Happy Anniversary: When success patently smells of roses

HERE are some of the more obscure reasons for celebrating the forthcoming week.

19 April:

1637: Amye Everard becomes the first English woman to be granted a patent, for her tincture of saffron and essence of roses.

1927: Mae West is found guilty of indecent behaviour in a production called Sex on Broadway. She is sentenced to 10 days in jail and a dollars 500 fine.

1988: Western pop music first broadcast in China. However, the song 'Roll Over, Beethoven' is banned as disrespectful.

20 April:

1887: The first motor race, held in Paris, was won by Georges Bouton in his four- seater steam quadricycle. He was the only entrant.

21 April:

753BC: Allegedly the date Romulus founded Rome.

1918: The Ministry of Provisions in Paris encourages the eating of horse meat.

1964: BBC 2 begins transmissions, a day later than scheduled.

1977: Death of Milton 'Gummo' Marx, the Marx brother no one ever heard of.

22 April:

1760: First known appearance of roller-skates. They were worn by a Belgian, Joseph Mervin, at one of Mrs Cornely's masquerades in Carlisle House, Soho. He was also playing a violin and crashed into a mirror, causing pounds 500 damage and sustaining serious cuts.

1947: First use of a photo-finish camera, at Epsom.

1983: pounds 1 coins come into circulation.

23 April:

A bad day for literature.

1616: Deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes.

1850: Death of Wordsworth.

1915: Death of Rupert Brooke.

1968: First decimal coins come in to circulation in Britain.

1984: Discovery of Aids virus announced.

24 April:

1919: The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) announced he is to become a freemason.

1957: First edition on BBC TV of The Sky at Night with Patrick Moore.

25 April:

The latest date on which Easter can fall.

1792: First use of the guillotine in Paris.

1969: Last transmission of The Dales (formerly Mrs Dale's Diary) on BBC radio.

1989: Italian MP and former porno star Ilona Staller releases a white dove to mark the departure of Soviet troops from Hungary. It sits in the road and is crushed by the leading tank.