THURSDAY January 18 1919 The Versailles Peace Conference opened. 1944 The German siege of Leningrad came to an end. 1978 Geoffrey Boycott became captain of the England Test cricket team. Births: AA Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, 1882; Ar

THURSDAY January 18

1919 The Versailles Peace Conference opened.

1944 The German siege of Leningrad came to an end.

1978 Geoffrey Boycott became captain of the England Test cricket team.

Births: AA Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, 1882; Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows and Amazons, 1884; Oliver Hardy, part of Laurel and Hardy, 1892; Cary Grant, actor, 1904; Danny Kaye, actor and entertainer, 1913.

Deaths: Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, 1936; Hugh Gaitskell, Labour Party leader, 1963.

Today's Birthdays: David Bellamy, botanist, 74; Raymond Briggs, author of The Snowman, 73; Kevin Costner, actor, 52; Jane Horrocks, actress, 43; Richard Dunwoody, jockey, 43.

FRIDAY January 19

1840 Captain Charles Wilkes discovered the coast of Antarctica.

1915 A German Zeppelin bombed the east coast of England.

Births: Edgar Allen Poe, author and poet, 1809; Paul Cezanne, French impressionist painter, 1839; Matthew Webb, English Channel swimmer, 1848; Robert Palmer, singer-songwriter, 1949.

Deaths: Carl Perkins, rock-n-roll legend, 1998; Wilson Picket, soul singer, 2006.

Birthdays: Phil Everly, one of the Everly Brothers, 68; Michael Crawford, actor, 65; Dolly Parton, country singer, 61; Sir Simon Rattle, conductor, 52; Jensen Button, Formula 1 racing driver, 26.

SATURDAY January 20

1265 First English Parliament met in Westminster Hall.

1855 Opening of the Mersey Tunnel.

1958 First radar speed checks introduced in Britain.

1980 The US decided to boycott the Moscow Olympics.

1981 Fifty-two American hostages released in Tehran.

1986 Britain and France decided to build a Channel tunnel.

1987 Terry Waite disappeared on a peace mission in Beirut.

1999 Paddy Ashdown quit as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Births: George Burns, comedian, 1896; Roy Plomley, creator of Desert Island Discs, 1914; Frederico Fellini, Italian movie director, 1920.

Deaths: King George V, 1936; Johnny Weissmuller, actor who played Tarzan, 1984; Audrey Hepburn, actress, 1993; Sir Matt Busby, boss of Manchester United, 1994.

Today's birthdays: Edwin Aldrin, US astronaut, 77; The Countess of Wessex, wife of Prince Edward, 42; Gary Barlow, once of Take That, 36; Will Young, Pop Idol winner, 28.

SUNDAY January 21

1911 First Monte Carlo Rally.

1935 Snowdonia became a National Park.

1936 Edward VIII proclaimed King.

1954 First nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, launched.

Births: Stonewall Jackson, American Civil War general, 1824; Christian Dior, designer, 1905; Benny Hill, comedian, 1924.

Deaths: Vladimir Ilyich Ultanov Lenin, Russian leader, 1924; George Orwell, author, 1950; Cecil B de Mille, Hollywood director, 1959; Jackie Wilson, singer-songwriter, 1984.

Today's birthdays: Jack Nicklaus, golf legend, 67; Placido Domingo, opera singer, 66; Billy Ocean, singer-songwriter, 57; Emma Bunton, ex-Spice Girl, 1976; Brian O'Driscoll, Ireland rugby captain, 28.

MONDAY January 22

1924 Ramsay McDonald became Prime Minister.

1973 George Foreman became world heavyweight boxing champion.

Births: Lord Byron, writer and poet, 1775; Sam Cooke, singer-songwriter, 1931; Michael Hutchence, singer-songwriter, 1960.

Deaths: Queen Victoria, 1901; Mike Hawthorn, Grand Prix racing driver, 1959; Lyndon B Johnson, US President, 1973.

Today's birthdays: John Hurt, actor, 67; Malcolm McLaren, ex-manager of the Sex Pistols, 61.

TUESDAY January 23

1901 Edward VII proclaimed King.

1970 First jumbo jet landed at Heathrow.

1985 First television broadcast from the House of Lords.

Births: Sergei Eisenstein, director of Battleship Potemkin, 1898; Bob Paisley, manager of Liverpool FC, 1919.

Deaths: William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister, 1806; Anna Pavlova, ballerina, 1931; Edvard Munch, painter, 1944; Paul Robeson, actor and singer, 1976; Salvador Dali, painter, 1989; Johnny Carson, US chat show host, 2005.

WEDNESDAY January 24

1924 The Russian city of St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad.

1962 Brian Epstein became manager of The Beatles.

1972 The Tutankhamen treasures arrived in Britain.

1986 News International unveiled plans to move The Sun and The Times to Wapping.

Births: Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, 1712.

Deaths: Winston Churchill, British statesman and war-time leaders, 1965.

Today's birthdays: Desmond Morris, zoologist, 79; Bamber Gascoigne, once presenter of University Challenge, 72; Neil Diamond, singer-songwriter, 66; Jools Holland, musician, 49; Vic Reeves, comedian, 48.