SWINDON...

1947: Scoutmaster KA Gore, of 14th Swindon (Pinehurst) Troop, was presented with a wallet, a fountain pen and a pencil at a social evening. The presentation was made by the parents in appreciation of his taking 22 of the boys on holiday to Jersey.

1957: Reference to the proposed building of a County Junior School at Walcot West, Swindon, was made by Miss E C M Millin at a meeting of Wiltshire County Council. She stated it will cost £55,201, and asked if she could be assured that the figure was for the school as a whole and that they would not have to make additions in a few years’ time.

1977: Evening Advertiser editor Fred Hazell retired, having clocked up 17 years on the Swindon paper. Mr Hazell, who had edited evening papers for more than 20 years, was presented with a radio alarm clock for his farewell ceremony. His successor was Jim Worsdale.

2013: Charities across Swindon were being urged to apply for thousands of pounds worth of grants, all thanks to the Swindon Advertiser’s parent company. The Gannett Foundation Fund, the charitable arm of Newsquest, supports non-profit making groups and was inviting applications for grants of between £1,000 and £50,000.

THE WORLD...

1498: On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus became the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.

1588: The Spanish Armada was spotted off the coast of England.

1956: Jim Laker became the first man to take all 10 wickets in a Test match innings as he returned figures of 10/53 in the Australian 2nd innings. This combined with his 9/37 in the first innings gave him match figures of 19/90 in the 4th Test at Old Trafford.

2006: Fidel Castro handed over power to brother Raul.

BORN...

1718: John Canton, physicist (d. 1772)
1940: Roy Walker, Irish comedian, actor and game show host
1944: Jonathan Dimbleby, broadcaster
1947: Richard Griffiths, actor (d. 2013)
1959: Andrew Marr, broadcaster
1974: Emilia Fox, actress
1979: BJ Novak, actor, director, producer and screenwriter

DIED...

1396: William Courtenay, archbishop (b. 1342)
1964: Jim Reeves, singer (b. 1923)
2012: Gore Vidal, American journalist, author and screenwriter (b. 1925)