SWINDON...

1947: Two Swindon children of Tydeman Street were eagerly looking forward to the return of HMS Vanguard, for they had invitations to a special party given for the children of the crew. Their uncle, Chief Electrical Artificer Terry Lawes, was serving on the ship.

1957: After she had laid the foundation stone of the new hospital in Swindon, Princess Margaret visited the hydraulic factory of Plessey Co Ltd on the trading estate at Cheney Manor.

1977: Nigel and Yvonne Stanham, of Baker’s Way, Wroughton, were rarely out of each other’s arms... because they were king and queen of the dance floor. They won the Imperial Gold Star award, the National Gold Bar and the National Award, the very top dancing award, along with medals, plaques and certificates for dance.

2013: At the 19th Wiltshire Business of the Year Awards, the most prestigious award of the evening, the Wiltshire Business of the Year 2012, was won by TH White of Devizes. IT Solutions firm Excalibur Communications of Swindon won the Innovation and Growth Award, and saw their CEO James Phipps named Business Person of the Year.

THE WORLD...

1789: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors were set adrift following the Mutiny on the Bounty. The rebel crew returned to Tahiti briefly and then set sail for Pitcairn Island.

1945: Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci were executed by a firing squad consisting of members of the Italian resistance movement.

BORN...

1926: Harper Lee, American author

1937: Saddam Hussein, Iraqi politician, 5th President of Iraq

1948: Terry Pratchett, English author

1960: Ian Rankin, Scottish author

1974: Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress

1974: Vernon Kay, English radio and television host

1978: Lauren Laverne, English radio and television host

1980: Bradley Wiggins, British cyclist

1988: Juan Manuel Mata, Spain and Manchester United footballer

DIED...

1992: Francis Bacon, painter

1999: Sir Alf Ramsey, former England football manager