1555: Bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burnt at the stake for heresy.

1793: Marie Antoinette, Queen of France as wife of Louis XVI, was convicted of treason and guillotined in Paris.

1846: An anaesthetic was successfully used for the first time at the Massachusetts General Hospital where dentist William Morton used diethyl ether before removing a tumour from a man's jaw.

1847: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was published under the pseudonym, Currer Bell.

1854: Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin.

1881: The Sunday People was published for the first time, as The People.

1902: The first detention centre for young offenders was opened at the village of Borstal, Kent.

1946: The Nuremberg executions began. They included von Ribbentrop, Rosenberg and Streicher.

1958: Blue Peter started on BBC TV. The presenters were Leila Williams and Christopher Trace.

1964: Harold Wilson became Prime Minister of a Labour Government which won a General Election with a majority of four.

On this day last year: Transport Secretary Stephen Byers's special adviser Jo Moore apologised the "huge offence" caused by her sending an e-mail to colleagues in which she suggested September 11 was a good day to "bury bad news".

1111

BIRTHDAYS: Max Bygraves, singer/comedian, 80; Angela Lansbury, actress, 77; Gunter Grass, writer, 75; Peter Bowles, actor, 66; Terry Griffiths, former snooker player, 55; Tim Robbins, actor, 44; Gary Kemp, actor/rock musician (Spandau Ballet), 43; Flea, rock bassist (Red Hot Chili Peppers), 40; Davina McCall, TV presenter, 35; Greg Lawrence, actor, 33; David Unsworth, footballer, 29.