1504: Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born. He had an extremely long nose and was extremely inquisitive, hence the expression "Nosey Parker.

1637: The first Poet Laureate, Ben Jonson, died in poverty.

1844: The first press telegram in Britain was sent to The Times, announcing the birth of Prince Alfred to Queen Victoria.

1859: "Worth a guinea a box" appeared on Beecham's Powders packets - the first known advertising slogan.

1881: Alexander Fleming, Scottish bacteriologist who discovered penicillin, was born.

1889: The Savoy Hotel in London was opened.

1890: Murderer Walter Kemmler was the first man to die in the electric chair, at Auburn Prison, New York.

1932: The first film festival was held in the Hotel Excelsior, Venice.

1945: The first atomic bomb was dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan, from a B29 bomber Enola Gay.

1962: Jamaica gained independence after being a British colony for more than 300 years.

On this day last year: Friends Of The Earth offered to pay for Environment Minister Michael Meacher to attend the Earth Summit in South Africa following reports that he had been dropped from the official Government delegation.

BIRTHDAYS: Sir Freddie Laker, entrepreneur, 81; Frank Finlay, actor, 77; Sir Chris Bonington, mountaineer, 69; Barbara Windsor, actress, 66; Ron Davies, former Welsh Secretary, 57; Oliver Tobias, actor, 56; David O'Brien, racehorse trainer, 47; Reece Dinsdale, actor, 44; Michelle Yeoh, actress, 41; Geri Halliwell, ex-Spice Girl, 31.