April 18-24 Friday April 18 1881 The Natural History Museum was opened in London. 1949 First Bob-a-Job Week launched. 1965 Mods and Rockers clashed in Brighton. 1981 First demonstration of a CD player. Today s birthdays: Hayley Mills, actress, 62; James

April 18-24

Friday April 18

1881 The Natural History Museum was opened in London.

1949 First Bob-a-Job Week launched.

1965 Mods and Rockers clashed in Brighton.

1981 First demonstration of a CD player.

Today's birthdays: Hayley Mills, actress, 62; James Woods, actor, 61.

Deaths: Albert Einstein, scientist, 1955.

Saturday April 19

1951 First Miss World contest held, in London.

1958 Bobby Charlton made his debut for England.

1991 Dr George Carey became Archbishop of Canterbury.

Births: Malcolm X, civil rights leader, 1925; Jayne Mansfield, actress, 1933; Dudley Moore, comedian, 1935.

Today's birthdays: Michel Roux, chef, 67; Alan Price, singer-songwriter, 66; Tim Curry, actor, 62; Sue Barker, host of A Question of Sport, 52; Kelly Holmes, Britain's Olympic golden girl, 38.

Deaths: Lord Byron, poet, 1824; Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister, 1881; Charles Darwin, biologist, 1882; Daphne Du Maurier, novelist, 1989; Frankie Howerd, comedian, 1992; Norris McWhirter, creator of the Guinness Book of Records, 2004.

Sunday April 20

1931 A Bill was passed allowing cinema to open on Sundays.

1949 First Badminton Horse Trials held.

1957 John Charles was transferred from Leeds United to Juventus for £65,000.

Births: Adolf Hitler, Nazi leader, 1889; Harold Lloyd, Hollywood silent movie star, 1893.

Today's birthdays: Leslie Phillips, actor, 84; Peter Snow, television presenter, 70; Ryan O'Neal, actor, 67; Jessica Lange, actress, 59; Sebastian Faulks, author of Birdsong, 55; Nicholas Lyndhurst, from Olny Fools and Horses, 47.

Deaths: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, 1912; Steve Marriott, of the Small Faces, 1991.

Monday April 21

1509 Henry VIII became king.

1960 Brasilia became the capital of Brazil.

1964 The BBC launched Play School.

1970 Bobby Charlton made his 100th appearance for England.

1989 More than 10,000 Chinese students gathered in Tianamen Square.

Births: Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre, 1816.

Today Birthdays: John Mortimer, barrister and writer, 85; Elizabeth II, 82; Andie MacDowell, actress, 50; James McAvoy, actor, 29.

Deaths: Mark Twain, author of Tom Sawyer, 1910; John Maynard Keynes, economist, 1918; Sandy Deny, singer, 1978; Nina Simone, singer, 2003.

Tuesday April 22

1962 The QEII left on its maiden voyage.

1993 Teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered in south London.

Births: Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones, 1707; Nikolai Lenin, Russian revolutionary, 1870; J Arthur Rank, British movie studio pioneer, 1888; Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, 1899; J Robert Oppenheimer, physicist, 1904; Yehudi Menuhin, violinist, 1916.

Today's birthdays: George Cole, actor, 83; Jack Nicholson, actor, 71; Peter Frampton, musician, 58; Gary Rhodes, television chef, 48.

Deaths: Richard Nixon, US President, 1994.

Wednesday April 23

1932 The New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened at Stratford-upon-Avon.

1968 First decimal coins issued in Britain.

Births: William Shakespeare, playwright, 1564; Joseph Turner, painter, 1775: Roy Orbison, singer-songwriter, 1936.

Today's birthdays: Shirley Temple-Black, child star turned diplomat, 80; Lee Majors, once The Six Million Dollar Man, 67; Michael Moore, director of Bowling for Columbine, 54.

Deaths: William Shakespeare, playwright, 1616; William Wordsworth, poet, 1850; Rupert Brooke, war poet, 1915; Denis Compton, England Test cricket batsman, 1997; John Mills, actor, 2005; Boris Yeltsin, Russian president, 2007.

Thursday April 24

1900 First edition of the Daily Express published.

1949 Sweet rationing came to end in Britain.

1966 Myra Hindley and Ian Brady went on trial for the Moors murders.

Births: Anthony Trollope, author of The Barchester Chronicles, 1815.

Today's birthdays: Sir Clement Freud, writer and broadcaster, 84; Shirley Maclaine, actress, 74; Barbra Streisand, singer and actress, 66; Lee Westwood, golfer, 35.

Deaths: Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, 1731; Bud Abbott, comedian, 1974; the Duchess of Windsor, 1986; Estee Lauder, cosmetics pioneer, 2004; Alan Ball, England 1966 World Cup hero, 2007.