1587: Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cadiz and sank the Spanish fleet - an action known as "singeing the King of Spain's beard".

1775: In Lexington, the opening shot was fired - by a British general - in the American War of Independence.

1824: Poet Lord Byron died of a fever at Missolonghi while aiding Greek insurgents against the Turks in their fight for independence. He was 36.

1882: Death of biologist Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution revolutionised science.

1906: Pierre Curie, French physicist who worked with his wife on magnetism and radioactivity and who discovered radium, was run over and killed in Paris.

1927: Mae West was found guilty of indecent behaviour in her Broadway production of Sex. She was sentenced to 10 days in prison and fined 500 dollars.

1951: Eric Morley, publicity officer with Mecca, devised the Miss World beauty contest as part of the Festival of Britain.

1956: Prince Rainier of Monaco married actress Grace Kelly.

1958: Footballer Bobby Charlton made the first of 106 appearances for England. In the match, against Scotland, he scored the first of his record 49 international goals.

LAST YEAR: Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona was in a critical condition in hospital suffering from heart disease.