FRIDAY MARCH 30 1964 Mods and Rockers clashed on Brighton beach. 1974 Red Rum won his second Grand National. 1997 Channel 5 began broadcasting. Deaths: Airey Neave, British politician, 1979; James Cagney, Hollywood actor, 1986; Tony Lock, En

FRIDAY MARCH 30

1964 Mods and Rockers clashed on Brighton beach.

1974 Red Rum won his second Grand National.

1997 Channel 5 began broadcasting.

Deaths: Airey Neave, British politician, 1979; James Cagney, Hollywood actor, 1986; Tony Lock, England Test cricket spin bowler, 1995; Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, 2002; Alistair Cooke, journalist who broadcast Letter From America for 58 years, 2004.

Today's birthdays: Tom Sharpe, author of Wilt and Porterhouse Blue, 79; Rolf Harris, artist and television presenter, 77; Warren Beatty, actor, 70; Eric Clapton, singer-songwriter, 62; MC Hammer, rap artist, 45; Piers Morgan, ex-editor of the Daily Mirror, 42; Celine Dion, singer, 39; Chris Paterson, Scotland Rugby Union captain, 29; Norah Jones, singer, 28.

SATURDAY MARCH 31

1943 Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma opened in the US.

1959 The Dalai Lama escaped from Chinese-occupied Tibet.

1986 Fire damaged Hampton Court.

Deaths: John Donne, poet, 1631; Charlotte Bronte, novelist, 1855; Jesse Owens, US Olympic hero, 1980; Barry Took, comedian and scriptwriter, 2002.

SUNDAY APRIL 1

1742 The ruins of Pompeii were unearthed.

1908 The Territorial Army came into existence.

1935 Green Belt legislation was introduced.

1960 The US launched the weather satellite Tiros I.

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

1973 Value Added Tax (VAT) replaced Purchase Tax and Selective Employment Tax.

Deaths: Scott Joplin, composer of The Entertainer, 1917; Helena Rubenstein, cosmetic pioneer, 1965; Marvin Gaye, singer-songwriter, 1984.

Today's birthdays: Debbie Reynolds, actress, 75; Ali McGraw, actress, 69; Jimmy Cliff, singer-songwriter, 59; David Gower, ex-England Test cricket captain, 50; Phillip Schofield, television presenter, 45; Chris Evans, broadcaster, 41.

MONDAY APRIL 2

1912 The liner Titanic began sea trials.

1962 Panda crossings were introduced in London.

1969 Frank Sinatra's My Way entered the charts - and remain there for 122 weeks.

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

1982 Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands.

Deaths: C S Forrester, author of the Hornblower novels, 1966; Georges Pompidou, President of France, 1974; Lord Hartwell, chairman and editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph, 2001; Edwin Starr, soul singer, 2003; Pope John Paul II, 2005.

Today's birthdays: Jack Brabham, ex-Grand Prix world champion racing driver, 81; Penelope Keith, actress, 67; Sue Townsend, author of Adrian Mole books, 61; Emmylou Harris, country singer, 60; Paul Gamaccini, broadcaster, 58; Linford Christie, British Olympic sprinter, 47; Teddy Sheringham, West Ham United soccer star, 41.

TUESDAY APRIL 3

1721 Robert Walpole became Britain's first Prime Minister.

1860 The US Pony Express service began running.

1978 Radio broadcasts from the House of Commons began.

Deaths: Jesse James, outlaw, 1882;Johannes Brahms, German composer, 1897; Richard D'Oyly Carte, impresario, 1901; Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer, 1990; Graham Greene, author of Brighton Rock and The Power and the Glory, 1991; Lionel Bart, composer of Oliver, 1999.

Today's birthdays: Doris Day, singer and actress, 83; Tony Benn, ex-Labour rebel MP, 82; Helmut Kohl, ex-German Chancellor, 77; Alec Baldwin, actor, 49; Eddie Murphy, actor, 46.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 4

1939 The Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded Moonlight Serenade.

1949 Nato was set up in Washington.

1957 The Government announced it would be ending National Service.

1959 First screening of Juke Box Jury.

1988 The soap opera Crossroads ended after 4,510 episodes.

Deaths: Karl Benz, German car engineer, 1929; Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, 1968; Gloria Swanson, actress, 1983.

Today's birthdays: Jonathan Agnew, cricket commentator, 47; Graham Norton, television presenter, 44; Robert Downey Jr, actor, 42; David Blaine, illusionist, 34.

THURSDAY APRIL 5

1902 A stand collapsed at Ibrox Park, killing 26 people and injuring more than 500.

1939 Britain's largest aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious, was launched.

1955 Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister and was succeed by Anthony Eden.

1976 Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigned and was succeeded by James Callaghan.

1997 The Grand National at Aintree was postponed after a bomb threat.

Deaths: Lord Carnavon, archaeologist, 1923; Howard Hughes, US billionaire, 1976; Sir Arthur (Bomber) Harris, British commander of the RAF during the Second World War, 1983; Kurt Cobain, singer-songwriter, 1994; Allen Ginsberg, poet, 1997; Gene Pitney, singer, 2006.

Today's birthdays: Colin Powell, ex-US Secretary of State, 70; Allen Clarke, of The Hollies, 65; Jane Asher, actress and cake-baker, 61; Agnetha Faltskog, once of Abba, 57; Janice Long, broadcaster, 52.