1916: Importing pianos was banned for the duration of the war.

1922: Waterloo station was opened by Queen Mary.

1923: Scientists claimed smoking was good for you as nicotine acted as an anti-bacterial agent.

1925: Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh was officially opened.

1934: The Potato Marketing Board blamed slimmers for a slump in potato sales.

1950: A poll revealed that only 46 per cent of British houses had indoor bathrooms.

1961: The Beatles played The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time.

1963: Alcatraz, the maximum security prison in San Francisco Bay, was closed.

1968:The Legend of Xanadu by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich was number in the charts.

1973: Top of the Pops temporarily banned teenybopper acts after a David Cassidy appearance caused a riot.

1997: Vomiting in public was banned in the Philippines.