SWINDON...

1947: Twenty-six old time dancers, all different, were a feature of the pancake ball at the Co-op Hall, East Street, Swindon. The ball was organised by the International Sequence Dance Circle, Swindon branch, and began with a pancake tossing ceremony.

1957: Chess rivalry between the two railway teams, Swindon and Paddington, extended over 50 years but in the match at the Mechanics Institute in Swindon, only one member of the Swindon team was a railwayman. The rest were outsiders. Swindon won the match.

1977: Furious residents were calling for a full inquiry into the escape of a dangerous steer from an abattoir in Marshgate, Swindon. The steer, who was on his way to be slaughtered, got out of control and smashed through two fences and a by-product room to escape.

2013: A unique, state-of-the-art respite clinic for children with severe disabilities was set to open at Hop, Skip And Jump. The Rainbow Clinic would open at the Upper Shaw Farm site which already provided day care for children with special needs.

THE WORLD...

1674: England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

1861: Serfdom is abolished in Russia.

1878: Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.

1945: World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima – about 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.

1959: The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is then formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.

1985: William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave hospital.

BORN...

1473: Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543).

1743: Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1805).

1948: Tony Iommi, English guitarist and songwriter (Black Sabbath).

1952: Amy Tan, American author.

1960: Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

DIED...

1994: Derek Jarman, English director and set designer (b. 1942).

1997: Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1904).

2001: Charles Trenet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1913).

2001: Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (b. 1913)