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.