1066: Norman conquest of England
Claiming his right to the English throne, William, Duke of Normandy, begins his invasion of England at Pevensey. William was the cousin of
Edward the Confessor, the king of England who died without children in 1066. Fifteen years earlier, Edward had allegedly designated William his heir, but the royal
council elected the powerful
noble Harold
Godwin to be king upon Edward’s death. On 14th October 1066, William met Harold at the Battle of Hastings, where the king was killed and his forces defeated. On Christmas Day, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England and the English language and culture were changed forever.
2005
In farcical scenes, 82-year-old
Labour Party member, Walter Wolfgang, is thrown out of the Labour Party conference for mildly heckling Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw about the
Iraq War.
1994
852 people are killed when a car and passenger ferry,
MS Estonia, sink in the Baltic Sea due to a combination of design faults in the vessel and the incompetence of the crew.
1989
Former
Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos dies in exile in Hawaii aged 72.
1985
Following a police raid in Brixton in which the suspects mother, Cherry Groce, was accidentally shot, rioting breaks out on the streets of south London.
1978
Pope
John Paul I dies after only 33 days of being the Pontiff.
1708
As part of the Great Northern War, the Russian Army of Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya in modern-day
Belarus. 1542
Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sails into present-day San Diego Bay, U.S.A. during the course of his explorations of the northwest shores of Mexico on behalf of
Spain. 1448
Christian I is crowned king of
Denmark. 1106
Henry I of England defeats his brother Robert Curthose, the Duke of Normandy, at the Battle of Tinchebray in Normandy.
935
In modern-day
Czechoslovakia, Wenceslas I, later Saint Wenceslas, is murdered by his brother, Boleslav I of
Bohemia. 48BC
Upon landing in
Egypt, Roman general and politician
Pompey is murdered on the orders of King
Ptolemy of Egypt.
1946
English singer
Helen Shapiro. Becomes an overnight one-hit singing star in early 1960s with 'Walking Back To Happiness' .
1934
French film actress
Brigit Bardot is born Camille Javal in
Paris. Became an international sex symbol after starring in 'And God Created Woman' (1956) directed by her future husband
Roger Vadim. Continues a succesful film career throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s she becomes involved with animal welfare - starting the Foundation for the Protection of Distressed Animals in 1976.
1916
British
actor Peter Finch is born in London of Australian parents.
1986
Australian dancer,
actor and choreographer Sir Robert Helpman, aged 77.
1978
In the Vatican, John Paul 1 (Albino Luciani) is found dead only 33 days after being elected Pope. 1970
Egyptian statesman Gamal Abd al-Nasser. Led the military coup against King
Farouk in 1952 and first became Prime Minister of Egypt and then President within the space of six months in 1954.
1964
American comedian Harpo Marx - the silent one of the four Marx Brothers who starred in a series of comedy films throughout the 1930s and 1940s.1895
French chemist
Louis Pasteur dies aged 73. Became Professor of Chemistry at the
Sorbonne. Evolved the technique of 'pasteurization' - a short heat treatment that kills bacteria. Advanced the germ theory of infection and discovered vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Founded the Pasteur Institute in 1888 for detailed for research into bacteria and contagious diseases.
1891
American novelist
Herman Melville aged 72. Bank clerk turned seaman, his experiences on a whaling ship in the South Seas provided the material for his most famous work 'Moby Dick' written in 1851.Also wrote 'Billy Budd' which was published more than 30 years after his death in 1924.
