1582: William Shakespeare, aged 18, married Anne Hathaway.

1701: Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer who created the centigrade temperature scale, was born in Upsala.

1914: The first two trained policewomen to be granted official status in Britain, Miss Mary Allen and Miss E F Harburn, reported for duty at Grantham.

1919: A massive meteor landed in Lake Michigan.

1942: As German troops arrived in Toulon, the French fleet was scuttled in the harbour to prevent the warships falling into enemy hands.

1944: Between 3,500 and 4,000 tons of high explosives went off in a cavern beneath Staffordshire, killing 68 people and wiping out an entire farm.

1963: The Buchanan Committee warned of future chaos as traffic in cities multiplied.

1967: President de Gaulle vetoed Britain's entry into the Common Market.

1975: Ross McWhirter was shot dead by Irish gunmen at his home in London. With his twin brother, Norris, he edited The Guinness Book Of Records.

1990: John Major, pictured, became Prime Minister at 47, the youngest PM this century.

On this day last year: The economic impact of the terrorist attacks on the United States continued to hit British industry today with almost 2,000 jobs being cut.

BIRTHDAYS: Alan Simpson, scriptwriter, 73; Rodney Bewes, actor, 64; Verity Lambert, film and TV producer, 67; John Alderton, actor, 62; Randy Brecker, jazz trumpeter, 57; Charlie Burchill, rock guitarist (Simple Minds), 43; Robin Givens, actress, 38.