Swindon

1950: After a lapse of several years a pig club has been founded in Wroughton, starting with a whist drive to raise funds. The MC was Mr A J W Johnson and among the prize winners were Mrs T Osman, Mrs Crowther, Mrs Hennessey and Mr M Collier.

1961: Because TV announcer and newscaster Guy Thomas was called in at the last minute to read the 6pm news he arrived at a concert held at the Commonweal Grammar School, Swindon, 30 minutes late, following an 80-mile-an-hour dash, by car, from the studios in Bristol. The concert was organised by Mr W S Price, chairman of the Swindon Education Ancillary Staff Association.

1971: Swindon Town has lifted its ban on wheelchair-bound fans. Six are now allowed to sit behind the touchline. Previously people with disabilities in wheelchairs have not been allowed to sit in the North side of the ground because they obscured others views, but the Beavers, an action group for the disabled, fought for and won the concession.

The world

1667: Author Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) was born in Dublin.

1835: Mark Twain, author of The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, was born in Missouri.

1874: Sir Winston Churchill, a descendant of the great Duke of Marlborough, was born in Blenheim Palace.

1900: Oscar Wilde, Irish-born playwright, died in Paris aged 46.

1936: The Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire.

1955: The first floodlit football match at Wembley was played, between England and Spain.

1957: The great Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli died.

1968: The Trades Description Act came into force.

2009: The European Organisation for Nuclear Research announced that the Large Hadron Collider set a new world record for energy - making it the world’s highest energy particle accelerator.

Birthdays Frank Ifield, singer, 80; Ridley Scott, film director, 80; George Graham, former footballer and manager, 73; Roger Glover, rock musician (Deep Purple), 72; Billy Idol, rock singer, 62; Lorraine Kelly, TV presenter, 58; Gary Lineker, broadcaster and former footballer, 57; Ben Stiller, actor, 52; Phil Babb, former footballer, 47; Dougie Poynter, musician (McFly), 30.