FRIDAY JUNE 29 1855 First edition of The Daily Telegraph published. 1960 The BBC opened Television Centre at White City. 1966 First credit card issued in Britain. 1997 Mike Tyson was disqualified in a world heavyweight title contest after biting Evander

FRIDAY JUNE 29

1855 First edition of The Daily Telegraph published.

1960 The BBC opened Television Centre at White City.

1966 First credit card issued in Britain.

1997 Mike Tyson was disqualified in a world heavyweight title contest after biting Evander Holyfield's ear.

Deaths: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet, 1861; Jayne Mansfield, actress, 1967; Lana Turner, actress, 1995; Katharine Hepburn, actress, 2003.

Today's birthdays: Rosa Mota, marathon runner, 54; Amanda Donohoe, actress, 45.

SATURDAY JUNE 30

1936 First edition of Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone With the Wind published.

1997 British colonial rule came to end in Hong King after 156 years.

2000 The £1.3 million Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground was opened in Kensington Gardens.

Deaths: Chet Atkins, musician and producer, 2001.

Today's birthdays: Tony Hatch, composer, 68; Rupert Graves, actor, 44; Mike Tyson, ex-heavyweight world champion, 41; Ralf Schumacher, Formula 1 racing driver, 32.

SUNDAY JULY 1

1858 Charles Darwin presented his paper On the Origin of the Species to the Linnaean Society in London.

1916 The First World War Battle of the Somme began.

1937 The 999 emergency service was launched.

1977 Virginia Wade became Wimbledon ladies singles champion.

1991 The last vestige of the Cold War ended when the Warsaw Pack was disbanded.

2001 David Trimble resigned as First Minister of Northern Ireland.

Deaths: Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1896; Juan Peron, President of Argentina, 1974; Robert Mitchum, actor, 1997; Guy Mitchell, singer, 1999; Walter Matthau, actor, 2000; Marlon Brando, actor, 2004.

Today's birthdays: Deborah Harry, of Blondie, 62; Dan Aykroyd, actor, 55; Carl Lewis, Olympic sprint champion, 46; Pamela Anderson, actress, 40; Missy Elliott, singer, 36; Ruud Van Nistelrooy, ex-Manchester United soccer star, 31.

MONDAY JULY 2

1900 The Paris Metro underground system opened.

1924 The Government rejected the idea of a Channel Tunnel.

1938 Helen Willis Moody won a record eighth Wimbledon title.

1964 US President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill prohibiting racial discrimination.

1985 The Church of England approved the ordination of women deacons.

2003 Russian millionaire Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea Football Club.

Deaths: Amelia Earhart, aviator, 1927; Ernest Hemingway, author of For Whom the Bells Toll and Death in the Afternoon, 1961; Betty Grable, actress, 1973; Vladimar Nabokov, author of Lolita, 1977; James Stewart, Hollywood legend, 1997; Joey Dunlop, motorcycling world champion, 2000; Fred Truman, England Test cricket pace bowler, 2006.

Today's birthday: Lord David Owen, politician, 69; Kenneth Clarke, ex-Tory Chancellor, 67; Jerry Hall, model and ex-wife of Mick Jagger, 51; Peter Kay, comedian, 34.

TUESDAY JULY 3

1936 Fred Perry won the men's singles title at Wimbledon for the third year running.

1938 The Mallard locomotive set a speed record of 126mph.

1944 Evacuation of London's children began after the introduction of V1 bomb.

1954 Food rationing came to end in Britain.

1967 ITN launched News at Ten.

Deaths: Brian Jones, of the Rolling Stones, 1969; Jim Morrison, of The Doors, 1971.

Today's birthdays: Ken Russell, director, 80; Tom Stoppard, playwright, 70; Sian Lloyd, weather presenter, 59; Tom Cruise, actor, 45.

WEDNESDAY JULY 4

1848 The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

1892 James Keir Hardie became Britain's first Socialist MP.

1968 Alec Rose completed his single-handed round-the-world voyage when he landed at Portsmouth.

1969 Ann Jones became Wimbledon ladies singles champion when she defeated Billie Jean King.

1977 Tommy Docherty was sacked as Manchester United manager.

1996 Boris Yeltsin was re-elected president of Russia.

Deaths: Thomas Jefferson, US President, 1826; Marie Curie, scientist, 1934; Barry White, soul singer, 2003.

Today's birthdays: Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress, 80; Adam Hart-Davis, broadcaster and writer, 64; Jenny Seagrove, actress, 49; Neil Morrissey, actor and Bob the Builder, 45; Jo Whiley, broadcaster, 42.

THURSDAY JULY 5

1948 The National Health Service came into operation.

1974 Don Revie became England's soccer manager.

1991 The Bank of England ordered the closure of the Bank of Commerce and Credit International (BCCI).

Deaths: Thomas Stamford Raffles, English administrator who set up the city-state of Singapore, 1781.

Today's birthdays: Huey Lewis, vocalist with Huey Lewis and the News, 57; Elizabeth Emanuel, dress designer, 54; Gianfranco Zola, ex-Chelsea soccer star, 41; Shane Filan, of Westlife, 28.