1554: Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for nine days, was executed on Tower Green by her cousin and rival claimant to the throne, Mary.

1688: The Glorious Revolution ended. James II fled to France and Prince William of Orange and Princess Mary were declared King and Queen of England.

1809: Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, was born in Kentucky. His Gettysburg Address declared that "all men are created equal.

1809: Charles Darwin, naturalist and author, was born in Shrewsbury. His work The Origin Of Species (1859) formulated his theory of evolution and natural selection.

1870: Marie Lloyd (Matilda Alice Victoria Wood), Cockney music hall star who sang risque songs and had a scandalous private life, was born in London.

1898: Henry Lindfield of Brighton became the first British motorist to be killed in a car crash - a result of a steering failure. He died of shock after a leg amputation.

1818: Chile proclaimed independence.

1924: Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin was first performed in New York.

1929: Actress Lillie Langtry, an intimate friend of Edward VII, died.

1986: The Channel Tunnel agreement was signed at Canterbury.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Algerian pilot Lotfi Raissi, who had been accused of training the suicide hijackers who crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, walked free after being granted bail at an extradition hearing.

BIRTHDAYS:

FRANCO Zeffirelli, film producer, 80; Annette Crosbie, actress, 69; Ray Manzarek, keyboard player (The Doors), 64; Nicholas Soames, politician, 55; Michael Ironside, actor, 53; Simon MacCorkindale, actor, 51; Arsenio Hall, talk show host, 48; Christina Ricci, actress, 23.