Birthdays

Birthdays

Miss Jeannette Altwegg (Mrs M. Wirz), Olympic skater, 65; Mr Frankie Avalon, singer, 55; Professor Sir Derek Barton, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Texas A and M University, 77; Sir Hugh Bennett, High Court judge, 52; Sir John D.K. Brown, former chairman, McLeod Russel plc, 82; Mr Ian Davidson MP, 45; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, composer, 61; Miss Anne Diamond, television presenter, 41; Mr Michael Frayn, author and playwright, 62; Mr Anthony Frodsham, former Director-General, Engineering Employers' Federation, 76; Mr John Garrett MP, 64; Miss Judith Hann, television writer and presenter, 53; Mr Fred Jarvis, former General Secretary, National Union of Teachers, 71; Mr Stefan Johansson, racing driver, 39; Sir Denys Lasdun, architect, 81; The Marquess of Lothian, former government minister, 73; Mr Geoff Miller, cricketer, 43; Vice-Admiral Sir Roy Newman, Flag Officer Plymouth and Commander Central Sub Area East Atlantic, 59; Mr Jack Rosenthal, playwright, 64; M Yves St Martin, jockey, 54; Sir Harry Secombe, comedian and singer, 74; Professor Ernst Sondheimer, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, London University, 72; Col James Stirling of Garden, Lord-Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk, 65; Dame Guinevere Tilney, former UK Representive to the UN on Status of Women, 79; Mr Alan Weeks, television sports commentator, and governor, Sports Aid Foundation, 72; Mr Alfred A. Wood, architect and conservationist, 69.

Anniversaries

Births: Richard I, King (Coeur de Lion), 1157; Louis II de Bourbon, fourth Prince de Conde, soldier, 1621; Joseph-Etienne Frederic Mistral, Provencal poet, 1830; Antonin Dvork, composer, 1841; Viktor Meyer, chemist, 1848; William Wymark Jacobs, short-story writer, 1863; Siegfried Lorraine Sassoon, poet and critic, 1886; Jean-Louis Barrault, actor, director and theatre manager, 1910; Peter Richard Henry Sellers, actor and comedian, 1925. Deaths: Amy Robsart, wife of the Earl of Leicester, found mysteriously dead of a broken neck 1560; Francis Quarles, poet, 1644; Ann Lee, Shaker leader, 1784; George Bradshaw, printer and publisher of railway guides, 1853; Andre Derain, painter, 1954. On this day: New Amsterdam in North America was surrendered by the Dutch to the English, and renamed New York, 1664; in Canada, Montreal surrendered to the British troops, 1760; Johannesburg, South Africa, was founded, 1886; Germany was admitted to the League of Nations, 1926; the Treaty of Peace with Japan was signed by 49 powers in San Francisco, 1951; the Severn Road Bridge was officially opened, 1966; President Gerald Ford granted a full pardon to Richard Nixon for "any offences he might have committed while in office", 1974; Cindy Nicholas, a 19-year-old Canadian, swam the Channel both ways in 19 hours 55 minutes, 1977. Today is the Feast Day of Saints Adrian and Natalia, St Corbinian, St Disibod, St Eusebius, St Kingsmark or Cynfarch Oer, St Nestabus, St Nestor, St Sergius I, pope and St Zeno.