1777: George Washington's forces defeated the British at the Battle of Princeton in New Jersey, during the War of Independence.

1892: J R R Tolkein, author of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, was born.

1900: The new Royal yacht, Victoria and Albert, capsized as it left Southampton Docks.

1958: Sir Edmund Hillary reached the South Pole.

1961: The one millionth Morris Minor came off the assembly line.

1970: The Beatles recorded I Me Mine, their last song together.

1971: Open University programmes began on radio and television.

1973: Little Jimmy Osmond was at number one in the charts with Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.

1980: Alfred Hitchcock received a knighthood.

1992: Martin Offiah moved from Widnes to Wigan for a record £440,000.