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.
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