74AD: Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in hot volcanic ash.
1924: Scientists claimed that Mars had a similar atmosphere to Earth.
1959: The Manchester Guardian was renamed The Guardian.
1964: The Catholic Mass was said in English rather than Latin for the first time.
1968: France exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.
1970: Part of Windscale nuclear reactor was sealed off after a radioactive leak.
1975: Annabel Hunt became the first British actress to be seen nude on television.
1981: Mark Chapman was given a 20-year jail sentence for the murder of John Lennon.
1996: The Spice Girls were at number one with Wannabe.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article