1556: An earthquake in Shensi Province, China, killed 830,000 people.

1806: William Pitt the Younger, twice British Prime Minister, died aged 47.

1900: The Battle of Spion Kop was fought during the Boer War.

1931: Anna Pavlova, Russian prima ballerina, famous as the Dying Swan, died aged 49 at her home in Hampstead Heath.

1943: The British captured Tripoli from the Germans.

1956: Sir Alexander Korda, Hungarian-born British film producer and director, died.

1963: Kim Philby, double agent, defected to Russia.

1976: Paul Robeson, US actor/singer, died, neglected and alone in Harlem, aged 77.

1985: A House of Lords debate was televised live for the first time.

1990: Gales of up to 115mph caused great damage and at least four deaths in Britain.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Downing Street went to extraordinary lengths to rebut stories of three patients whose relatives complained about their NHS treatment - giving intimate details of their medical history. It followed fierce exchanges between Tony Blair (pictured) and Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith at Prime Minister's Questions.

BIRTHDAYS: Jeanne Moreau, actress, 75; Rutger Hauer, actor, 59; Princess Caroline of Monaco, 46; Paula Hamilton, model, 42; Andrei Kanchelskis, footballer, 34; Scott Gibbs, rugby league player, 32; Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, actress, 29.