CROW ANNIVERSARIES MARCH 28 – APRIL 3 Friday March 28 1939 The Spanish Civil War came to an end. 1968 The rock musical Hair opened on Broadway. 2003 Brighton s West Pier collapsed after a major blaze. Births: Dirk Bogarde, actor, 1921. Today s birthdays:

CROW ANNIVERSARIES

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3

Friday March 28

1939 The Spanish Civil War came to an end.

1968 The rock musical Hair opened on Broadway.

2003 Brighton's West Pier collapsed after a major blaze.

Births: Dirk Bogarde, actor, 1921.

Today's birthdays: Michael Parkinson, chat show host, 73; Neil Kinnock, ex-leader of the Labour Party, 66; Richard Eyre, ex-director of the Royal National Theatre, 65; Nasser Hussain, England Test cricket captain, 40.

Deaths: Virginia Woolf, novelist, 1941; Sergei Rachmaninov, Russian composer, 1943; Dwight D Eisenhower, US President, 1969; Anthony Powell, novelist, 2000; Sir Peter Ustinov, actor and writer, 2004; Caspar Weinberger, ex-US Defence Secretary, 2006.

Saturday March 29

1871 Queen Victoria opened the Albert Hall in London.

1928 Women over the age of 21 were given the vote in the Equal Franchise Bill.

1973 The last US troops left Vietnam.

1983 First laptop computer was launched in the US.

Today's birthdays: Norman Tebbit, ex-Conservative minister, 77; John Major, ex-Prime Minister, 65; Elle Macpherson, super model, 44.

Deaths: Charles Wesley, evangelist, 1788; J Arthur Rank, movie studio pioneer, 1972.

Sunday March 30

1964 Mods and Rockers clashed on Clacton beach.

1974 Red Rum won his second Grand National.

1978 Saatchi & Saatchi were hired as the Conservative party's advertising agency.

1997 Channel 5 began broadcasting.

2002 The Queen Mother died at the age of 101.

Births: Anna Sewell, author of Black Beauty, 1820; Vincent Van Gogh, painter, 1853.

Today's birthdays: Tom Sharpe, author of Porterhouse Blue, 80; Rolf Harris, entertainer, 78; Warren Beatty, actor, 71; Eric Clapton, singer-songwriter, 63; MC Hammer, rap artist, 46; Piers Morgan, ex-editor of the Daily Mirror, 43; Celine Dion, singer, 40.

Monday March 31

1943 The opening of the musical Oklahoma.

1959 The Dalai Lama escaped from Chinese occupied Tibet.

1986 Fire caused severe damage at Hampton Court.

Births: Joseph Haydn, composer, 1732; John Fowles, author of The French Lieutenant's Woman, 1926.

Today's birthdays: Richard Chamberlain, actor, 74; Sir David Steel, Liberal politician, 70; Christopher Walken, actor, 65; Al Gore, ex-US vice-president, 60; Robbie Coltrane, actor and comedian, 58; Ewan McGregor, actor, 37.

Deaths: John Donne, poet, 1631; John Constable, painter, 1837; Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre, 1855; Jesse Owens, US Olympic sprint champion, 1980; Barry Took, comedian and scriptwriter, 2002.

Tuesday April 1

1908 The Territorial Army came into existence.

1935 Green Belt legislation was introduced in a bid to halt indiscriminate building on parts of the countryside.

1947 Britain's school leaving age was raised to 15.

1971 The Daily Mail appeared for the last time as a broadsheet paper.

1973 Value Added Tax replaced Purchase Tax and Selective Employment Tax.

2000 An Enigma decoding machine was stolen from Bletchley Park.

Births: Otto Von Bismark, German chancellor, 1815.

Today's birthdays: David Gower, ex-England Test batsman, 51; Phillip Schofield, television presenter, 46; Chris Evans, broadcaster, 42.

Deaths: Scott Joplin, jazz composer, 1917; Max Ernst, German surrealist painter, 1976; Marvin Gaye, singer-songwriter, 1984.

Tuesday April 2

1912 The Titanic began sea trials.

1962 Panda crossings were introduced in London.

1977 Red Rum won the Grand National for a third time.

1977 Charlotte Brew became the first woman jockey to ride in the Grand National.

1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.

Births: Hans Christian Anderson, children's author, 1805; Sir Alec Guinness, actor, 1914; Kenneth Tynan, drama critic, 1927; Marvin Gaye, singer-songwriter, 1939.

Today's birthdays: Penelope Keith, actress, 68; Sue Townsend, creator of Adrian Mole, 62; Emmylou Harris, country singer, 61; Paul Gambaccini, broadcaster, 59; Linford Christie, British sprinter, 48.

Deaths: Georges Popidou, French president, 1974; Edwin Starr, soul singer, 2003.

Wednesday April 3

1721 Robert Walpole became Britain's first Prime Minister.

1928 The manuscript of Alice in Wonderland sold for £15,400.

1972 Charlie Chaplin returned to the United States after 20 years of self-imposed exile in Switzerland.

1978 Radio broadcasting from the House of Commons started.

Births: Leslie Howard, actor, 1893; Marlon Brando, actor, 1924.

Today's birthdays: Doris Day, actress and singer, 84; Tony Benn, ex-left wing Labour MP, 83; Alec Baldwin, actor, 50; Eddie Murphy, actor, 47.

Deaths: Jessie James, western outlaw, 1882; Johannes Brahms, German composer, 1897; Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer, 1990; Graham Greene, author of Our Man in Havana and The Power and the Glory, 1991; Lionel Bart, composer, 1999.