THURSDAY MARCH 30 1964 Mods and Rockers clashed on Clacton beach. 1974 Red Rum won his second Grand National. 1997 Channel 5 began broadcasting. Birthdays: Tom Sharpe, author of Porterhouse Blue, 78; Rolf Harris, entertainer and artist, 76; Warren Beatty,

THURSDAY MARCH 30 1964 Mods and Rockers clashed on Clacton beach. 1974 Red Rum won his second Grand National. 1997 Channel 5 began broadcasting. Birthdays: Tom Sharpe, author of Porterhouse Blue, 78; Rolf Harris, entertainer and artist, 76; Warren Beatty, actor, 69; Eric Clapton, guitarist, 61; Piers Morgan, ex-editor of the Daily Mirror, 41; Celine Dion, singer, 38. FRIDAY MARCH 31 1911 The Government proposed a maximum 60-hour working week for shop staff. 1978 Red Rum's retirement announced. Birthdays: Richard Chamberlain, actor, 70; Sir David Steel, ex-Liberal Party leader, 68; Al Gore, ex-US vice-president, 58; Ewan MacGregor, actor, 35. SATURDAY APRIL 1 1918 The RAF set up. 1970 Last Beatles recording session took place. 1971 The Daily Mail produced as a broadsheet newspaper for the last time. 1973 Value Added Tax (VAT) replaced purchase tax. Birthdays: Ali McGraw, actress, 68; David Gower, ex-England Test cricket captain, 49; Phillip Schofield, television presenter, 44. SUNDAY APRIL 2 1962 Panda crossings introduced in London. 1977 Red Rum won the Grand National for the third time. Birthdays: Penelope Keith, actress, 66; Sue Townsend, author of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, 60; Paul Gambaccini, broadcaster, 57; Linford Christie, ex-British Olympic sprinter, 46. MONDAY APRIL 3 1976 Britain won the Eurovision Song Contest with Brotherhood of Man. 1978 Radio broadcasts began from the House of Commons. Birthdays: Doris Day, singer and actress, 82; Tony Benn, ex-Labour MP, 81; Eddie Murphy, actor, 45. TUESDAY APRIL 4 1931 First airmail left Australia for England. 1949 Nato was set up. 1981 Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest with Making Your Mind Up. 1988 Last edition of Crossroads broadcast. Birthdays: Graham Norton, television presenter, 43; Robert Downey Jr, actor, 41. WEDNESDAY APRIL 5 1955 Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister. 1976 Harold Wilson resigned as Prime Minister. 1997 The Grand National posponed after a bomb threat. Birthdays: Colin Powell, ex-US Secretary of State, 69; Jane Asher, actress, 60.