1531: An estimated 20,000 people died in an earthquake in Lisbon.

1797: £1 notes were first issued by the Bank of England.

1815: Napoleon escaped from exile on the island of Elba and returned to France.

1839: The Grand National was first run at Aintree

1846: William Frederick Cody -- Buffalo Billl -- American army scout and showman, was born in Scott County, Iowa.

1935: Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) was first demonstrated in Daventry by Robert Watson-Watt.

1936: The Volkswagen car factory was opened in Saxony by Adolf Hitler.

1950: Scottish music hall singer and comedian Sir Harry Lauder died, aged 79.

1983: Irishman Pat Jennings became the first footballer to play in 1,000 Football League matches.

1989: Burke's Peerage reported that King Arthur's Round Table had been found near Stirling, Scotland, on the banks of the Carron River.

On this day last year: Motorists would to be charged £5 a day to drive into central London on weekdays, London Mayor Ken Livingstone confirmed.