THURSDAY APRIL 20 1931 Parliament passed a Bill allowing cinemas to open on Sunday. 1937 The aircraft carrier The Ark Royal was launched. Birthdays: Leslie Phillips, actor, 82; Peter Snow, ex-Newsnight presenter, 68; Ryan O Neal, actor, 65; Jessica Lange
THURSDAY APRIL 20
1931 Parliament passed a Bill allowing cinemas to open on Sunday.
1937 The aircraft carrier The Ark Royal was launched.
Birthdays: Leslie Phillips, actor, 82; Peter Snow, ex-Newsnight presenter, 68; Ryan O'Neal, actor, 65; Jessica Lange, actress, 57; Sebastian Faulks, author of Birdsong, 53.
FRIDAY APRIL 21
1970 Bobby Charlton made his 100th appearance for England.
1983 The £1 coin went into circulation.
1989 Students protested in Tianamen Square.
Birthdays: John Mortimer, playwright and barrister, 83; Queen Elizabeth II, 80; Andie MacDowell, actress, 48; Nicholas Lyndhurst, from Only Fools and Horses, 45.
SATURDAY APRIL 22
1947 First use of photo-finish camera, at Epsom.
1969 The QEII left on its maiden voyage.
Birthdays: George Cole, actor, 81; Jack Nicholson, actor, 69; Gary Rhodes, celebrity chef, 46.
SUNDAY APRIL 23
1932 The New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened at Stratford-upon-Avon.
1968 The 5p and 10p coins went into circulation.
Birthdays: Shirley Temple-Black, ex-Hollywood child star, 78; Michael Moore, creator of Fahrenheit 911, 52.
MONDAY APRIL 24
1990 First edition of the Daily Express.
1949 Sweet rationing in Britain ended.
Birthdays: Sir Clement Freud, writer and broadcaster, 82; Shirley Maclaine, actress, 72; Barbra Streisand, singer and actress, 64; Stuart Pearce, manager of Manchester City, 44.
TUESDAY APRIL 25
1859 Work began on building Suez Canal.
Birthdays: William Roache, from Coronation Street, 74; Al Pacino, actor, 66; Eric Bristow, British darts player, 49; Renee Zellweger, actress, 37.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 26
1964 First Rolling Stones album released.
1986 Radioactive material leaked from a damaged nuclear reactor at Chernobyl.
Birthdays: David Coleman, ex-sports commentator, 80; Duanne Eddy, musician, 68; Roger Taylor, of Duran Duran, 46.
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