On this day

1314 - Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Bannockburn.

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.

1921 - The world's largest airship, the R-38, built in the UK for the U.S Navy, made its maiden flight at Bedford.

1797 - During the battle off Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands Admiral Nelson was wounded in the right arm by grapeshot and had it amputated later that afternoon. This followed the loss of his sight in his right eye some three years earlier.

1891 - The first episode of an Arthur Conan Doyle novel involving the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was printed in the Strand Magazine in London.

1967 - 400 million viewers in 26 nations watched the worlds first televised satellite hook up; the Beatles recording of 'All you need is love' at Abbey Road.

1909 - London's Victoria & Albert Museum opened to the public.

1945 - Delegates from nations around the world signed the United Nations Charter, designed to help ensure future world peace.

1986 - Entrepreneur Richard Branson set off on his second attempt to claim the transatlantic powerboat record for Britain.

1991 - After campaigning to prove their innocence for 15 years, the 'Maguire Seven' were cleared by the Court of Appeal of running an IRA bomb factory in England.

1746 - Flora MacDonald helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to the Isle of Skye dressed as an Irish maid.

1939 - The first scheduled airline service of Boeing 314 flying boats was operated by Pan Am between Newfoundland and Southampton.

1957 - A report by the Medical Research Council found the link between smoking and lung cancer was one of 'direct cause and effect'.

1967 - Barclays Bank opened Britain's first cash dispenser.

1988 - Dave Hurst and Alan Matthews, both from England, became the first blind climbers to reach the summit of Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc.

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.

1838 - Queen Victoria was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. She was just 19 years old.

1935 - The first 'Rupert Bear' cartoon appeared in the Daily Express newspaper.

2004 - The US handed sovereignty back to Iraq in a low-key ceremony in Baghdad.

1620 - After denouncing smoking as a health hazard, King James I of England banned the growing of tobacco in Britain.

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.

1905 - The Automobile Association was set up by motorists angered by police harassment and to warn drivers of speed traps.

1966 - Barclays Bank introduced the Barclaycard - the UK's first credit card.

1986 - Richard Branson smashed the world record for the fastest powerboat crossing of the Atlantic.

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.

1954 - A total eclipse of the sun spread from America, through Europe and on to Asia.

1957 - The British Egg Marketing Board stamped a crowned lion on British eggs as a sign of freshness.

1973 - Observers aboard the Concorde jet observed a 72 minute solar eclipse.

1997 - Britain handed Hong Kong back to China at midnight, when the 99 year lease expired.

1838 - Charles Darwin presented a paper to the Linnaean Society in London, setting out his theory of the evolution of species.

1911 - The introduction of the British Copyright Act - protecting an author's works for 50 years after their death.

1916 - World War I: At least 20,000 British soldiers were killed and a further 40,000 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.

1937 - The telephone emergency service, 999, became operational in Britain.

1967 - Colour television came to Europe with a seven hour transmission on BBC2.

1998 - The first meeting of the historic Northern Ireland Assembly in Belfast, following the signing of the Good Friday Peace Agreement.

1937 - Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.

1940 - Hitler orders invasion of England (Operation Sealion).

1920 - The first RAF air display took place at Hendon, near London.

1938 - LNER locomotive No.4468 'Mallard' achieved the world speed record for steam traction. A maximum speed 126 mph was reached between Grantham and Peterborough.

1940 - World War II: British warships destroyed the French fleet to prevent their ships falling into German hands. More than 1,000 French sailors were killed.

1996 - It was announced that the Stone of Scone, the symbol of Scottish nationalism, stolen by Edward I of England in 1296, was to be returned to Scotland from Westminster Abbey where it has been used in the coronation of 30 British monarchs.