SWINDON...

1945: A cricketer escaped with just a bruise and a headache after the fielder was hit in the head by the ball at the GWR Athletic Association ground. A 15 Shop batsman connected with the ball and it struck the short leg fielder on the forehead before his teammate, the square leg fielder, caught it.

1955: More than £10 was raised within half-an-hour for Swindon Community Silver Threads funds at a rummage sale, in the East Street Co-operative Hall in Swindon.

1975: Skurrays announced it was making long-term plans to house its three garages, in Swindon, the High Street and Marlborough under one roof in the town.

2013: The Adver’s campaign to help the unemployed in Swindon won the backing of North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson. He said: “I am delighted to support this fantastic campaign.”

 

THE WORLD...

1583: The first life insurance policy was sold in London.

1815: The Battle of Waterloo was fought, where combined forces led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian Field Marshal Blucher defeated Napoleon.

1817: London’s Waterloo Bridge was opened. It was originally called Strand Bridge but was re-named on the anniversary of the Battle.

1822: London’s first nude statue was unveiled in Hyde Park. The bronze figure of Achilles was sculpted by Sir Richard Westmacott. Achilles later acquired a bronze fig-leaf.

1940: With France collapsing before German forces, the Battle of Britain was about to begin, with Winston Churchill saying: '”Let us brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that if the British Commonwealth and Empire lasts a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour’.”

1963: Henry Cooper, pictured, floored Cassius Clay (later Muhammed Ali) in Round Four at Wembley Stadium. But by the fifth, with Cooper badly cut, the fight was stopped.

1978: Garfield, the world’s favourite fat cat created by Jim Davis, was born. The name came from Davis’s grandfather, James A Garfield Davis.

2010: John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for Beatles hit A Day In The Life sold for £810,000 at auction.

2013: Afghan forces formally took over the lead security role in their country from NATO. Afghan President Hamid Karzai told his troops: “You are the sons and guardians of this country and it is your responsibility to protect it.”

 

BORN...

1941: Delia Smith, TV cook

1942: Sir Paul McCartney, musician

1942: Thabo Mbeki, South African politician

1946: Fabio Capello, football manager

1952: Isabella Rossellini, actress/model

1957: Ralph Brown, actor

1961: Alison Moyet, singer

 

DIED...

1234: Emperor Chukyo of Japan (b. 1218)

2005: Syed Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (b. 1914)

2007: Bernard Manning(b. 1930)

2012: Victor Spinetti, actor, (b. 1930)