1793: The Louvre was opened to the public by the Revolutionary government.

1895: Wilhelm Rontgen discovered X-rays during an experiment at the University of Wurzburg.

1954: The Highway Code was introduced.

1957: Peasants fled in terror when paratroopers descended on a village in Ceylon. The police were summoned to explain to them that the invaders were, in fact, actors filming The Bridge on the River Kwai.

1958: Melody Maker published the first British album chart.

1967: The first BBC local radio station opened in Leicester.

1977: Abba's The name of the Game was this week's biggest seller.

1987: An IRA bomb went off in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, shortly before a Remembrance Day service.

1988: George Bush was elected American President.

1996: Chelsea signed Italian star Gianfranco Zola from Parma for £4.5 million.