Anniversaries

Anniversaries

Births: Reginald Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1500; the original Siamese twins (of Chinese parentage), Chang and Eng, 1811; Irving Berlin (Israel Isadore Baline), 1888; Paul Nash, painter, 1889; Dame Margaret Rutherford, actress, 1892; Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov, novelist, 1905.

Deaths: Sir Edward Dyer, poet, buried 1607; William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham, statesman, 1778; Spencer Perceval, prime minister, assassinated in the House of Commons by John Bellingham 1812; Sir John Frederick Herschel, astronomer, 1871; Frederic William Goudy, typographer and printer, 1947; Barbara Hutton, heiress, 1979; Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby, Soviet spy, 1988.

On this day: Constantinople was dedicated as the new capital of the Roman Empire, 330; Siam changed its name to Thailand, 1949; the Daily Sketch newspaper appeared for the last time, 1971; the musical show Cats was first produced, London 1981.

Today is the Feast Day of St Ansfrid, St Asaph, St Comgall, St Francis di Girolamo, St Gengulf or Gengoul, St Ignatius of Laconi, St Mayeul or Majolus, St Mamertus, St Richard Reynolds, St Tudy or Tudec of Brittany and St Walter of L'Esterp.