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.