100 BC: Roman emperor Julius Caesar was born - not by Caesarian section as is often claimed, though his name does come from the Latin "to cut".

1543: Henry VIII married Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife. She outlived him and married again after his death.

1730: Josiah Wedgwood, English pottery designer and manufacturer, was born in Burslem, Staffordshire.

1854: George Eastman, US photographic pioneer who founded Kodak, was born in New York State. He chose the name Kodak because it was easy to remember.

1870: London's Victoria Embankment, built by Sir JW Bazalgette, was opened by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

1895: Oscar Hammerstein, lyricist who with Richard Rodgers wrote Oklahoma, South Pacific, The Sound Of Music and The King And I, was born.

1910: Charles Rolls, pioneering pilot and co-founder of Rolls-Royce, was killed when he crashed his biplane in a flying competition - the first British aviation victim.

1920: US President Woodrow Wilson officially opened the Panama Canal.

1930: Australia's Don Bradman set a new Test record with an innings of 334 against England at Leeds.

1969: Tony Jacklin became the first British golfer since 1951 to win the British Open.

LAST YEAR: Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell interrupted the general assembly of the Church of England in York with a protest.