930 World's oldest parliament, the Icelandic Parliament, the Alþingi established.
1314 Preliminary actions began for the Battle of Bannockburn, with the main battle beginning not long after daybreak the following day when the Scots began to move towards the English. It was one of the decisive battles of the First War of Scottish Independence. Robert the Bruce earned a place in Scottish history for his legendary victory over the English at Bannockburn.
Allegedly, it was in a cave at Cove Manor House (formerly Dunskellie Castle - between Gretna and Lockerbie) that the story of 'Bruce and the spider' originated. Robert the Bruce supposedly gained inspiration to keep going after watching a spider attempting again and again to make its web. The revitalised Bruce gained support and ultimately defeated the English army at Bannockburn the following day.
1661 A marriage contract was signed between Charles II of England and Portuguese Catherine of Braganza. Catherine's dowry secured to England Tangier, the Seven islands of Bombay, trading privileges and two million Portuguese crowns (about £300,000).
1757 British troops commanded by Robert Clive won the Battle of Plassey in Bengal - laying the foundations of the British Empire in India.
1775 1st regatta held on river Thames, England.
1894 The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne, Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
1894 Birth of Edward, Duke of Windsor who was King Edward VIII from 20th January to 10th December 1936 before abdicating to marry twice-divorced Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson.
1939 The Government of Eire declared membership of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) to be illegal.
1940 After conquering France, Adolf Hitler visits Paris and views the Eiffel Tower and the grave of Napoleon Bonaparte.
1940 The BBC’s Music While You Work programme was first broadcast on radio to brighten up the lives of munitions workers doing boring factory jobs.
1942 Germany's latest fighter a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, was captured intact when it mistakenly landed at RAF Pembrey in Wales.
1951 Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, missing diplomats fled to the USSR as Russian spies before the British authorities had the opportunity to arrest them for spying. They 'surfaced' in Moscow in 1956.
1969 Joe Frazier TKOs Jerry Quarry in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.
1974 1st extraterrestrial message sent from Earth into space.
1979 Cricket World Cup, Lord's, London: Man of the match Vivian Richards scores 138 no as defending champions the West Indies beat England by 92 runs; Joel Garner 5/38.
1980 West Germany wins European soccer title (2-1 against Belgium).
1985 A terrorist bomb aboard Air India flight 182 brought down a Boeing 747 off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 people aboard.
1986 Brighton bomber Patrick Magee, found guilty of planting the bomb at the Grand Hotel, Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference in 1983, was jailed for a minimum of 35 years. He was released from prison in 1999 under the terms of the 'Good Friday Agreement', having served only 14 years.
1989 Movie "Batman" premieres directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
1989 The Home secretary announced that the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad had been disbanded in the wake of allegations of malpractice.
1991 Mazda becomes 1st Japanese car to capture Le Mans 24 hour race.
1993 Lorena Gallo Bobbitt amputates husband's John Wayne Bobbitt's p enis.
1994 It was announced that the Royal Yacht Britannia would be sold or scrapped. Her final voyage was to Hong Kong (1997) before being decommissioned. She is now based in Edinburgh, as a visitor attraction.
1998 A low point for Scotland. A 3-0 defeat against Morocco saw them finish bottom of their group at the 1998 World Cup finals in France. It was the eighth time in their eight appearances in the World Cup finals that they have failed to progress to the knock-out stages.
2013 India defeats England to win the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in cricket.
2013 The RSPB told householders to stop weeding and let the garden grow messy, in its biggest ever campaign to save wildlife by building “homes for nature”.
2014 The Queen officially opened the new £2.5bn Terminal 2 building at Heathrow Airport in west London.
2016 Los Angeles court decision clears Led Zeppelin of stealing riff from "Stairway to Heaven" from band Spirit.
2016 The EU Referendum. The UK voted to leave the European Union.
2018 12 boys and their coach are stranded in Tham Luang Nang Non cave, Thailand by monsoon flooding, prompting an international rescue effort when they are discovered 9 days later.
1314 Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Bannockburn and so completed his expulsion of the English from Scotland, although England did not recognize Scottish independence until 1328 with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh - Northampton.
1374 Sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
1440 Eton College founded in England by Henry VI.
1509 Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were crowned King and Queen Consort of England by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The coronation was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall.
1540 English King Henry VIII commands his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves, to leave the court.
1717 The Grand Lodge of the English Freemasons was founded in London.
1878 Formation of the St. John Ambulance - originally called the St. John Ambulance Association.
1916 The launch of 'Wolf Cubs' by Robert Baden-Powell, for boys aged 8 - 10. It was themed on Jungle Book, by Baden-Powell's friend and neighbour, Rudyard Kipling. In 1966 the name was changed from 'Wolf Cubs' to 'Cub Scouts'.
1921 The world's largest airship, the R-38, built in the U.K. for the U.S. Navy, made its maiden flight at Bedford.
1922 Adolf Hitler begins a month long prison sentence for paramilitary operations; he rails against the 'Jewish sell-out' of Germany to the Bolsheviks.
1947 Flying saucers sighted over Mount Rainier by pilot Ken Arnold.
1963 1st demonstration of home video recorder, at BBC Studios, London.
1968 Start of the first Open Wimbledon lawn tennis championships - open to both professional and amateur players.
1974 The Labour Government admitted that Britain had exploded a nuclear device in the United States a few weeks previously. The announcement sparked a row amongst senior ministers about Britain's involvement in the arms race.
1981 The Humber Bridge was opened to traffic. It connected Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for the next 17 years.
1981 "For Your Eyes Only", 12th James Bond, starring Roger Moore and 1st drected by John Glen premieres in London.
1992 Mafia boss John Gotti begins life sentence in jail for murder and other crimes.
1995 3rd Rugby World Cup, Ellis Park, Johannesburg: Springboks fly-half Joel Stransky lands the winning drop goal in extra time as South Africa beats New Zealand, 15-12.
1997 USAF reports Roswell 'space aliens' were dummies.
2005 The Glastonbury Festival eventually got under way after suffering serious disruption when storms tore across its site at Pilton, Somerset. Heavy rain flooded parts of the site, with dozens of tents lost under water, while lightning strikes affected the stages and knocked out power lines.
2010 In the longest match in tennis history, American John Isner defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon after 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over 3 days.
2016 British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns after the UK votes to leave the EU.
England lose another penalty shoot-out, this time against hosts Portugal at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. David Beckham and Darius Vassell failed with their pens.
Football On This Day – 24th June 2014.
On the day when the headlines should have belonged to England and their magnificent 0-0 draw with mighty Costa Rica to end their World Cup campaign with a point. It was 'Cannibal Suárez' who everyone was talking about. Feeling peckish again, the Uruguay forward bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini. A four-month ban followed during which time he fancied a change of appetite and moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for £75 million.
1348 Records indicate that the Black Death plague, which originated in Asia, arrived on a ship moored at Melcombe Regis 'On This Day'.
1646 The surrender of Oxford to the Roundheads virtually signified the end of the English Civil War.
1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn: US 7th Cavalry under Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in what has become famously known as "Custer's Last Stand".
1891 The first episode of an Arthur Conan Doyle novel involving the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was printed in the Strand Magazine in London.
1903 The birth of George Orwell, English novelist of 'Animal Farm' and '1984'.
1953 John Christie was sentenced to hang for murdering his wife and then hiding her body under the floorboards of their Notting Hill home in London. Christie, 54, had admitted murder but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. It took the jury an hour and 22 minutes to reject his defence and declare him guilty.
1963 George Michael is born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in East Finchley, London, England.
1967 An estimated worldwide audience of 350 million in 26 nations watched the world’s first live televised satellite hook up; the Beatles' recording of 'All You Need Is Love' at Abbey Road. The event, which lasted just over two hours, had the largest television audience to date and around 10,000 technicians, producers and translators were involved.
1969 Wimbledon saw the longest men’s singles match ever when Charlie Passarell was beaten by Pancho Gonzalez 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 in a 5 hour and 12 minute 112-game marathon.
1975 Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" is released.
1976 Supernatural horror film "The Omen" starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick premieres in the US.
1977 Roy C. Sullivan of Virginia is struck by lightning for 7th time!
1977 8th Rugby League World Cup: Australia beats Great Britain 13-12.
1978 FIFA World Cup Final, El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Striker Mario Kempes scores 2 goals as Argentina beat the Netherlands, 3-1 after extra time.
1982 Science-fiction film "Blade Runner", directed by Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, is released.
1984 Prince releases his "Purple Rain" album.
1988 UEFA European Championship Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Ruud Gullet & Marco van Basten score as the Netherlands beat Soviet Union, 2-0.
1996 "Independence Day" directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum premieres in Westwood, California.
2009 Fifty-year-old Michael Jackson is found dead in the Los Angeles mansion he is renting. The shocking news spreads quickly through social media outlets and Jackson is the subject of numerous tributes over the next few weeks.
2011 The Pirates of Penzance - 8,734 people in fancy dress assembled on Penzance promenade at 13:00 BST. The Guinness World Records later confirmed that Penzance now held the title for the largest gathering of pirates in one place, officially breaking the previous record set by 6,166 pirates in Hastings in 2010.
2013 A Lola B12 69/EV, developed by Drayson Racing Technologies broke the world land speed record for a lightweight electric car when it hit a top speed of 204.2mph at a racetrack at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire. The previous 175mph record had been set by Battery Box General Electric in 1974.
2020 Liverpool FC clinches first EPL soccer title in 30 years with 7 games to spare as Chelsea beat second-placed Manchester City, 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
1284 According to the Lüneburg manuscript a pied piper leads 130 children of Hamelin away.
1483 Richard Duke of Gloucester, began to rule England as Richard III, having deposed his nephew, Edward V. Edward and his brother Richard Duke of York, were soon afterwards murdered in the Tower of London.
1498 Toothbrush invented in China using boar bristles.
1830 George IV died. His brother, William IV ascended the throne.
1857 The first investiture ceremony for Victoria Cross awards took place in Hyde Park, London. Queen Victoria presented 62 servicemen with Britain's highest military honour.
1862 Joseph Wells (father of sci-fi writer H.G. Wells) was a Kent cricketer and became the first man to take four first class wickets with four consecutive balls, playing against Sussex.
1894 Karl Benz of Germany receives US patent for gasoline-driven auto.
1909 London's Victoria & Albert Museum opened to the public
1939 Britain's first National Serviceman, Private Rupert Alexander, signed up for the Middlesex Regiment. His service number was 10000001.
1945 Delegates from nations around the world signed the United Nations Charter, designed to help ensure future world peace. The first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly occurred in London early the following year.
1963 US President John F. Kennedy gives his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" (intended to mean "I am a Berliner", but may actually mean "I am a doughnut") speech in West Berlin.
1972 Australian swing bowler Bob Massie takes 16 wickets (8-84 & 8-53) on Test cricket debut in 2nd Test vs England at Lord's.
1974 British actor Richard Burton divorced his wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor for the first time. They remarried on 10th October 1975 and divorced for the second time on 29th July 1976.
1974 The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
1977 Elvis Presley sings in Indianapolis, the last performance of his career.
1979 "Moonraker", 11th James Bond film starring Roger Moore, premieres in London.
1986 Entrepreneur Richard Branson set off on his second attempt to claim the transatlantic powerboat record for Britain. He smashed the previous record by two hours but was denied the Blue Riband by the trustees of the award because he had broken two rules of the competition; he had stopped to refuel and his vessel did not have a commercial maritime purpose.
1992 UEFA European Championship Final, Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden: In a huge upset Denmark beats Germany, 2-0.
1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1st book in J. K. Rowling's best-selling series is published.
1999 The National Stadium of Wales also known as the Millennium Stadium held its first major event, an international rugby union match, when Wales beat South Africa in a friendly by 29–19 before a test crowd of 29,000.
2014 Luis Suárez is expelled from the 2014 FIFA World Cup following his biting incident.
2017 Theresa May's UK Conservative minority party strike deal to govern with Northern Ireland's DUP with guarantee of 1 billion funding.
Denmark beat Germany 2-0 to win the Euro 1992 Championships in Sweden. Denmark had been eliminated from the competition by finishing second to Yugoslavia in their qualifying group but a civil war in the Balkans had seen Yugoslavia replaced by the Danes in the finals. Many of their players were enjoying holidays on the beach when Denmark were awarded their place in the finals but they went on the win the championship defeating the reigning European and World champions on their way to the trophy.
Football On This Day - 26th June 1996.
Alan Shearer gave England a 3rd minute lead in the Euro 96 semi against Germany at Wembley but once again it was the Germans who progressed to the final after a penalty shoot-out. Gareth Southgate missed the crucial penalty.
1450 Irish born Jack Cade led a 40,000 strong demonstration march from Kent to London to protest against laws introduced by King Henry VI of England. Cade was later beheaded for treason.
1497 Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank were executed at Tyburn, London. The rebels had marched on London to protest at King Henry VII levying a tax to pay for an invasion of Scotland as they believed that this was a northern affair and had nothing to do with them.
1693 The first women's magazine, The Ladies' Mercury, was published by John Dunton in London. It contained a question-and-answer column which became known as a 'problem page'.
1746 In Scotland, Flora MacDonald helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to the Isle of Skye dressed as an Irish maid, following his defeat by the English at the Battle of Culloden.
1857 James Donnelly becomes engaged in a drunken brawl with Patrick Farrell, who suffers a fatal blow to the head. Farrell dies two days later, which makes James Donnelly a wanted man and draws the Donnelly family into the notorious feud.
1899 Indian born English cricketer Arthur Edward Jeune Collins, aged 13 and often known by his initials A. E. J. Collins, achieved the highest-ever recorded score in cricket. He scored 628 not out over four afternoons but despite this achievement Collins never played first-class cricket. He was killed in action in 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres.
1914 Defending champion Jack Johnson beats fellow American Frank Moran on points in 20 rounds in Paris, France to retain his lineal heavyweight boxing title.
1923 Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane.
1939 The first scheduled airline service of Boeing 314 flying boats was operated by Pan Am between Newfoundland and Southampton.
1954 Hungary beats Brazil, 4-2 in the "Battle of Berne" as FIFA World Cup quarter-final descends into an all-out brawl with 3 players sent-off; fighting continues in dressing rooms after final whistle.
1967 Barclays Bank (Enfield branch) opened Britain's first cash dispenser.
1971 England's first national Scrabble Championship was held in London. The winner was teacher Stephen Haskell.
1973 "Live & Let Die", 8th James Bond Film, 1st to star Roger Moore, also starring Jane Seymour, 1st released in the US.
1976 Air France A-300B Airbus hijacked from Athens arrives at Entebbe, Uganda; four hijackers members Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Bader-Meinhof Gang in Germany.
2007 Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
2014 Staff at Dartmoor prison had offered sun cream to inmates who had managed to climb on to a rooftop during sunny weather the previous week the Ministry of Justice confirmed. They said that the offer of sun cream was a standard procedure, as part of the jail's 'duty of care' that was in line with health and safety rules.
France beat Spain 2-0 in the Euro 84 final in Paris. Michel Platini scored one of the goals, his ninth in his five matches to finish as leading scorer in the tournament.
Football On This Day - 27th June 1997.
Howard Kendall took over as Everton manager for third time. It was his least successful spell and he left a year later after Everton had escaped relegation from the Premier League only on goal difference.
Football On This Day - 27th June 2010.
A penalty shoot-out certainly wasn't needed to see the end of England's hopes at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. England were well beaten 4-1 by Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. Mind you if Frank Lampard’s well-over-the-line ‘goal’ been allowed the result would doubtless have gone in England’s favour!
Just four days after the shock of the Brexit vote which saw our country decide to leave Europe and its 'manager' (David Cameron) resign the England football team decided to do exactly the same! Despite taking a 4th minute lead through a Wayne Rooney penalty England were beaten 2-1 by mighty Iceland in a Euro last 16 tie with manager Roy Hodgson resigning soon after the final whistle. One of England's most embarrassing defeats but the really sad thing was you just know it was going to happen!
1461 Edward IV was crowned King of England. He was the first Yorkist King and the first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses.
1491 The birth of Henry VIII, King of England and second son of Henry VII. He married six times, beheaded two wives, broke away from the Catholic church to form the Church of England, executed Catholics who failed to recognize the church and executed Protestants who complained that he should execute more Catholics! Yet he still managed to remain a popular king.
1645 In the English Civil War the Royalists lost Carlisle.
1820 Tomato is proven to be non-poisonous by Colonel Robert Gibbon eating a tomato on steps of courthouse in Salem, New Jersey.
1829 The first policeman to be murdered in Britain was Constable Joseph Grantham in Somers Town. He went to the aid of a woman involved in a fight between drunken men and when he fell, all three proceeded to kick him to death.
1838 Queen Victoria was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. She was just 19 years old.
1880 Australian outlaw Ned Kelly captured at Glenrowan.
1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were killed by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. The killings sparked a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I.
1919 Exactly five years to the day after Franz Ferdinand's death, Germany and the Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles, officially marking the end of World War I. Although the armistice, signed on 11th November 1918, ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty.
1926 Mercedes Benz forms when the world's oldest automobile manufacturers DMG and Benz & Cie merge.
1930 Mick the Miller becomes the first dog to win the Greyhound Derby for a second time.
1948 English middleweight boxer **** Turpin, (the elder brother and trainer of the more famous Randolph Turpin), beat Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black fighter to win a British boxing title.
1960 45 men were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in Monmouthshire, Wales.
1967 George Harrison is fined £6 for speeding.
1971 US Supreme Court (8-0) overturns draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali.
1975 Reigning PGA Championship winner Lee Trevino and playing partners Jerry Heard, Bobby Nichols, Jim Ahern and Tony Jacklin are struck by lightning at Western Open; suffer minor burns.
1991 Margaret Thatcher announced that she was to retire from the House of Commons at the next general election.
1994 Jonah Lomu becomes the youngest-ever All Black at 19 yrs 45 days playing rugby for New Zealand against France in Christchurch.
2001 36,000 people lined the banks of the River Tyne to watch the Millennium Bridge tilt for the first time. The bridge was the world's first tilting bridge. It spans the River Tyne between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank.
2003 The first film in the series, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" premieres at Disneyland.
2015 The broadcast of the final episode of Top Gear with presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Clarkson's contract was not renewed earlier in the year after an 'unprovoked physical attack' on producer, Oisin Tymon at a hotel in North Yorkshire in March 2015. His co-hosts refused to present future shows without him.
1613 The original Globe Theatre in London burned down after a cannon was fired during a performance of a Shakespearean play and set fire to the straw roof. The theatre was totally destroyed, but rose again in June 1614, this time with a tiled roof.
1620 After denouncing smoking as a health hazard, King James I of England banned the growing of tobacco in Britain.
1644 Charles I of England defeated a Parliamentarian detachment at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge (near Banbury, Oxfordshire). It was the last battle won by an English King on English soil.
1801 Britain held its first population census - producing a population figure of 8,800,000.
1850 British ex-Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel falls off his horse; dies three days later.
1855 Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper was first published, a result of the publisher's anger over the Crimean War and a desire to express it.
1871 The Trade Union Act was passed, giving trade unions legal status for the first time.
1905 The Automobile Association was set up by motorists angered by police harassment and to warn drivers of speed traps.
1927 For the first time in 200 years a total eclipse of the sun was seen in Britain. Those at Giggleswick in Yorkshire were able to see a perfect, full eclipse which lasted for less than 30 seconds.
1950 Striker Joe Gaetjens heads USA to an upset, 1-0 win over England in a FIFA World Cup group match in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
1958 FIFA World Cup Final, Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden: Vavá & Pelé each score 2 goals as Brazil beat Sweden, 5-2.
1963 Beatles' 1st song "From Me to You" hits UK charts.
1966 Barclays Bank introduced the Barclaycard - the UK's first credit card.
1967 Keith Richards is sentenced to 1 year in jail on drugs charge.
1971 Rolling Stones Mick Jagger & Keith Richards sentenced on drug offense.
1986 FIFA World Cup Final, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: Argentina beats West Germany, 3-2 in front of 114,600.
1986 Richard Branson aboard Virgin Atlantic Challenger II reaches Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, fastest crossing of Atlantic.
1995 George Foreman loses IBF boxing title for refusing to re-fight Axel Schulz.
2008 UEFA European Championship Final, Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria: Fernando Torres scores as Spain beats Germany, 1-0.
2009 Financier Bernie Madoff sentenced to 150 years in US maximum prison, for conducting a massive Ponzi scheme.
You might think that David Beckham's career was one success after another but Goldenballs did suffer his off-days, perhaps the worst of which happened on this day in 1998. England had got past the group stage of the World Cup and so, inevitable, every England football supporter was expecting a repeat of the success of 1966. England were up against Argentina in the last 16 match, very much a grudge encounter. England had taken a 2-1 lead after a young Michael Owen scored what was widely regarded as a wonder goal - but then Argentina equalised, a Sol Campbell golden goal 'winner' in extra time was disallowed and England lost on penalties. Paul Ince and David Batty missed their kicks. Although England had played well the press didn't celebrate a gallant loss but blamed one person for that defeat - David Beckham. He had been sent off early in the second half for stupidly kicking Diego Simeone after the Argentine had fouled him. Of course everyone thought that if England had the full 11 players throughout they would have won and had Beckham been available for the penalties he would doubtless have taken the place of Ince or Batty and won the match again. The press crucified Beckham, effigies of him were burnt outside pubs up and down the country and away fans certainly didn't forget quickly!
Did you watch the France game .......... I wanted them to win, then I didn't, then I did Finally England Syndrome.
I watched up until France went 3-1 ahead,big mistake,but I did watch extra time and the penalties. I should've learnt my lesson from the earlier game when Spain went 3-1 up and I thought that was also over. If England or Germany go 3-1 up tonight I'll be watching till the end .
1596 An English expedition under Lord Howard of Effingham and the Earl of Essex attacked Cadiz, ravaged the Spanish coast, and captured much booty. Philip II was thus prevented from sending an Armada against England.
1643 The Battle of Adwalton Moor in the English Civil War. The Royalists, under the Earl of Newcastle, defeated the Parliamentarians.
1665 The number of deaths in London from the Great Plague during June is recorded as 6,137 people.
1837 Punishment by pillory was finally abolished in Britain.
1894 London's Tower Bridge was officially opened to traffic by the Prince of Wales. After the ceremony the bascules were raised to allow a flotilla of ships and boats to sail down the Thames.
1908 A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history.
1934 "Night of Long Knives" - Adolf Hitler stages a **** purge of the Nazi party.
1936 Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone with the Wind" published.
1937 The world's first emergency telephone number, 999, was introduced in London. 999 was chosen was because it could be dialled on the old rotary dial telephones by placing a finger against the dial stop and rotating the dial to the full extent three times, even in the dark or in dense smoke. This enabled all users, including the visually impaired, to easily dial the emergency number.
1938 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics' Action Comics Series issue #1.
1954 A total eclipse of the sun spread from America, through Europe and on to Asia.
1956 ‘I’m Walking Backwards For Christmas’, written and performed by arch-Goon Spike Milligan, entered the British singles chart ..... six months after Christmas.
1957 The British Egg Marketing Board stamped a crowned lion on British eggs as a sign of freshness. In the first week 80% of all eggs sold carried the stamp.
1971 Crew of Russian space mission Soyuz 11 found dead upon arrival on earth (only people to die in space).
1973 Observers aboard the Concorde jet observed a 72 minute solar eclipse.
1975 Muhammad Ali retains world heavyweight boxing crown by beating Englishman Joe Bugner by unanimous points decision in a re-match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1980 British sixpence demonetised after being in used since 1551 and 12 years after introduction of decimal currency.
1996 UEFA European Championship Final, Wembley Stadium, London, England: Oliver Bierhoff scores his second goal in extra time as Germany beat Czech Republic, 2-1.
1997 Britain handed Hong Kong back to China at midnight, when the 99 year lease expired.
2002 FIFA World Cup Final, International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan: Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil beats Germany, 2-0 to win record 5th title; first World Cup held in Asia.
2007 A blazing vehicle packed with gas canisters was driven into the front of the Glasgow airport's Terminal One building in a suspected terror attack.
2012 Rufus, the hawk that patrolled Wimbledon's tennis courts to frighten away pigeons, was stolen from a car parked outside his owner's home. Three days later he was returned, to a national animal charity in London.
2016 British political candidates announce their bids for leader of Conservative party, including Theresa May and Michael Gove, Boris Johnson rules himself out.
1690 The Battle of the Boyne was fought on the east coast of Ireland, between the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William. The battle, won by William, ultimately helped ensure the continuation of Protestant supremacy in Ireland. Curiously, Battle of the Boyne Day is celebrated on 12th July. The mismatch occurred under the Gregorian calendar and 11 days were effectively lost, causing people at the time to clamour 'Give us back our 11 days!'
1837 Compulsory registration of births, marriages and deaths came into effect in England and Wales.
1899 Gideon Society established to place bibles in hotels.
1903 Tour de France: Inaugural race begins in Montgeron, a south-eastern suburb of Paris.
1908 "SOS" (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal becomes the worldwide standard for help.
1911 The introduction of the British Copyright Act - protecting an author's works for 50 years after their death.
1916 Coca-Cola brings current coke formula to the market.
1916 World War I: Almost 20,000 British soldiers were killed and a further 57,500 were injured on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It was the greatest number of British casualties in a single day's fighting in modern history. British casualties on day one were greater than the total combined British casualties in the Crimean, Boer, and Korean wars.
Over the top: Thousands of British soldiers scrambled out of their trenches and were dead within minutes.
1942 World War II: The first Battle of El Alamein, a battle of the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa, was fought between the Axis forces (Germany and Italy) commanded by Field Marshal Rommel, and Allied forces of the British Eighth Army commanded by General Claude Auchinleck. The battle halted the second, and final advance by the Axis forces into Egypt.
1963 The British Government admitted that the former diplomat Kim Philby, a high-ranking member of British intelligence had worked as a double agent before defecting to the Soviet Union.
1966 Bob Dylan releases Blonde on Blonde, rock's first double album.
1967 Colour television came to Europe with a seven hour transmission on BBC 2 from the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships.
1969 Prince Charles was invested Prince of Wales by his mother Queen Elizabeth II at Caernarfon Castle in north Wales.
1977 British tennis player Virginia Wade won the Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon in its Centenary Year and during Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee year.
1979 Sony introduces the Walkman, first popular portable cassette player.
1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five release the early rap classic "The Message".
1996 In addition to a practical exam learner drivers in Britain had to pass a written exam for the first time.
1997 Nevada Athletic Commission suspends Mike Tyson indefinitely & withholds $20m purse for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their heavyweight title fight 28 June.
2005 The final unveiling of Anthony Gormley's' Another Place' on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, where 100 cast iron figures face out to sea.
2006 The death of Freddie Trueman OBE, Yorkshire and English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. Yorkshire born Prime Minister Harold Wilson once described Trueman as the 'greatest living Yorkshireman'.
2007 A smoking ban came into force in England, making it illegal for anyone to smoke in an enclosed public place and within the workplace.
2012 UEFA European Championship Final, Olympic Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine: Spain crush Italy, 4-0 to retain their title.
2014 Tracey Emin's modern artwork 'My Bed' was sold at auction by Christie's in London for £2.2m. The work features an unmade bed surrounded by a floor littered by empty vodka bottles, cigarette butts and condoms. It was put up for sale by the art collector Charles Saatchi with a guide price of between £800,000 and £1.2m.
2014 Tracey Emin's modern artwork 'My Bed' was sold at auction by Christie's in London for £2.2m. The work features an unmade bed surrounded by a floor littered by empty vodka bottles, cigarette butts and condoms. It was put up for sale by the art collector Charles Saatchi with a guide price of between £800,000 and £1.2m.
Put a bid in for the Bed but it look so much like the one I had at home.!
1566 Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam], French astrologist and prophet (Les Propheties), dies at 62.
1644 English Civil War: The Battle of Marston Moor at Long Marston, North Yorkshire. Marston Moor was the first victory of the war for the Parliamentary forces, with Cromwell's Roundhead Army defeating the Royalist Cavaliers, commanded by Prince Rupert. After their defeat, the Royalists effectively abandoned the North of England. The loss of the North was to prove a fatal handicap the following year, when they tried unsuccessfully to link up with the Scottish Royalists under Montrose.
1698 Devon born Thomas Savery patented the first steam engine. He described it as a ''A new invention for raiseing of water and occasioning motion to all sorts of mill work by the impellent force of fire, which will be of great use and advantage for drayning mines, serveing townes with water, and for the working of all sorts of mills where they have not the benefitt of water nor constant windes."
1819 The first Factory Act was passed in Britain. This banned the employment of children younger than 9 from working in textile factories, whilst those under 16 were allowed to work for 'only' 12 hours a day!
1843 An alligator falls from sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina.
1865 At a revivalist meeting at Whitechapel, London, William Booth formed the Salvation Army.
1901 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rob train of $40,000 at Wagner, Montana.
1921 In boxing's first million dollar gate ($1.7m), world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey KOs Frenchman Georges Carpentier in round 4 of his 3rd title defence; crowd 91,000 at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1940 World War II: Adolf Hitler ordered German military commanders to draw up plans for the invasion of England.
1961 Ernest Hemingway, American author and Nobel laureate dies from suicide at 61.
1966 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: American Billie Jean King beats Maria Bueno of Brazil 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 for the first of her 12 Grand Slam singles titles.
1973 The birth, in Bolton, of comedian Peter Kay. He has sold over ten million DVDs, more than any other comedian.
1977 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Sweden's Björn Borg beats American Jimmy Connors 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 for the second of 5 consecutive Wimbledon singles titles.
1980 Comedy film "Airplane!" premieres.
1989 American jockey Steve Cauthen wins Irish Derby on Old Vic to become the first rider in history to sweep the world's 4 major Derbies (Kentucky, Epsom, French, Irish).
1993 Fred Gwynne, American actor (Car 54 Where Are You, Munsters), dies of pancreatic cancer at 66.
1996 Weather experts predicted that global warming would have the effect of moving Britain 100 miles south in the next 25 years, bringing summer droughts and winter rainstorms.
1997 Jimmy Stewart, American actor (The Philadelphia Story and It's a Wonderful Life), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 89.
1999 The Scottish Parliament was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on the day that legislative powers were officially transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the newly devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.
2000 UEFA European Championship Final, Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands: David Trezeguet scores in extra time to give France a 2-1 win over Italy.
2005 The world's biggest music stars united in Live8 concerts around the globe to press political leaders to tackle poverty in Africa.
2012 Meteorological Office figures showed that June 2012 had been the wettest since records began in 1910, with double the average amount of rain in the UK. It was also the dullest June on record and the coolest since 1991, with average temperatures of 12.3 degrees C.
2018 British divers, John Volanthen, (an IT consultant based in Bristol) and Rick Stanton, (a former Midlands fire fighter), discovered 12 young Thai footballers and their coach, after nine days trapped in caves in northern Thailand. More than 1,000 people were involved in the global operation. All 13 were rescued after 17 days underground. It was the most challenging underground rescue in history.
2019 Newly rediscovered Lewis chess piece sells at auction for £735,000 in London.
2020 British Darts Organisation’s commercial arm – BDO Enterprises Ltd, goes into liquidation due to lack of sponsorship; oversaw original professional, semi-pro and amateur competitions in Britain.
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930 World's oldest parliament, the Icelandic Parliament, the Alþingi established.
1314 Preliminary actions began for the Battle of Bannockburn, with the main battle beginning not long after daybreak the following day when the Scots began to move towards the English. It was one of the decisive battles of the First War of Scottish Independence. Robert the Bruce earned a place in Scottish history for his legendary victory over the English at Bannockburn.
Allegedly, it was in a cave at Cove Manor House (formerly Dunskellie Castle - between Gretna and Lockerbie) that the story of 'Bruce and the spider' originated. Robert the Bruce supposedly gained inspiration to keep going after watching a spider attempting again and again to make its web. The revitalised Bruce gained support and ultimately defeated the English army at Bannockburn the following day.
1661 A marriage contract was signed between Charles II of England and Portuguese Catherine of Braganza. Catherine's dowry secured to England Tangier, the Seven islands of Bombay, trading privileges and two million Portuguese crowns (about £300,000).
1757 British troops commanded by Robert Clive won the Battle of Plassey in Bengal - laying the foundations of the British Empire in India.
1775 1st regatta held on river Thames, England.
1894 The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne, Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
1894 Birth of Edward, Duke of Windsor who was King Edward VIII from 20th January to 10th December 1936 before abdicating to marry twice-divorced Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson.
1939 The Government of Eire declared membership of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) to be illegal.
1940 After conquering France, Adolf Hitler visits Paris and views the Eiffel Tower and the grave of Napoleon Bonaparte.
1940 The BBC’s Music While You Work programme was first broadcast on radio to brighten up the lives of munitions workers doing boring factory jobs.
1942 Germany's latest fighter a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, was captured intact when it mistakenly landed at RAF Pembrey in Wales.
1951 Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, missing diplomats fled to the USSR as Russian spies before the British authorities had the opportunity to arrest them for spying. They 'surfaced' in Moscow in 1956.
1969 Joe Frazier TKOs Jerry Quarry in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.
1974 1st extraterrestrial message sent from Earth into space.
1979 Cricket World Cup, Lord's, London: Man of the match Vivian Richards scores 138 no as defending champions the West Indies beat England by 92 runs; Joel Garner 5/38.
1980 West Germany wins European soccer title (2-1 against Belgium).
1985 A terrorist bomb aboard Air India flight 182 brought down a Boeing 747 off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 people aboard.
1986 Brighton bomber Patrick Magee, found guilty of planting the bomb at the Grand Hotel, Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference in 1983, was jailed for a minimum of 35 years. He was released from prison in 1999 under the terms of the 'Good Friday Agreement', having served only 14 years.
1989 Movie "Batman" premieres directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
1989 The Home secretary announced that the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad had been disbanded in the wake of allegations of malpractice.
1991 Mazda becomes 1st Japanese car to capture Le Mans 24 hour race.
1993 Lorena Gallo Bobbitt amputates husband's John Wayne Bobbitt's p enis.
1994 It was announced that the Royal Yacht Britannia would be sold or scrapped. Her final voyage was to Hong Kong (1997) before being decommissioned. She is now based in Edinburgh, as a visitor attraction.
1998 A low point for Scotland. A 3-0 defeat against Morocco saw them finish bottom of their group at the 1998 World Cup finals in France. It was the eighth time in their eight appearances in the World Cup finals that they have failed to progress to the knock-out stages.
2013 India defeats England to win the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in cricket.
2013 The RSPB told householders to stop weeding and let the garden grow messy, in its biggest ever campaign to save wildlife by building “homes for nature”.
2014 The Queen officially opened the new £2.5bn Terminal 2 building at Heathrow Airport in west London.
2016 Los Angeles court decision clears Led Zeppelin of stealing riff from "Stairway to Heaven" from band Spirit.
2016 The EU Referendum. The UK voted to leave the European Union.
2018 12 boys and their coach are stranded in Tham Luang Nang Non cave, Thailand by monsoon flooding, prompting an international rescue effort when they are discovered 9 days later.
1314 Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Bannockburn and so completed his expulsion of the English from Scotland, although England did not recognize Scottish independence until 1328 with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh - Northampton.
1374 Sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
1440 Eton College founded in England by Henry VI.
1509 Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were crowned King and Queen Consort of England by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The coronation was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall.
1540 English King Henry VIII commands his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves, to leave the court.
1717 The Grand Lodge of the English Freemasons was founded in London.
1878 Formation of the St. John Ambulance - originally called the St. John Ambulance Association.
1916 The launch of 'Wolf Cubs' by Robert Baden-Powell, for boys aged 8 - 10. It was themed on Jungle Book, by Baden-Powell's friend and neighbour, Rudyard Kipling. In 1966 the name was changed from 'Wolf Cubs' to 'Cub Scouts'.
1921 The world's largest airship, the R-38, built in the U.K. for the U.S. Navy, made its maiden flight at Bedford.
1922 Adolf Hitler begins a month long prison sentence for paramilitary operations; he rails against the 'Jewish sell-out' of Germany to the Bolsheviks.
1947 Flying saucers sighted over Mount Rainier by pilot Ken Arnold.
1963 1st demonstration of home video recorder, at BBC Studios, London.
1968 Start of the first Open Wimbledon lawn tennis championships - open to both professional and amateur players.
1974 The Labour Government admitted that Britain had exploded a nuclear device in the United States a few weeks previously. The announcement sparked a row amongst senior ministers about Britain's involvement in the arms race.
1981 The Humber Bridge was opened to traffic. It connected Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for the next 17 years.
1981 "For Your Eyes Only", 12th James Bond, starring Roger Moore and 1st drected by John Glen premieres in London.
1992 Mafia boss John Gotti begins life sentence in jail for murder and other crimes.
1995 3rd Rugby World Cup, Ellis Park, Johannesburg: Springboks fly-half Joel Stransky lands the winning drop goal in extra time as South Africa beats New Zealand, 15-12.
1997 USAF reports Roswell 'space aliens' were dummies.
2005 The Glastonbury Festival eventually got under way after suffering serious disruption when storms tore across its site at Pilton, Somerset. Heavy rain flooded parts of the site, with dozens of tents lost under water, while lightning strikes affected the stages and knocked out power lines.
2010 In the longest match in tennis history, American John Isner defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon after 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over 3 days.
2016 British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns after the UK votes to leave the EU.
England lose another penalty shoot-out, this time against hosts Portugal at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. David Beckham and Darius Vassell failed with their pens.
Football On This Day – 24th June 2014.
On the day when the headlines should have belonged to England and their magnificent 0-0 draw with mighty Costa Rica to end their World Cup campaign with a point. It was 'Cannibal Suárez' who everyone was talking about. Feeling peckish again, the Uruguay forward bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini. A four-month ban followed during which time he fancied a change of appetite and moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for £75 million.
1348 Records indicate that the Black Death plague, which originated in Asia, arrived on a ship moored at Melcombe Regis 'On This Day'.
1646 The surrender of Oxford to the Roundheads virtually signified the end of the English Civil War.
1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn: US 7th Cavalry under Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in what has become famously known as "Custer's Last Stand".
1891 The first episode of an Arthur Conan Doyle novel involving the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was printed in the Strand Magazine in London.
1903 The birth of George Orwell, English novelist of 'Animal Farm' and '1984'.
1953 John Christie was sentenced to hang for murdering his wife and then hiding her body under the floorboards of their Notting Hill home in London. Christie, 54, had admitted murder but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. It took the jury an hour and 22 minutes to reject his defence and declare him guilty.
1963 George Michael is born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in East Finchley, London, England.
1967 An estimated worldwide audience of 350 million in 26 nations watched the world’s first live televised satellite hook up; the Beatles' recording of 'All You Need Is Love' at Abbey Road. The event, which lasted just over two hours, had the largest television audience to date and around 10,000 technicians, producers and translators were involved.
1969 Wimbledon saw the longest men’s singles match ever when Charlie Passarell was beaten by Pancho Gonzalez 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 in a 5 hour and 12 minute 112-game marathon.
1975 Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" is released.
1976 Supernatural horror film "The Omen" starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick premieres in the US.
1977 Roy C. Sullivan of Virginia is struck by lightning for 7th time!
1977 8th Rugby League World Cup: Australia beats Great Britain 13-12.
1978 FIFA World Cup Final, El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Striker Mario Kempes scores 2 goals as Argentina beat the Netherlands, 3-1 after extra time.
1982 Science-fiction film "Blade Runner", directed by Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, is released.
1984 Prince releases his "Purple Rain" album.
1988 UEFA European Championship Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Ruud Gullet & Marco van Basten score as the Netherlands beat Soviet Union, 2-0.
1996 "Independence Day" directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum premieres in Westwood, California.
2009 Fifty-year-old Michael Jackson is found dead in the Los Angeles mansion he is renting. The shocking news spreads quickly through social media outlets and Jackson is the subject of numerous tributes over the next few weeks.
2011 The Pirates of Penzance - 8,734 people in fancy dress assembled on Penzance promenade at 13:00 BST. The Guinness World Records later confirmed that Penzance now held the title for the largest gathering of pirates in one place, officially breaking the previous record set by 6,166 pirates in Hastings in 2010.
2013 A Lola B12 69/EV, developed by Drayson Racing Technologies broke the world land speed record for a lightweight electric car when it hit a top speed of 204.2mph at a racetrack at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire. The previous 175mph record had been set by Battery Box General Electric in 1974.
2020 Liverpool FC clinches first EPL soccer title in 30 years with 7 games to spare as Chelsea beat second-placed Manchester City, 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
I'm struck by lightning all the time fascinating to watch.!
1284 According to the Lüneburg manuscript a pied piper leads 130 children of Hamelin away.
1483 Richard Duke of Gloucester, began to rule England as Richard III, having deposed his nephew, Edward V. Edward and his brother Richard Duke of York, were soon afterwards murdered in the Tower of London.
1498 Toothbrush invented in China using boar bristles.
1830 George IV died. His brother, William IV ascended the throne.
1857 The first investiture ceremony for Victoria Cross awards took place in Hyde Park, London. Queen Victoria presented 62 servicemen with Britain's highest military honour.
1862 Joseph Wells (father of sci-fi writer H.G. Wells) was a Kent cricketer and became the first man to take four first class wickets with four consecutive balls, playing against Sussex.
1894 Karl Benz of Germany receives US patent for gasoline-driven auto.
1906 Hongar Szisz wins 1st Grand-Prix (Le Mans, France).
1909 London's Victoria & Albert Museum opened to the public
1939 Britain's first National Serviceman, Private Rupert Alexander, signed up for the Middlesex Regiment. His service number was 10000001.
1945 Delegates from nations around the world signed the United Nations Charter, designed to help ensure future world peace. The first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly occurred in London early the following year.
1963 US President John F. Kennedy gives his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" (intended to mean "I am a Berliner", but may actually mean "I am a doughnut") speech in West Berlin.
1972 Australian swing bowler Bob Massie takes 16 wickets (8-84 & 8-53) on Test cricket debut in 2nd Test vs England at Lord's.
1974 British actor Richard Burton divorced his wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor for the first time. They remarried on 10th October 1975 and divorced for the second time on 29th July 1976.
1974 The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
1977 Elvis Presley sings in Indianapolis, the last performance of his career.
1979 "Moonraker", 11th James Bond film starring Roger Moore, premieres in London.
1986 Entrepreneur Richard Branson set off on his second attempt to claim the transatlantic powerboat record for Britain. He smashed the previous record by two hours but was denied the Blue Riband by the trustees of the award because he had broken two rules of the competition; he had stopped to refuel and his vessel did not have a commercial maritime purpose.
1992 UEFA European Championship Final, Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden: In a huge upset Denmark beats Germany, 2-0.
1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1st book in J. K. Rowling's best-selling series is published.
1999 The National Stadium of Wales also known as the Millennium Stadium held its first major event, an international rugby union match, when Wales beat South Africa in a friendly by 29–19 before a test crowd of 29,000.
2014 Luis Suárez is expelled from the 2014 FIFA World Cup following his biting incident.
2017 Theresa May's UK Conservative minority party strike deal to govern with Northern Ireland's DUP with guarantee of 1 billion funding.
Denmark beat Germany 2-0 to win the Euro 1992 Championships in Sweden. Denmark had been eliminated from the competition by finishing second to Yugoslavia in their qualifying group but a civil war in the Balkans had seen Yugoslavia replaced by the Danes in the finals. Many of their players were enjoying holidays on the beach when Denmark were awarded their place in the finals but they went on the win the championship defeating the reigning European and World champions on their way to the trophy.
Football On This Day - 26th June 1996.
Alan Shearer gave England a 3rd minute lead in the Euro 96 semi against Germany at Wembley but once again it was the Germans who progressed to the final after a penalty shoot-out. Gareth Southgate missed the crucial penalty.
1450 Irish born Jack Cade led a 40,000 strong demonstration march from Kent to London to protest against laws introduced by King Henry VI of England. Cade was later beheaded for treason.
1497 Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank were executed at Tyburn, London. The rebels had marched on London to protest at King Henry VII levying a tax to pay for an invasion of Scotland as they believed that this was a northern affair and had nothing to do with them.
1693 The first women's magazine, The Ladies' Mercury, was published by John Dunton in London. It contained a question-and-answer column which became known as a 'problem page'.
1746 In Scotland, Flora MacDonald helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to the Isle of Skye dressed as an Irish maid, following his defeat by the English at the Battle of Culloden.
1857 James Donnelly becomes engaged in a drunken brawl with Patrick Farrell, who suffers a fatal blow to the head. Farrell dies two days later, which makes James Donnelly a wanted man and draws the Donnelly family into the notorious feud.
1899 Indian born English cricketer Arthur Edward Jeune Collins, aged 13 and often known by his initials A. E. J. Collins, achieved the highest-ever recorded score in cricket. He scored 628 not out over four afternoons but despite this achievement Collins never played first-class cricket. He was killed in action in 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres.
1914 Defending champion Jack Johnson beats fellow American Frank Moran on points in 20 rounds in Paris, France to retain his lineal heavyweight boxing title.
1923 Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane.
1939 The first scheduled airline service of Boeing 314 flying boats was operated by Pan Am between Newfoundland and Southampton.
1954 Hungary beats Brazil, 4-2 in the "Battle of Berne" as FIFA World Cup quarter-final descends into an all-out brawl with 3 players sent-off; fighting continues in dressing rooms after final whistle.
1967 Barclays Bank (Enfield branch) opened Britain's first cash dispenser.
1971 England's first national Scrabble Championship was held in London. The winner was teacher Stephen Haskell.
1973 "Live & Let Die", 8th James Bond Film, 1st to star Roger Moore, also starring Jane Seymour, 1st released in the US.
1976 Air France A-300B Airbus hijacked from Athens arrives at Entebbe, Uganda; four hijackers members Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Bader-Meinhof Gang in Germany.
1979 Heavyweight Muhammad Ali confirms that his 3rd retirement is final (it isn't).
1984 UEFA European Championship Final, Parc des Princes, Paris, France: Michel Platini & Bruno Bellone score as France beats Spain, 2-0.
1987 "The Living Daylights", 15th James Bond film, 1st film to star Timothy Dalton premieres in London.
1988 Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City.
2007 Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
2014 Staff at Dartmoor prison had offered sun cream to inmates who had managed to climb on to a rooftop during sunny weather the previous week the Ministry of Justice confirmed. They said that the offer of sun cream was a standard procedure, as part of the jail's 'duty of care' that was in line with health and safety rules.
France beat Spain 2-0 in the Euro 84 final in Paris. Michel Platini scored one of the goals, his ninth in his five matches to finish as leading scorer in the tournament.
Football On This Day - 27th June 1997.
Howard Kendall took over as Everton manager for third time. It was his least successful spell and he left a year later after Everton had escaped relegation from the Premier League only on goal difference.
Football On This Day - 27th June 2010.
A penalty shoot-out certainly wasn't needed to see the end of England's hopes at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. England were well beaten 4-1 by Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. Mind you if Frank Lampard’s well-over-the-line ‘goal’ been allowed the result would doubtless have gone in England’s favour!
Football On This Day - 27th June 2016.
Just four days after the shock of the Brexit vote which saw our country decide to leave Europe and its 'manager' (David Cameron) resign the England football team decided to do exactly the same! Despite taking a 4th minute lead through a Wayne Rooney penalty England were beaten 2-1 by mighty Iceland in a Euro last 16 tie with manager Roy Hodgson resigning soon after the final whistle. One of England's most embarrassing defeats but the really sad thing was you just know it was going to happen!
Listen out for the quite excitable commentator
1461 Edward IV was crowned King of England. He was the first Yorkist King and the first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses.
1491 The birth of Henry VIII, King of England and second son of Henry VII. He married six times, beheaded two wives, broke away from the Catholic church to form the Church of England, executed Catholics who failed to recognize the church and executed Protestants who complained that he should execute more Catholics! Yet he still managed to remain a popular king.
1645 In the English Civil War the Royalists lost Carlisle.
1820 Tomato is proven to be non-poisonous by Colonel Robert Gibbon eating a tomato on steps of courthouse in Salem, New Jersey.
1829 The first policeman to be murdered in Britain was Constable Joseph Grantham in Somers Town. He went to the aid of a woman involved in a fight between drunken men and when he fell, all three proceeded to kick him to death.
1838 Queen Victoria was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. She was just 19 years old.
1880 Australian outlaw Ned Kelly captured at Glenrowan.
1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were killed by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. The killings sparked a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I.
1919 Exactly five years to the day after Franz Ferdinand's death, Germany and the Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles, officially marking the end of World War I. Although the armistice, signed on 11th November 1918, ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty.
1926 Mercedes Benz forms when the world's oldest automobile manufacturers DMG and Benz & Cie merge.
1930 Mick the Miller becomes the first dog to win the Greyhound Derby for a second time.
1948 English middleweight boxer **** Turpin, (the elder brother and trainer of the more famous Randolph Turpin), beat Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black fighter to win a British boxing title.
1960 45 men were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in Monmouthshire, Wales.
1967 George Harrison is fined £6 for speeding.
1971 US Supreme Court (8-0) overturns draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali.
1975 Reigning PGA Championship winner Lee Trevino and playing partners Jerry Heard, Bobby Nichols, Jim Ahern and Tony Jacklin are struck by lightning at Western Open; suffer minor burns.
1991 Margaret Thatcher announced that she was to retire from the House of Commons at the next general election.
1994 Jonah Lomu becomes the youngest-ever All Black at 19 yrs 45 days playing rugby for New Zealand against France in Christchurch.
2001 36,000 people lined the banks of the River Tyne to watch the Millennium Bridge tilt for the first time. The bridge was the world's first tilting bridge. It spans the River Tyne between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank.
2003 The first film in the series, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" premieres at Disneyland.
2015 The broadcast of the final episode of Top Gear with presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Clarkson's contract was not renewed earlier in the year after an 'unprovoked physical attack' on producer, Oisin Tymon at a hotel in North Yorkshire in March 2015. His co-hosts refused to present future shows without him.
1613 The original Globe Theatre in London burned down after a cannon was fired during a performance of a Shakespearean play and set fire to the straw roof. The theatre was totally destroyed, but rose again in June 1614, this time with a tiled roof.
1620 After denouncing smoking as a health hazard, King James I of England banned the growing of tobacco in Britain.
1644 Charles I of England defeated a Parliamentarian detachment at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge (near Banbury, Oxfordshire). It was the last battle won by an English King on English soil.
1801 Britain held its first population census - producing a population figure of 8,800,000.
1850 British ex-Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel falls off his horse; dies three days later.
1855 Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper was first published, a result of the publisher's anger over the Crimean War and a desire to express it.
1871 The Trade Union Act was passed, giving trade unions legal status for the first time.
1905 The Automobile Association was set up by motorists angered by police harassment and to warn drivers of speed traps.
1927 For the first time in 200 years a total eclipse of the sun was seen in Britain. Those at Giggleswick in Yorkshire were able to see a perfect, full eclipse which lasted for less than 30 seconds.
1950 Striker Joe Gaetjens heads USA to an upset, 1-0 win over England in a FIFA World Cup group match in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
1958 FIFA World Cup Final, Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden: Vavá & Pelé each score 2 goals as Brazil beat Sweden, 5-2.
1963 Beatles' 1st song "From Me to You" hits UK charts.
1966 Barclays Bank introduced the Barclaycard - the UK's first credit card.
1967 Keith Richards is sentenced to 1 year in jail on drugs charge.
1971 Rolling Stones Mick Jagger & Keith Richards sentenced on drug offense.
1986 FIFA World Cup Final, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: Argentina beats West Germany, 3-2 in front of 114,600.
1986 Richard Branson aboard Virgin Atlantic Challenger II reaches Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, fastest crossing of Atlantic.
1995 George Foreman loses IBF boxing title for refusing to re-fight Axel Schulz.
2008 UEFA European Championship Final, Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria: Fernando Torres scores as Spain beats Germany, 1-0.
2009 Financier Bernie Madoff sentenced to 150 years in US maximum prison, for conducting a massive Ponzi scheme.
2020 Golden State Killer and former police officer Joseph DeAngelo Jr pleads guilty to 12 murders and dozens of rapes.
You might think that David Beckham's career was one success after another but Goldenballs did suffer his off-days, perhaps the worst of which happened on this day in 1998. England had got past the group stage of the World Cup and so, inevitable, every England football supporter was expecting a repeat of the success of 1966. England were up against Argentina in the last 16 match, very much a grudge encounter. England had taken a 2-1 lead after a young Michael Owen scored what was widely regarded as a wonder goal - but then Argentina equalised, a Sol Campbell golden goal 'winner' in extra time was disallowed and England lost on penalties. Paul Ince and David Batty missed their kicks. Although England had played well the press didn't celebrate a gallant loss but blamed one person for that defeat - David Beckham. He had been sent off early in the second half for stupidly kicking Diego Simeone after the Argentine had fouled him. Of course everyone thought that if England had the full 11 players throughout they would have won and had Beckham been available for the penalties he would doubtless have taken the place of Ince or Batty and won the match again. The press crucified Beckham, effigies of him were burnt outside pubs up and down the country and away fans certainly didn't forget quickly!
Finally England Syndrome.
1596 An English expedition under Lord Howard of Effingham and the Earl of Essex attacked Cadiz, ravaged the Spanish coast, and captured much booty. Philip II was thus prevented from sending an Armada against England.
1643 The Battle of Adwalton Moor in the English Civil War. The Royalists, under the Earl of Newcastle, defeated the Parliamentarians.
1665 The number of deaths in London from the Great Plague during June is recorded as 6,137 people.
1837 Punishment by pillory was finally abolished in Britain.
1894 London's Tower Bridge was officially opened to traffic by the Prince of Wales. After the ceremony the bascules were raised to allow a flotilla of ships and boats to sail down the Thames.
1908 A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history.
1934 "Night of Long Knives" - Adolf Hitler stages a **** purge of the Nazi party.
1936 Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone with the Wind" published.
1937 The world's first emergency telephone number, 999, was introduced in London. 999 was chosen was because it could be dialled on the old rotary dial telephones by placing a finger against the dial stop and rotating the dial to the full extent three times, even in the dark or in dense smoke. This enabled all users, including the visually impaired, to easily dial the emergency number.
1938 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics' Action Comics Series issue #1.
1954 A total eclipse of the sun spread from America, through Europe and on to Asia.
1956 ‘I’m Walking Backwards For Christmas’, written and performed by arch-Goon Spike Milligan, entered the British singles chart ..... six months after Christmas.
1957 The British Egg Marketing Board stamped a crowned lion on British eggs as a sign of freshness. In the first week 80% of all eggs sold carried the stamp.
1971 Crew of Russian space mission Soyuz 11 found dead upon arrival on earth (only people to die in space).
1973 Observers aboard the Concorde jet observed a 72 minute solar eclipse.
1975 Muhammad Ali retains world heavyweight boxing crown by beating Englishman Joe Bugner by unanimous points decision in a re-match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1980 British sixpence demonetised after being in used since 1551 and 12 years after introduction of decimal currency.
1996 UEFA European Championship Final, Wembley Stadium, London, England: Oliver Bierhoff scores his second goal in extra time as Germany beat Czech Republic, 2-1.
1997 Britain handed Hong Kong back to China at midnight, when the 99 year lease expired.
2002 FIFA World Cup Final, International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan: Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil beats Germany, 2-0 to win record 5th title; first World Cup held in Asia.
2007 A blazing vehicle packed with gas canisters was driven into the front of the Glasgow airport's Terminal One building in a suspected terror attack.
2012 Rufus, the hawk that patrolled Wimbledon's tennis courts to frighten away pigeons, was stolen from a car parked outside his owner's home. Three days later he was returned, to a national animal charity in London.
2016 British political candidates announce their bids for leader of Conservative party, including Theresa May and Michael Gove, Boris Johnson rules himself out.
1200 In China, sunglasses are invented.
1690 The Battle of the Boyne was fought on the east coast of Ireland, between the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William. The battle, won by William, ultimately helped ensure the continuation of Protestant supremacy in Ireland. Curiously, Battle of the Boyne Day is celebrated on 12th July. The mismatch occurred under the Gregorian calendar and 11 days were effectively lost, causing people at the time to clamour 'Give us back our 11 days!'
1837 Compulsory registration of births, marriages and deaths came into effect in England and Wales.
1899 Gideon Society established to place bibles in hotels.
1903 Tour de France: Inaugural race begins in Montgeron, a south-eastern suburb of Paris.
1908 "SOS" (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal becomes the worldwide standard for help.
1911 The introduction of the British Copyright Act - protecting an author's works for 50 years after their death.
1916 Coca-Cola brings current coke formula to the market.
1916 World War I: Almost 20,000 British soldiers were killed and a further 57,500 were injured on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It was the greatest number of British casualties in a single day's fighting in modern history. British casualties on day one were greater than the total combined British casualties in the Crimean, Boer, and Korean wars.
Over the top: Thousands of British soldiers scrambled out of their trenches and were dead within minutes.
1942 World War II: The first Battle of El Alamein, a battle of the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa, was fought between the Axis forces (Germany and Italy) commanded by Field Marshal Rommel, and Allied forces of the British Eighth Army commanded by General Claude Auchinleck. The battle halted the second, and final advance by the Axis forces into Egypt.
1945 Debbie Harry was born, 76 years old today !
1961 Diana, the Princess of Wales, was born.
1963 The British Government admitted that the former diplomat Kim Philby, a high-ranking member of British intelligence had worked as a double agent before defecting to the Soviet Union.
1966 Bob Dylan releases Blonde on Blonde, rock's first double album.
1967 Colour television came to Europe with a seven hour transmission on BBC 2 from the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships.
1969 Prince Charles was invested Prince of Wales by his mother Queen Elizabeth II at Caernarfon Castle in north Wales.
1977 British tennis player Virginia Wade won the Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon in its Centenary Year and during Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee year.
1979 Sony introduces the Walkman, first popular portable cassette player.
1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five release the early rap classic "The Message".
1996 In addition to a practical exam learner drivers in Britain had to pass a written exam for the first time.
1997 Nevada Athletic Commission suspends Mike Tyson indefinitely & withholds $20m purse for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their heavyweight title fight 28 June.
2005 The final unveiling of Anthony Gormley's' Another Place' on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, where 100 cast iron figures face out to sea.
2006 The death of Freddie Trueman OBE, Yorkshire and English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. Yorkshire born Prime Minister Harold Wilson once described Trueman as the 'greatest living Yorkshireman'.
2007 A smoking ban came into force in England, making it illegal for anyone to smoke in an enclosed public place and within the workplace.
2012 UEFA European Championship Final, Olympic Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine: Spain crush Italy, 4-0 to retain their title.
2014 Tracey Emin's modern artwork 'My Bed' was sold at auction by Christie's in London for £2.2m. The work features an unmade bed surrounded by a floor littered by empty vodka bottles, cigarette butts and condoms. It was put up for sale by the art collector Charles Saatchi with a guide price of between £800,000 and £1.2m.
Put a bid in for the Bed but it look so much like the one I had at home.!
1566 Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam], French astrologist and prophet (Les Propheties), dies at 62.
1644 English Civil War: The Battle of Marston Moor at Long Marston, North Yorkshire. Marston Moor was the first victory of the war for the Parliamentary forces, with Cromwell's Roundhead Army defeating the Royalist Cavaliers, commanded by Prince Rupert. After their defeat, the Royalists effectively abandoned the North of England. The loss of the North was to prove a fatal handicap the following year, when they tried unsuccessfully to link up with the Scottish Royalists under Montrose.
1698 Devon born Thomas Savery patented the first steam engine. He described it as a ''A new invention for raiseing of water and occasioning motion to all sorts of mill work by the impellent force of fire, which will be of great use and advantage for drayning mines, serveing townes with water, and for the working of all sorts of mills where they have not the benefitt of water nor constant windes."
1819 The first Factory Act was passed in Britain. This banned the employment of children younger than 9 from working in textile factories, whilst those under 16 were allowed to work for 'only' 12 hours a day!
1843 An alligator falls from sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina.
1865 At a revivalist meeting at Whitechapel, London, William Booth formed the Salvation Army.
1901 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rob train of $40,000 at Wagner, Montana.
1921 In boxing's first million dollar gate ($1.7m), world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey KOs Frenchman Georges Carpentier in round 4 of his 3rd title defence; crowd 91,000 at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1940 World War II: Adolf Hitler ordered German military commanders to draw up plans for the invasion of England.
1961 Ernest Hemingway, American author and Nobel laureate dies from suicide at 61.
1966 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: American Billie Jean King beats Maria Bueno of Brazil 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 for the first of her 12 Grand Slam singles titles.
1973 The birth, in Bolton, of comedian Peter Kay. He has sold over ten million DVDs, more than any other comedian.
1977 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Sweden's Björn Borg beats American Jimmy Connors 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 for the second of 5 consecutive Wimbledon singles titles.
1980 Comedy film "Airplane!" premieres.
1989 American jockey Steve Cauthen wins Irish Derby on Old Vic to become the first rider in history to sweep the world's 4 major Derbies (Kentucky, Epsom, French, Irish).
1993 Fred Gwynne, American actor (Car 54 Where Are You, Munsters), dies of pancreatic cancer at 66.
1996 Weather experts predicted that global warming would have the effect of moving Britain 100 miles south in the next 25 years, bringing summer droughts and winter rainstorms.
1997 Jimmy Stewart, American actor (The Philadelphia Story and It's a Wonderful Life), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 89.
1999 The Scottish Parliament was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on the day that legislative powers were officially transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the newly devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.
2000 UEFA European Championship Final, Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands: David Trezeguet scores in extra time to give France a 2-1 win over Italy.
2005 The world's biggest music stars united in Live8 concerts around the globe to press political leaders to tackle poverty in Africa.
2012 Meteorological Office figures showed that June 2012 had been the wettest since records began in 1910, with double the average amount of rain in the UK. It was also the dullest June on record and the coolest since 1991, with average temperatures of 12.3 degrees C.
2018 British divers, John Volanthen, (an IT consultant based in Bristol) and Rick Stanton, (a former Midlands fire fighter), discovered 12 young Thai footballers and their coach, after nine days trapped in caves in northern Thailand. More than 1,000 people were involved in the global operation. All 13 were rescued after 17 days underground. It was the most challenging underground rescue in history.
2019 Newly rediscovered Lewis chess piece sells at auction for £735,000 in London.
2020 British Darts Organisation’s commercial arm – BDO Enterprises Ltd, goes into liquidation due to lack of sponsorship; oversaw original professional, semi-pro and amateur competitions in Britain.