Anniversaries

Births: Lodovico Carracci, painter, 1555; Jan van Riebeeck, naval surgeon and founder of Cape Town, 1634; Prince George of Denmark, consort of Queen Anne, 1653; James Harris, first Earl of Malmesbury, statesman, 1746; Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel, educationist, 1782; Reginald Heber, hymn-writer and bishop, 1783; Angela Georgina, first Baroness Burdett- Coutts, millionairess, 1814; Charlotte Bronte, novelist, 1816; Peter Ludwig Hertel, composer and conductor, 1817; Ferdinand Gumbert, tenor singer and composer, 1818; Hippolyte-Adolphe Taine, historian, 1828; Sir Herbert Atkinson Barker, surgeon, 1869; Gilbert Frankau, novelist, 1884; Henry-Marie- Joseph Millon de Montherlant, novelist and playwright, 1896; Randall Thompson, composer, 1899.

Deaths: Alexander II, Pope, 1073; St Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1109; Peter Abelard, philosopher and theologian, 1142; King Henry VII, 1509; Jean-Baptiste Racine, playwright, 1699; Eugene, Prince of Savoy, general, 1736; David Mallet (Malloch), poet and playwright, 1765; Henri-Michel-

Antoine Chapu, sculptor and portrait medallist, 1891; Jean-Baptiste-Leon Say, statesman, 1896; Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), novelist, 1910; Samuel Rutherford Crockett, novelist, 1914; Sir Francis Cowley Burnand, sometime editor of Punch, 1917; Baron Manfried von Richthofen, aviator, killed in action 1918; Henry Mosler, artist, 1920; Marie Corelli (Mary Mackay), author, 1924; Eleonora Duse, actress, 1924; Robert Seymour Bridges, poet, 1930; Herman Finck, composer and conductor, 1939; John Maynard Keynes, first Baron Keynes, economist, 1946; Sir Richard Stafford Cripps, lawyer, diplomat and statesman, 1952; Sara Margery Fry, social reformer, 1958; Sir Edward Victor Appleton, physicist, 1965; Francois Duvalier ('Papa Doc'), president of Haiti, 1971.

On this day: the City of Rome was founded (traditional date), 753 BC; Baber founded the Mogul Empire in India, 1526; the parliamentary general John Lambert was defeated by General Monck at Daventry, 1660; Napoleon's army overtook the Austrians and defeated them at the Battle of Landshut, 1809; Mexico was defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto by Texas, 1836; Sir James Thomas Knowles founded the Metaphysical Society, 1869; the Canadian North-West Mounted Police were established, 1873; the San Francisco fire ended, 1906; US forces bombarded Vera Cruz, Mexico, and occupied the city, 1914; the Canadians took Vimy Ridge, 1917; the first performance of the musical show Perchance to Dream was presented, London 1945; the world's first jet-liner service was begun by BOAC flying Comets between London and Rome, 1952; the US Air Force flew a French battalion to Vietnam to defend Dien Bien Phu, 1954; the first London production of the musical show The Most Happy Fella was presented, 1960; a French army revolt led by General Challe began in Algeria, 1961; in Greece, a military junta took over the country's government, 1967.

Today is the Feast Day of St Anastasius I of Antioch, St Anselm of Canterbury, St Beuno, St Conrad of Parzham, St Malrubius or Maelrubha and St Simeon Barsabas and Others.