1301: The first Prince of Wales was created. Edward of Caernarvon later became Edward II.

1812: Charles Dickens (pictured) was born at Landport, Portsmouth.

1845: The Portland Vase, a 10-inch Roman glass vessel, was smashed by a hooligan while on loan to the British Museum. It was successfully restored.

1894: Death of Adolphe Sax, Belgian musical instrument maker who invented the saxophone.

1905: The world's laziest man died in Bristol, aged 82. Tom Oaksby never worked, never walked further than the nearest pub and spent 47 years in bed.

1928: An amended version of the Book of Common Prayer was approved by the Church of England.

1940: Walt Disney's Pinocchio had its world premiere.

1976: Two ladies made sporting history: Joan Bazely became the first woman referee of an all-male football match at Croydon, and Diana Thorne became the first woman jockey to win under National Hunt Rules.

1990: In the USSR, the Central Committee agreed to end communist monopoly on power, paving the way for a multi-party democracy.

1991: The IRA launched a mortar bomb attack on 10 Downing Street from a van in Whitehall. No-one was hurt.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Home Secretary David Blunkett was criticised for saying Asians should make arranged marriages within the UK rather than jetting in candidates from the Indian sub-continent.

BIRTHDAYS: Peter Jay, writer and broadcaster, 66; Gareth Hunt, actor 60; Pete Postlethwaite, actor, 58; Mick McCarthy, Republic of Ireland football manager, 44; James Spader, actor, 43; Garth Brooks, country singer, 41; Eddie Izzard, comedian, 41; Chris Rock, actor, 37; Brian Deane, footballer, 35.