1770: Scottish explorer James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile.

1840: Impressionist painter Claude Monet was born in Paris.

1896: The speed limit for horseless carriages was raised from 4mph (2mph in towns) to 14mph. It was marked by the first London to Brighton car run, which became a regular and official event from 1927.

1922: The British Broadcasting Company began daily transmissions. At 6pm the news was read by Arthur Burrows, once at normal speed and once at slow speed.

1932: Book tokens went on sale in Britain for the first time.

1938: Jews were expelled from colleges in Germany.

1940: Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by enemy bombing. More than 1,000 civilians died in the raid.

1941: The aircraft carrier Ark Royal sank near Gibraltar after being hit by an enemy torpedo.

1952: Britain's first hit parade was published in the New Musical Express. Al Martino's Here In My Heart was the first No 1.

1963: A volcanic eruption under the sea off Iceland created the new island of Surtsey.

On this day last year: A third person died in a house fire as firefighters continued their 48-hour strike. Armed forces personnel providing emergency cover were hampered by a rush of hoax calls as the strike began.