FRIDAY MAY 11 1812 British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated in the House of Commons. 1927 The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts was set up in Hollywood 1962 Prince Charles started at Gordonstoun school. 1971 The last edition of the Da

FRIDAY MAY 11

1812 British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated in the House of Commons.

1927 The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts was set up in Hollywood

1962 Prince Charles started at Gordonstoun school.

1971 The last edition of the Daily Sketch was published.

2000 The Tate Modern was opened.

Deaths: Bob Marley, singer-songwriter, 1981; Kim Philby, English born Soviet spy, 1988; Douglas Adams, author of the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, 2001.

Today's birthdays: Jeremy Paxman, presenter of Newsnight, 57; Natasha Richardson, actress, 44; John Parrott, snooker player, 43.

SATURDAY MAY 12

1949 Berlin was divided into eastern and western sections.

1951 The US tested an H-bomb on Eniwetok Atoll in the south Pacific.

1982 British troops landed on the Falkland Islands.

1994 First women priests in the Church of England were ordained.

Deaths: John Masefeld, Poet Laureate, 1967; John Smith, leader of the Labour Party, 1994; Perry Como, singer, 2001.

Today's birthdays: Burt Bacharach, composer, 79; Susan Hampshire, actress, 69; Chris Patten, last British governor in Hong Kong, 63; Steve Winwood, singer-songwriter, 59; Gabriel Byrne, actor, 57.

SUNDAY MAY 13

1787 First convict ship set sail from Portsmouth to Australia.

1981 Pope John Paul II was wounded in an assassination attempt.

1998 Chelsea won the European Cup-Winners Cup.

Deaths: Gary Cooper, star of High Noon, 1961; Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, 1988.

Today's birthdays: Joe Brown, entertainer, 66; Tim Piggott-Smith, actor, 61; Zoe Wanamaker, actress, 58; Stevie Wonder, singer-songwriter, 57; Selia Scott, ex-television newscaster, 56; Rosie Boycott, ex-Daily Express editor, 56; Richard Madeley, from Richard and Judy show, 51; Frances Barber, actress, 49.

MONDAY MAY 14

1940 The Home Guard was set up.

1951 In South Africia the Nationalist government voted to disenfranchise coloured people.

1955 The Warsaw Pact between Eastern bloc countries was set up.

1973 Nasa launched the space station Skylab.

2004 Piers Morgan was sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror.

Deaths: Rita Hayworth, Hollywood actress, 1987; William Randolph Hearst, newspaper tycoon, 1993; Laurie Lee, author of Cider With Rosie, 1997; Frank Sinatra, legendary star, 1998.

Today's birthdays: Chay Blythe, yachtsman, 67; George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, 63; Francesca Annis, actress, 63; Cate Blanchett, actress, 38; Sofia Coppola, director, 36; Natalie Appleton, of All Saints, 34

TUESDAY MAY 15

1858 The Royal Opera House opened in Covent Garden.

1862 First baseball stadium opened at the Union Ground in Brooklyn.

1957 Britain exploded a thermonuclear bomb in a test on Christmas Island.

1963 Tottenham Hotspur won the European Cup Winners Cup.

Deaths: June Carter, singer and wife of Johnny Cash, 2003.

Today's birthdays: Ted Dexter, ex-England Test cricketer, 72; Brian Eno, record producer, 59; Mike Oldfield, musician, 54; Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, 26; Andy Murray, British tennis hope, 20.

WEDNESDAY MAY 16

1929 First Academy Awards ceremony took place.

1983 First wheel clamps were introduced Britain.

1998 Arsenal won the FA Cup and Premiership double.

Deaths: Django Reinhardt, jazz guitarist, 1953; Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, 1990; Sammy Davis Jr, entertainer, 1990.

Today's birthdays: Roy Hudd, comedian and actor, 71; Judy Finnegan, co-host of Richard and Judy, 59; Pierce Bronsan, ex-British agent James Bond, 54; Debra Winger, actress, 52; Janet Jackson, singer-songwriter, 41.

THURSDAY MAY 17

1536 Archbishop Cranmer declared Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn invalid.

1943 Wing commander Guy Gibson led the dam buster raids over Germany.

1973 The US Senate began hearings into the Watergate scandal.

1996 The Victoria and Albert Museum unveiled plans for a seven-storey glass extension.

Deaths: Randolph Turpin, British world middleweight boxing champion, 1966.

Today's birthdays: Dennis Hopper, actor, 71; Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrats' president, 56; Sugar Ray Leonard, boxing legend, 52; Paul Whitehouse, comedian, 49; Jeremy Vine, broadcaster, 42; Harry Ellis, England and Leicester rugby player, 25.