1452: Richard III, the last Plantaganet king, was born at Fotheringay, Northants.

1608: The first telescope was demonstrated by Dutch lens-maker Hans Lippershey.

1870: Rome was declared the capital of Italy.

1909: The first rugby match at Twickenham was played - Harlequins versus Richmond.

1925: London's first red buses with roofed-in upper decks went into service. Police restrictions had previously prevented them being used in the capital, although they had been in operation in Widnes since 1909.

1935: Italian forces invaded Abyssinia after Mussolini's bombers pounded border towns.

1940: The Empress of Britain, en route to Canada with child evacuees, was sunk by a German submarine. British warships rescued most of the 634 crew and passengers.

1950: Legal aid became available in Britain.

1953: The photograph of William Pettit, wanted for murder, was shown on BBC TV by request from the police, the first time television was used in Britain to help find a wanted man.

1985: Hollywood heart-throb Rock Hudson died of Aids, aged 59.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The Iraq Survey Group's report said that no weapons of mass destruction had been found but that there was extensive evidence of Saddam Hussein's weapons programmes.