SWINDON...

1947: 52 members were present at the monthly meeting of the Stratton Women’s Institute and one new member was welcomed and four more proposed

1957: Princess Margaret declared the stone well and truly laid when she came to Swindon to lay the foundation stone of the town’s new hospital, which was to be named after her. She told the mayor Alderman N V Toze that she had enjoyed herself immensely

1977: Swindon’s own Dulux dog is called Ttelba Shaggy Dog (Teddy Bear to his friends). The Old English Sheepdog from Conway Road in Swindon landed one of the top posts as Dulux dog for this area, which meant he went on promotional trips out to places such as Bristol

2013: Two intrepid young adventurers climbed to the top of Mount Snowdon to raise money for a brain injury charity Twins Rebecca and Nicole Tarrant, aged eight, of Covingham, took on the challenge to raise funds for Headway Swindon and District

THE WORLD...

1536: The annulment of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s marriage

1865: The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris

1900: Second Boer War — British troops relieve Mafeking

1915: The last British Liberal Party government (led by Herbert Henry Asquith) falls

1943: World War II: the Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.

1970: Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean

1974: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland

1990: The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.

BORN...

1749: Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (d. 1823)

1866: Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (d. 1925)

1911: Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish-American actress (d. 1998)

1918: Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (d. 2005)

1936: Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)

1948: Dick Gaughan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Boys of the Lough)

1965: Jeremy Vine, English journalist, broadcaster and author

DIED...

1536: Mark Smeaton, English lute player and dancer (b. 1512)

1935: Paul Dukas, French composer, critic, scholar, and educator (b. 1865)

1966: Randolph Turpin, pictured, English boxer (b. 1928)

2006: Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (Heatwave) (b. 1949)

2010: Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1924)

2012: Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)