THURSDAY JANUARY 26 1828 The Duke of Wellington became Prime Minister 1841 Hong Kong proclaimed a British sovereign territory. Birthdays: Paul Newman, actor, 81; Andrew Ridgeley, once of Wham, 43; Jose Mourinho, Chelsea FC boss, 43. TOMORROW JANUARY 27 19

THURSDAY JANUARY 26 1828 The Duke of Wellington became Prime Minister 1841 Hong Kong proclaimed a British sovereign territory. Birthdays: Paul Newman, actor, 81; Andrew Ridgeley, once of Wham, 43; Jose Mourinho, Chelsea FC boss, 43. TOMORROW JANUARY 27 1931 Sunday opening of cinemas declared illegal. 1945 Auschwitz liberated by Russian troops. Birthdays: Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of Harrods, 77; Bridget Fonda, actress, 42. SATURDAY JANUARY 28 1960 Last broadcast of The Goon Show. 1986 The American space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off. 1990 First edition of The Independent on Sunday published. Birthdays: Acker Bilk, jazz musician, 77; Alan Alda, actor, 70; Frank Skinner, comedian and talk show host, 49. SUNDAY JANUARY 29 1942 First broadcast of Desert Island Discs. 1985 Oxford dons refused to give Margaret Thatcher an honorary degree. 1990 All-seater soccer stadiums advocated in The Taylor Report. Birthdays: Phil Everly, one of the Everly Brothers, 67; Tony Blackburn, disc jockey, 63; Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, 52. MONDAY JANUARY 30 1956 Elvis Presley recorded Blue Suede Shoes at the RCA studios in New York. 1965 The state funeral of Winston Churchill took place. Birthdays: Gene Hackman, actor, 75; Vanessa Redgrave, actress, 69; Boris Spassky, ex-world chess champion, 68. TUESDAY JANUARY 31 1958 First US earth satellite, Explorer 1, launched from Cape Canaveral. 1965 Jock Stein became manager of Celtic. Birthdays: Norman Mailer, author of The Naked and the Dead, 83; Phil Collins, singer-songwriter, 55; Minnie Driver, actress, 35; Patrick Kielty, television presenter, 35; Justin Timberlake, singer, 25. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1 1930 First newspaper crossword published, in The Times. 1983 TV-AM began broadcasting. Birthdays: Don Everly, one of the Everly Brothers, 68; Terry Jones, once of Monty Python's Flying Circus, 63.