Friday May 9 1974 Impeachment hearings began against President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. 1977 The Rainbow Theatre in north London was vandalised during a Clash concert. 2001 Harry Redknapp quit

CROW ANNIVERSARIES

MAY 9 - MAY 15

Friday May 9

1974 Impeachment hearings began against President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

1977 The Rainbow Theatre in north London was vandalised during a Clash concert.

2001 Harry Redknapp quit as manager of West Ham United.

Births: J M Barrie, author of Peter Pan, 1860; Howard Carter, archaeologist who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Today's birthdays: Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, 88; Alan Bennett, playwright, 74; Albert Finney, actor, 72; Glenda Jackson, actress and Labour MP, 72; Vincent Cable, caretaker leader of the Liberal Democrats, 65; Billy Joel, singer-songwriter, 59.

Deaths: Tensing Norgay, conqueror of Everest, 1986.

Saturday May 10

1940 Neville Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by Winston Churchill.

1968 A new 50 pence coin was unveiled.

1981 Francois Mitterrand became President of France.

2002 Seven people were killed when a passenger train was derailed at Potters Bar.

Births: Fred Astaire, legendary dancer and actor, 1899; Denis Thatcher, husband of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, 1915.

Today's birthdays: Bert Weedon, guitarist, 88; Maureen Lipman, actress, 62; Bono, singer-songwriter, 48; Jonathan Edwards, British Olympic triple jump champion, 42.

Deaths: Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson, American civil war general, 1863; Sir Henry Morton Stanley, explorer, 1904; Joan Crawford, actress, 1977.

Sunday May 11

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

1927 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science was set up in Hollywood.

1971 The last edition of the Daily Sketch published.

2000 The Tate Modern art gallery was opened.

Births: Irving Berlin, composer, 1888; Salvador Dali, artist, 1904; Phil Silvers, comedian, 1911.

Today's birthday's: Eric Burdon, singer-songwriter with The Animals, 68; Jeremy Paxman, Newnight anchorman, 58; Natasha Richardson, actress, 45; John Parrott, snooker player, 44.

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

Monday May 12

1937 George V and Queen Elizabeth were crowned.

1949 Berlin divided into east and west sectors.

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

1964 Britain's second pirate radio station, Radio Atlanta, started broadcasting.

1982 British troops landed on the Falklands Islands.

1994 First women were ordained in the Church of England.

2003 Labour Cabinet minister Clare Shore quit the government in protest over the war in Iraq.

Births: Edward Lear, artist and writer, 1812; Florence Nightingale, Crimea War nurse, 1820; Katharine Hepburn, actress, 1907; Leslie Charteris, creator of The Saint, 1907; Tony Hancock, comedian, 1924; Ian Drury, singer-songwriter, 1942; Alan Ball, England 1966 World Cup hero, 1945.

Today's birthdays: Burt Bacharach, composer, 80; Susan Hampshire, actress, 70; Chris Patten, ex-Governor of Hong Kong, 64; Steve Winwood, singer-songwriter, 60; Catherine Tate, comedian and actress, 40.

Deaths: John Masefield, poet, 1967; John Smith, leader of the Labour Party, 1994; Perry Como, singer, 2001.

Tuesday May 13

1787 First convict ship set sail from Portsmouth for Australia.

1977 England Test cricket captain Tony Grieg was sacked over role in recruiting players for media mogul Kerry Packer's rebel World XI.

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

1989 British war hero Jackie Mann was kidnapped in Beirut.

Births: Sir Arthur Sullivan, composer, 1842; Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca and Jamaica Inn, 1907; Joe Louis, world heavyweight champion, 1914.

Today's birthdays: Joe Brown, entertainer, 67; Tim Piggott-Smith, actor, 62; Zoe Wanamaker, actress, 59; Steve Wonder, singer-songwriter, 58; Rosie Boycott, journalist and ex-Daily Express editor, 57; Richard Madeley, co-host of This Morning, 52.

Deaths: Gary Cooper, actor, 1961; Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, 1988.

Wednesday May 14

1940 The Home Guard was set up.

1973 Nasa launched the space station Skylab.

1999 The FA appointed Kevin Keegan as England soccer manager.

Births: Thomas Gainsborough, artist, 1727.

Today's birthdays: Chay Blythe, round-the-world yachtsman, 68; George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, 64; Cate Blanchett, actress, 39.

Deaths: Rita Hayworth, actress, 1987; William Randolph Hearst, press tycoon, 1993; Laurie Lee, author of Cider With Rosie, 1997; Frank Sinatra, singer and actor, 1998.

Thursday May 15

1859 The Royal Opera House opened in Covent Garden.

1862 First baseball stadium was opened at the Union Grounds in Brooklyn, New York.

1957 Britain exploded an H-bomb over Christmas Island in the central Pacific.

1963 Tottenham Hotspur won the European Cup-Winners Cup when they defeated Athletico Madrid.

Births: Lyman Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1856; Pierre Curie, French scientist, 1859.

Today's birthdays: Ted Dexter, ex-England Test cricket batsman, 73; Brian Eno, record producer, 60; Mike Oldfield, musician, 55; Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, 27; Andy Murray, tennis player, 21.