1066: The Battle of Hastings was fought at Senlac Hill, in Sussex, at which William of Normandy defeated Harold of England to claim the English throne.
1644: Quaker leader William Penn - founder of the state of Pennsylvania - was born in London.
1890: Dwight D Eisenhower - "Ike" - Second World War military leader and 34th US President, was born in Dension, Texas.
1893: The first performance of The Gaiety Girl, considered the first musical comedy, took place in London.
1913: Britain's worst pit disaster took place at Senghenydd, Glamorgan - 439 died after an explosion.
1939: The Royal Navy battleship Royal Oak was torpedoed and sunk in Scapa Flow with the loss of 810 lives.
1944: Rommel the "Desert Fox" took cyanide tablets and died within minutes - before he could be arrested for his part in the plot to kill Hitler.
1947: Chuck Yeagar in his Bell XI rocket plane became the first man to break the sound barrier.
1969: The 50p decimal coin was first issued in Britain, replacing the 10 shilling note.
1990: Five days after announcing his retirement through ill health, conductor Leonard Bernstein died.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: An HIV carrier was promised a long jail sentence following a landmark conviction for "coldly and callously" infecting two lovers with the "death sentence" virus.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article