1702: Queen Anne acceded to the throne on the death of William III in a riding accident at Hampton Court.
1787: Karl von Grafe, pioneer of plastic surgery, was born in Warsaw.
1790: The French Assembly voted to continue slavery in their colonies.
1859: Kenneth Grahame, author of children's books, notably The Wind In The Willows, was born in Edinburgh.
1879: Otto Hahn, German physicist and chemist, was born. He discovered nuclear fission, which made the atomic bomb possible.
1910: The first pilot's licences were granted. The Royal Aero Club granted licence number one to JTC Moore Brabazon (later Lord Brabazon of Tara).
1952: An artificial heart was used for the first time on a 41-year-old man, which kept him alive for 80 minutes.
1961: Sir Thomas Beecham, English conductor and founder of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, died aged 81.
1966: An IRA bomb destroyed the Nelson Column in Dublin.
1971: Boxer Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali, on points to become World Heavyweight Champion.
1980: President Jimmy Carter refused to apologise for past US actions in Iran in return for the release of 53 diplomatic hostages.
1990: More than 3,000 Britons had fully developed Aids, figures showed.
LAST YEAR: A probe was ordered after ministers confirmed some key checks on immigrants from eastern Europe had been waived.
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