Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays

Mr Ralph Brown, sculptor, 67; Field Marshal Lord Carver, former Chief of the Defence Staff, 80; Mr John Ernest Collins, former chairman, Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Group, 72; Lord Coulsfield, Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland, 61; Sir Gordon Cox, chemist, 89; Sir Peter Cresswell, High Court judge, 51; Sir Clement Freud, writer and former MP, 71; Dame Helen Gardiner, former chief clerk, Private Secretary's Office, Buckingham Palace, 94; Mr Fred Heddell, chief executive, Mencap, 50; Rear- Admiral Sir Joseph Henley, 86; Mr Richard Jarman, managing director, Scottish Opera, 46; Admiral Sir Rae McKaig, former UK military representative to Nato, 73; Mr Andrew MacKinlay MP, 46; Miss Shirley Maclaine, actress, 61; Mr James Paice MP, 46; Sir Hugh Park, former High Court judge, 85; Mr Stuart Pearce, footballer, 33; Mr Joseph Rank, president, Ranks Hovis McDougall, 77; Miss Bridget Riley, painter, 64; Mr Martin Seymour-Smith, writer, 67; Miss Barbra Streisand, actress and singer, 53; Mr Larry Tindale, former chairman, North British Canadian Investment Trust, 74; Lt-Col Stuart Townend, founder, Hill House School, 86; Mr John Williams, guitarist, 54; Miss Paula Yates, television presenter, 35.

Anniversaries

Births: William the Silent, Prince of Orange, 1533; Edmund Cartwright, inventor of the power loom, 1743; Anthony Trollope, author and inventor of the pillar box, 1815; Jules Egghard (Count Hardegg), pianist, 1834; Henri-Philippe Ptain, soldier and leader, 1856; Arthur Christopher Benson, scholar and author, 1862; Theodor Krner, military leader and president, 1873; Sir Richard Stafford Cripps, lawyer, diplomat and statesman, 1889; Helmuth Karl Bernhard, Graf von Moltke, general, 1891; William Joyce ("Lord Haw-Haw"), collaborator with the Nazis, 1906.

Deaths: Daniel Defoe, author, 1731; Louisa Stuart Costello, artist and poet, 1870; Maria Faglioni, ballerina, 1884; Justin M'Carthy, politician, historian and novelist, 1912; George de Forest Brush, painter, 1941; Manuel Ponce, composer, 1948; Gerhard Domagk, bacteriologist, 1964; Bill (William John) Edrich, cricketer, 1986.

On this day: the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V defeated the Protestants at Muhlberg, 1547; Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 16, married the Dauphin of France, 1558; in America, the Boston News-Letter was first issued, 1704; the words and music of the Marseillaise were composed by Rouget de Lisle, 1792; the Library of Congress, Washington, was established, 1800; the Alhambra Theatre, London, reopened as the Royal Alhambra Palace of Varieties, 1871; the Garrick Theatre, London, opened 1889; Joshua Slocum set sail from Boston, Massachusetts, on the first solo round-the-world voyage, 1895; Spain declared war on the United States, 1898; founded by Sir Arthur Pearson, the first issue of the Daily Express appeared, 1900; the Republican insurrection in Ireland known as the Easter Rising occurred on Easter Monday, 1916; the first performance of the musical show Man of La Mancha was presented, London 1968.

Today is the Feast Day of St Egbert, St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, St Ives or Ivo, St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, St Mellitus of Canterbury and St William Firmatus.