Birthdays: 25 December

Christmas Day

Birthdays: Princess Alexandra, 59; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, 94; Lord Annan, author, 79; Miss Sheila Browne, former principal, Newnham College, Cambridge, 71; Professor Kenneth Calman, chief medical officer, Department of Health, 54; Mr Quentin Crisp, writer, 87; Professor Christopher Frayling, Pro-Rector, Royal College of Art, 49; Lord Grade, chairman, the Grade Company, 89; The Right Rev Noel Jones, Bishop of Sodor and Man, 63; Miss Annie Lennox, singer, 41; Professor Philip Love, Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool University, 56; Mr Tony Martin, singer and actor, 82; Sir Peter Matthews, former Chief Constable of Surrey, 78; Mr Ismail Merchant, film producer, 59; Professor Phyllida Parsloe, Professor of Social Work, Bristol University, 65; Mr John Sharman, High Commissioner to the Seychelles, 58; Lord Sheppard of Didgemere, chairman, Grand Metropolitan, 63; Miss Sissy Spacek, actress, 46; Mr Nigel Starmer-Smith, sports commentator, 51; Sir Noel Stockdale, life president of the ASDA group, 75; The Right Rev Benjamin Vaughan, former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, 78; Sir Christopher Wates, chief executive of Wates Building Group, 56. Born on this day: Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician, physicist and astronomer, 1642; Humphrey DeForest Bogart, actor, 1899; Cab Calloway, jazz singer and band-leader, 1907. Died on this day: W.C. Fields (William Claude Dukenfield), comedian, 1946; Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, comedian and film producer, 1977; Joan Mir, artist, 1983. On this day: William I, "the Conqueror", was crowned in Westminster Abbey, 1066; the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, 1620; the first Christmas tree was put up at Queen's Lodge, Windsor, by Queen Charlotte, 1800.