1653: Oliver Cromwell made himself Lord Protector, becoming an uncrowned king for the next four years.

1773: The Boston Tea Party, in which Samuel Adams and 150 ‘Sons of Liberty’ protested against British taxes on tea and other goods, took place.

1775: Novelist Jane Austen, whose works include Emma and Pride And Prejudice, was born in Steventon, Hampshire.

1850: The first immigrant ship, the Charlotte Jane, arrived at Lyttelton, New Zealand.

1899: Noel Coward, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, producer and director, was born in Teddington, Middlesex.

1929: The first all-talking feature film was made in Britain. Called The Clue Of The New Pin, it featured a young actor, John Gielgud, as the villain.