1826: John Wisden, original compiler of Wisden's Cricketers' Almanac, price one shilling (5p), was born in Brighton. He had a sports goods shop in Leicester Square, London, and in 1850 added to cricket records by taking all 10 wickets in a match at Lord's.

1847: Jesse James, American outlaw, was born near Kansas City. With his elder brother, Frank, he led the first gang to carry out train robberies.

1920: Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, one of the world's favourite silent comedians, was alleged to have sexually assaulted Virginia Rappe at a party, and she died a few days later of a ruptured bladder. Arbuckle was accused of manslaughter and, although acquitted after a third retrial, his career was ruined.

1963: Christine Keeler, one of the girls at the centre of the Profumo scandal, was arrested and charged with perjury.

1969: ITV began broadcasting in colour.

1972: Arab terrorists, members of the Black September Group, killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games.

1980: The 10-mile St Gotthard road tunnel in Switzerland, the longest in the world, was opened.

1982: Douglas Bader, famed pilot with false legs and leader of "the few" in the Battle of Britain, died.

1987: 'No Sex Please - We're British' closed after 6,671 performances over 16 years, the longest running comedy in the world.

On this day last year: Councils could be forced to work with private companies in turning round failing schools, the Government said, as it launched its long-awaited White Paper on reforming secondary schools.

Birthdays: Malcolm Allison, football manager, 75; Johnny Briggs, actor, pictured, 67; Dick Clement, scriptwriter, 65; George Lazenby, actor, 63; Raquel Welch, actress, 62; Werner Herzog, film director, 60; Al Stewart, singer and songwriter, 57.

; Tracy Edwards, round-the-world yachtswoman, 40; Jane Sixsmith, hockey player, 35; Mark Ramprakash, cricketer, 33; Rose McGowan, actress, 27.

Adam Holliaoke, cricketer, 31; 1991: The USSR was no more as the Congress of People's Deputies in Mosocw scrapped the old power structures built up over 70 years and gave the Soviet republics their independence.