SWINDON

1952: Two Swindon schoolboys who attempted a 3,000-mile tour of Europe on a 98cc motorcycle returned defeated but not disappointed. Robert JR Tyldesley, 17, and Geoffrey R Davis, 16, completed about half of their journey before spokes in the rear wheel of their machine began to give way. They returned home by train via Italy, Austria and France. Although they failed to meet the challenge they set themselves, the young men were pleased to have been on such a unique adventure.

1962: An 11-strong team of teenaged shoplifters, all girls aged between 13 and 15, appeared at Swindon Borough Juvenile Court. |The prosecution said a shop's deputy manager saw one of them steal a head band, two cans of hair lacquer, two rings and a cosmetic bag. Information given by the girls after they were arrested led to the capture of the entire gang, who were fined £5 for each of the offences they committed.

1973: Woolworth's announced that it was to set up a mail order business whose headquarters would be in Swindon. All orders were to be met from the department store giant's £3m distribution centre in Dorcan, which was equipped with the latest computer technology.

THE WORLD

1769: Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica. He expanded the French empire until defeated by an allied coalition which sent him into exile to Elba. He

returned to fight at Waterloo, which led to final exile on the remote south

Atlantic island of St Helena.

1771: Sir Walter Scott, creator of the historical novel, was born in

Edinburgh.

1842: The first regular British detective force was formed. This division of

the Metropolitan Police assumed the name Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 1878.

1843: The Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen were opened to the public.

1939: "The Wizard of Oz" premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in

Hollywood.

1947: The Union Flag was run down for the last time in New Delhi as India

gained independence from Britain. Pakistan split from India, also becoming

independent.

1952: Severe thunderstorms in Somerset and North Devon caused rivers to flood and devastated the towns of Lynton and Lynmouth.

1960: Britain's first motorway restaurant was opened on the M1 at Newport

Pagnell.

1969: The three-day Woodstock pop festival began in upstate New York. More than 400,000 people watched artists such as The Who, Santana and Jimi Hendrix - but massive traffic jams, adverse weather and shortage of food led to the event being declared a disaster area.

1987: Caning was officially banned in Britain, except in independent schools.

1999: Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The

Troubles, killed 29 people and injured about 220.

2017: Four in five unpaid carers feel lonely or isolated, a poll suggested.

BIRTHDAYS

Jim Dale, actor, 83; Tony Robinson, actor/writer/presenter, 72;

Jenny Hanley, actress, 71; The Princess Royal, 68; Robert 'Jack' Russell, former

cricketer, 55; Ben Affleck, actor, 46; Mikey Graham, singer (Boyzone), 46;

Natasha Henstridge, actress, 45; Joe Jonas, singer/actor, 29.