NATIONAL DAY OF JORDAN

1768 Captain Cook set off on his first voyage, to explore the Antipodes.

1787 The Philadelphia Convention, headed by George Washington, began drawing up the USA constitution.

1840 The first drama school in Britain opened. Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School in Dean Street, London, later became a theatre.

1871 The House of Commons passed the Bank Holiday Act, creating public holidays on Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Christmas Day.

1926 Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis was born in Alton, Illinois.

1935 American athlete Jesse Owens set six world records within 45 minutes at Ann Arbor in Michigan.

1951 British diplomats Burgess and Maclean were first reported missing - they had defected to Moscow.

1962 Coventry's new cathedral, designed by Sir Basil Spence, was consecrated.

1967 Glasgow Celtic became the first British football club to win the European Cup when they beat Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon.

1986 Bob Geldof's Race Against Time had 30 million people worldwide running for Sport Aid to raise money for the starving in Africa.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Railtrack and its maintenance sub-contractors insisted passenger safety had not been compromised after damaged railway sleepers were found near the scene of the Potters Bar train crash.

BIRTHDAYS: Sir Ian McKellen, actor, 64; Dave Lee Travis, disc jockey, 58; Alastair Campbell, Director of Communications for the Labour Party, 45; Paul Weller, rock musician, 45; Julian Clary, comedian, 44; Anthea Turner, TV presenter, 43; Mike Myers, actor, 40; Anne Heche, actress, 34; Robert Croft, cricketer, 33; Jamie Kennedy, actor, 33; Lauryn Hill, singer, 28; Johnny Wilkinson, rugby player, 24.