THURSDAY MARCH 9 1961 Russia sent a dog, Laika, into space on board Sputnik 9. 1994 Ray Illingworth became chairman of the England Test cricket selectors. 1996 Will Carling quit as captain of England's Rugby Union side. Birthdays: Bobby Fischer, chess cha

THURSDAY MARCH 9 1961 Russia sent a dog, Laika, into space on board Sputnik 9. 1994 Ray Illingworth became chairman of the England Test cricket selectors. 1996 Will Carling quit as captain of England's Rugby Union side. Birthdays: Bobby Fischer, chess champion, 63; Juliette Binoche, actress, 42; Martin Johnson, ex-England Rugby World Cup captain, 36. FRIDAY MARCH 10 1906 The Bakerloo Line opened on the London Underground. 1969 James Earl Ray jailed for 99 years for murdering civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Birthdays: Sharon Stone, actress, 48; Prince Edward, 42; Eva Herzigova, supermodel, 33. SATURDAY MARCH 11 1702 First English newspaper - The Daily Courant - published. 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the USSR. 1988 The Bank of England replaced pound notes with pound coins. Birthdays: Rupert Murdoch, media mogul, 75; Nigel Lawson, ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer, 74; Shane Richie, from EastEnders, 42. SUNDAY MARCH 12 1993 BBC annouced it was to scrap the soap drama Eldorado. 1994 First women priests inducted into the Church of England. Birthdays: Liza Minnelli, actress and singer, 60; James Taylor, singer-songwriter, 58; David Mellor, broadcaster and ex-Cabinet minister, 57. MONDAY MARCH 13 1873 The Scottish FA set up. 1947 Midweek sport banned by the Government. Birthdays: Neil Sedaka, singer-songwriter, 67; Gary Newbon, sports commentator, 61; Linda Robson, from Birds of a Feather, 48. TUESDAY MARCH 14 1951 First appearance of Dennis the Menace in The Beano. 1964 The UK Top 10 was made up entirely of British acts. Birthdays: Sir Michael Caine, actor, 73; Quincy Jones, record producer, 73; Jasper Carrott, comedian, 61; Billy Crystal, actor, 59; Jamie Bell, actor, 20. WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 1956 The stage version of My Fair Lady opened in New York. 1998 The Angel of the North erected. Birthdays: Frank Dobson, ex-Health Secretary, 66; Mike Love, from the Beach Boys, 65; Ry Cooder, guitarist, 59.