FRIDAY APRIL 1937 The aircraft carrier Ark Royal was launched. 1949 First Badminton Horse Trials held. 1975 Wales international John Charles joined Juventus in a £65,000 transfer deal. Deaths: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, 1912; Steve Marr

FRIDAY APRIL

1937 The aircraft carrier Ark Royal was launched.

1949 First Badminton Horse Trials held.

1975 Wales international John Charles joined Juventus in a £65,000 transfer deal.

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

Today's birthdays: Leslie Phillips, actor, 83; Peter Snow, BBC political expert, 69; Ryan O'Neal, actor, 66; Jessica Lange, actress, 58; Sebastian Faulks, authot of Birdsong, 54.

SATURDAY APRIL 21

1509 Henry VIII became King.

1964 BBC2 was launched

1970 Soccer star Bobby Charlton made his 100th appearance for England.

1983 The new £1 coin went into circulation.

1999 The Millennium Wheel - the London Eye - receivied planning permission.

Deaths: Mark Twain, author of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1910; John Maynard Keynes, economist, 1918; Sandy Denny, of Fairport Convention, 1978; Nina Simone, singer, 2003.

Today's birthdays: John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, 84; Elizabeth II, 81; Andie MacDowell, actress, 49; Nicholas Lyndhurst, from Only Fools and Horses, 46.

SUNDAY APRIL 22

1947 First use of a photo-finish camera, at Epsom.

1969 The QE2 left on its maiden voyage.

Deaths: Richard Nixon, US President, 1994.

Today's birthdays: George Cole, from Minder, 82; Jack Nicholson, actor, 70; Gary Rhodes, celebrity chef, 47; Lloyd Honeyghan, boxer, 47.

MONDAY APRIL 23

1923 Opening of the Moscow underground.

1932 The New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened in Startford-upon-Avon.

1984 The discovery of HIV was announced in the US.

Deaths: William Shakespeare, playwright, 1616; Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, 1616; William Wordsworth, poet, 1850; Rupert Brooke, war poet, 1915; Denis Compton, England Test cricket legend, 1997; Sir John Mills, actor, 2005.

Today's birthdays: Shirley Temple-Black, ex-Hollywood child star, 79; Lee Majors, once The Six Million Dollar Man, 66; Michael Moore, creator of Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, 53.

TUESDAY APRIL 24

1900 First edition of the Daily Express published.

1949 Sweet rationing in Britain came to an end.

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

1993 An IRA bomb exploded in the City of London causing damage estimated at £1 billion.

Deaths: Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, 1731; Bud Abbott, part of comedy team Abbott and Costello, 1974; William Hartnell, the original Dr Who, 1975; The Duchess of Windsor, 1986; Estee Lauder, cosmetic pioneer, 2004.

Today's birthdays: Sir Clement Frued, writer and broadcaster, 83; Shirley Maclaine, actress, 73; Barbara Streisand, singer, 65; Stuart Pearce, Manchester City FC boss, 45; Lee Westwood, golfer, 34.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 25

1859 Work began on the Suez Canal

1981 Paul McCartney disbanded his group Wings.

2000 Eleven million telephone numbers changed as part of BT's Big Number Change.

Deaths: Anna Sewell, author of Black Beauty, 1878; Ginger Rogers, once the dance partner of Fred Astaire, 1995.

Today's birthdays: William Roache, from Coronation Street, 75; Al Pacino, actor, 67; Bjorn Ulvaeus, once of Abba, 62; Johann Cruyff, Dutch soccer legend, 60; Eric Bristow, darts player, 50; Renee Zellweger, actress, 38.

THURSDAY APRIL 26

1962 First British satellite launched.

1964 First Rolling Stone album released.

1986 Radioactive material leaked from a damaged nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine.

Deaths: Sid James, Carry On star, 1976; Count Basie, jazz musician, 1984; Lucille Ball, comedienne, 1989; Jill Dando, television presenter, 1999.

Today's birthdays: David Coleman, ex-BBC sports commentator, 81; Duanne Eddy, country musician, 69; Koo Stark, ex-girlfriend of Prince Andrew, 51.