – The first German V2 flying bombs fell on Britain, exploding at Chiswick in London, killing 3 people.

1960 – Publishers Penguin Books were charged with public obscenity for publishing D.H. Lawrence’s controversial book – ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’.

1966 – Queen Elizabeth II officially opened The Severn Bridge linking south Wales with south west England.

1968 – British tennis player Virginia Wade beat American Billie Jean King to win the US Open.

1981 – Comedy series ‘Only Fools and Horses’ starring David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst, debuts on British television. Sixty-four episodes of Only Fools and Horses, all written by John Sullivan, were broadcast on BBC1 from 8 September 1981 until 25 December 2003.

1990 – York City’s David Longhurst dies while playing at Bootham Crescent against Lincoln City in a Fourth Division fixture. The 25-year-old collapses shortly before half-time and is pronounced dead on arrival at the local hospital.

1994 – The last US, British and French troops leave West Berlin.

2000 – Protests about high fuel costs that had been crippling France the previous week reached Britain, with actions across the country.

2007 – Portuguese police named both parents of missing schoolgirl Madeleine McCann (who disappeared on 3rd May) as formal suspects. Gerry McCann was officially given “arguido” status as was his wife Kate after they had been questioned separately for more than 24 hours.

2009 – Singer Peter Andre divorces glamour model Katie Price due to her unreasonable behaviour.

2015 – Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest serving monarch on British history. On the same day, Wayne Rooney becomes England’s record goalscorer with a penalty against Switzerland in a 2-0 Euro qualifier victory at Wembley Stadium.