FRIDAY MAY 25 1923 First 24-hour motor race held at Le Mans. 1927 The Ford Motor Company announced it was to stop making the Model T. 1977 Star Wars went on general release in the United States. 1989 Mikhail Gorbachev was elected President of the USSR.

FRIDAY MAY 25

1923 First 24-hour motor race held at Le Mans.

1927 The Ford Motor Company announced it was to stop making the Model T.

1977 Star Wars went on general release in the United States.

1989 Mikhail Gorbachev was elected President of the USSR.

Deaths: Gustav Holst, composer, 1934; Ismail Merchant, producer of A Room With a View and Remains of the Day, 2005.

Today's birthdays: Sir Ian McKellen, actor, 68; Dave Lee Travis, broadcaster, 62; Paul Weller, singer-songwriter, 49; Mike Myers, creator of Wayne's World, 44; Jonny Wilkinson, England Rugby World Cup hero, 28.

SATURDAY MAY 26

1865 The American Civil War came to an end.

1940 The evacuation of Dunkirk began.

1988 The musical Cats opened in Moscow.

Deaths: Samuel Pepys, English diarist, 1703.

Today's birthdays: Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac, 59; Michael Portillo, ex-Tory MP, 54; Helena Bonham-Carter, actress, 41.

SUNDAY MAY 27

1937 The Golden Gate bridge opened in San Francisco.

1941 The German battleship Bismark was sunk by the Royal Navy.

1993 Norman Lamont resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

2004 England Test cricket captain Nasser Hussain retired from the game.

Today's birthdays: Henry Kissinger, ex-US Secretary of State, 84; Cilla Black, television presenter, 64; Pat Cash, ex-Wimbledon men's champion, 42; Paul Gascoigne, ex-England soccer star, 40;Joseph Fiennes, actor, 37; Denise Van Outen, actress, 33; Jamie Oliver, celebrity chef, 32.

MONDAY MAY 28

1937 Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister.

1951 First broadcast of The Goon Show.

1961 The Orient Express made its last journey from Paris to Bucharest.

1961 Amnesty International was set up.

1967 Sir Francis Chichester completed a single-handed circumnavigation of the world in his yacht Gypsy Moth III.

Deaths: Edward, Duke of Windsor, 1972; Eric Morecambe, comedian, 1984; Roy Plomley, creator of Desert Island Discs, 1985; Lana Morris, actress, 1998.

Today's birthdays: Maeve Binchy, author, 67; Rudolph Giuliani, ex-mayor of New York, 63; Gladys Knight, singer-songwriter, 63; Michelle Collins, actress, 44; David Baddiel, comedian, 43; Kylie Minogue, singer and actress, 39.

TUESDAY MAY 29

1660 Charles II returned to England to claim the throne.

1942 Bing Crosby recorded White Christmas.

1950 First episode of The Archers broadcast.

1953 Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing reached the summit of Everest.

2005 France voted No to the EU constitution.

Deaths: Sir William Gilbert, composer, 1911; Mary Pickford, actress, 1979; Barry Goldwater, US Presidential candidate, 1998; Jack Rosenthal, screenwriter, 2004.

Today's birthdays: Francis Rossi, of Status Quo, 58; Annette Bening, actress, 49; Rupert Everett, actor, 48; Noel Gallagher, of Oasis, 40; Mel B, ex-Spice Girl, 32.

WEDNESDAY MAY 30

1431 Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen.

1966 Racing driver Graham Hill won the Indianapolis 500.

1990 France banned British beef imports due to concerns over mad cow disease.

Deaths: Christopher Marlowe, dramatist, 1593; Peter Paul Rubens, painter, 1640; Wilbur Wright, aviation pioneer, 1912; Boris Pasternak, author of Dr Zhivago, 1960; Claude Rains, actor, 1967; Ted Drake, Arsenal and England soccer legend, 1995; Mickie Most, record producer, 2003.

Today's birthdays: Harry Enfield, comedian, 47; Helen Sharman, British astronaut, 44; Steven Gerrard, Liverpool and England soccer star, 27.

THURSDAY MAY 31

1678 Lady Godiva rode naked through Coventry in a protest over taxes.

1911 The Titanic was launched

1927 The last Model T Ford came off the production line.

1955 A State of Emergency was declared in Britain in the wake of a dock strike.

1985 The FA banned English clubs from playing in Europe in the wake of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

Deaths: Adolf Eichmann, Former SS officer, 1962; Jack Dempsey, legendary heavyweight boxer, 1983.

Today's birthdays: Clint Eastwood, actor and director, 77; John Prescott, deputy Prime Minister, 69; Terry Waite, ex-hostage, 68; Brooke Shields, actress, 42; Colin Farrell, actor, 31.