FRIDAY MAY 4 1896 First edition of the Daily Mail published. 1904 Work began on the Panama Canal. 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. 1982 HMS Sheffield was sunk by an Exocet missile in the Falklands War. 1990 Latvia declared its independ

FRIDAY MAY 4

1896 First edition of the Daily Mail published.

1904 Work began on the Panama Canal.

1979 Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister.

1982 HMS Sheffield was sunk by an Exocet missile in the Falklands War.

1990 Latvia declared its independence from the USSR.

Deaths: Diana Dors, actress, 1984.

Today's birthdays: Eric Sykes, comedian, 84; Michael Barrymore, television presenter, 55; Jay Aston, from Buck's Fizz, 46.

SATURDAY MAY 5

1821 First edition of the Manchester Guardian published.

1912 First edition of the Russian newspaper Pravda published.

1980 The SAS stormed the Iranian Embassy in London to end a hostage situation.

2000 Ken Livingstone became Mayor of London.

Deaths: Napoleon Bonaparte, French emperor, 1821.

Today's birthdays: Michael Palin, ex-Monty Python and traveller, 64; Richard E Grant, actor, 50; James Cracknell, British Olympic rower, 35; Craig David, singer, 26.

SUNDAY MAY 6

1910 George V became King after the death of Edward VII.

1937 The German airship Hindenburg caught fire over New Jersey, killing 36 passengers.

1954 Roger Bannister ran a mile un under four minutes.

1960 Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.

1961 Tottenham Hotspur completed the double of League champions and FA Cup winners.

1974 West German Chancellor Willy Brandt resigned.

1994 The Channel Tunnel was officially opened.

Deaths: Edward VII, 1910; Marlene Dietrich, singer and actress, 1992; Johnny Morris, presenter of Animal Magic, 1999.

Today's birthdays: Tony Blair, Prime Minister, 54; George Clooney, actor, 47.

MONDAY MAY 7

1765 HMS Victory was launched.

1915 The liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine.

1928 Women between the ages of 21 and 30 were given the vote.

1960 Leonid Brezhnev became President of the USSR.

1973 Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their investigation of the Watergate scandal.

1995 Jacques Chirac became President of France.

Deaths: Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Hollywood actor, 2000.

Today's birthdays: Nicholas Hynter, director of the Royal National Theatre, 51; Kate Lawler, Big Brother winner, 27.

TUESDAY MAY 8

1946 The Government pledged £380 million to build 20 new towns.

1970 The Beatles' last album, Let it Be, was released.

1981 Ken Livingstone became leader of the Greater London Council.

1984 The Thames Barrier was officially opened.

1984 The USSR decided to boycott the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

1990 Estonia declared its independence from the USSR.

Deaths: John Stuart Mill, philosopher, 1873; Paul Gauguin, French painter, 1903; Henry Gordon Selfridge, department store pioneer, 1947; George Peppard, actor, 1994; Sir Dirk Bogarde, actor, 1999.

Today's birthdays: Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and broadcaster, 81; Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, 67; Norman Lamont, ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer, 64; Gary Glitter, glam rock star, 63.

WEDNESDAY MAY 9

1940 The RAF began night bombing over Germany.

1974 Impeachment proceedings began against President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.

1981 The 100th FA Cup Final was played between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Wembley.

Deaths: Tensing Norgay, conqueror of Everest, 1986.

Today's birthdays: Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, 87; Alan Bennett, playwright, 73; Albert Finney, actor, 71; Glenda Jackson, Oscar-winning actress and Labour MP, 71; Billy Joel, singer-songwriter, 58; Matthew Kelly, television presenter, 57.

THURSDAY MAY 10

1940 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned and was succeeded by Winston Churchill.

1967 Compulsory breath tests were introduced.

1981 Francois Mitterand became President of France.

1994 Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa.

Deaths: Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson, American civil war general, 1863; Sir Henry Morton Stanley, explorer, 1904; Joan Crawford, actress, 1977.

Today's birthdays: Bert Weedon, guitarist, 87; Barbara Taylor Bradford, author of A Woman of Substance, 74; Maureen Lipman, actress, 61; Bono, singer with U2, 47; Jonathan Edwards, British Olympic champion, 41.