On this day: Reformation | Lord Kitchener | Robert Kennedy

Events, birthdays and anniversaries for 5 June
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Jun 2013, 01:00 BST
On this day in 1975 the British people voted in favour of membership of the then European Economic Community (EEC). Picture: GettyOn this day in 1975 the British people voted in favour of membership of the then European Economic Community (EEC). Picture: Getty
On this day in 1975 the British people voted in favour of membership of the then European Economic Community (EEC). Picture: Getty

5 JUNE

1592: Act passed which established Presbyterian government in the Scottish Church after the Reformation.

1592: With the passing of an act “concerning the Office of Lyon King of Armes and his brether Herauldis” the Parliament of Scotland instituted what has proved to be the best regulated system of armorial bearings in Europe.

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1873: Sultan of Zanzibar, under British pressure, abolished slave markets and export of slaves.

1900: British forces took Pretoria, South Africa.

1916: Lord Kitchener, British general and conqueror of the Sudan, was lost at sea when his ship HMS Hampshire, bound for Russia, struck a mine off Orkney.

1946: The Victory Parade took place in London, at which King George VI took the salute in The Mall.

1947: Marshall Aid by America was inaugurated for European post-war recovery.

1967: The Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq began.

1968: Robert Kennedy, senator and younger brother of the late President John F Kennedy, was shot in the Hotel Ambassador in Los Angeles by a Christian Jordanian, Sirhan Sirhan, and died the next day.

1975: Referendum was held on British membership of European Community. The national vote was: Yes 17,378,581; No 8,470,073.

1988: Kay Cottee arrived in Sydney to complete the first solo non-stop round-the-world voyage by a woman.

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1989: Solidarity defeated the Communists in Poland’s first free elections since the end of the Second World War.

1995: Superman actor Christopher Reeve underwent six hours of surgery to stabilise his neck, broken in a riding accident which left him paralysed.

2003: A severe heat wave across Pakistan and India reached its peak, as temperatures exceed 50°C (122°F) in the region.

2006: Serbia declared independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

2011: Rafael Nadal overcame Roger Federer in four sets to equal Bjorn Borg’s record of six French Open crowns.

BIRTHDAYS

Sheila Sim, actress, wife of Sir Richard Attenborough, 91; Laurie Anderson, musician, 66; Moira Anderson OBE, singer, 75; Charlie Clements, actor, 26; Margaret Drabble DBE, author, 74; Alexander Henry Scrymgeour, 12th Earl of Dundee, 64; Ken Follett, novelist, 64; Kenny G, saxophonist, 57; Sir David Hare, playwright, 66; Nigel Rees, broadcaster and founder of BBC radio’s Quote… Unquote, 69; Richard Stone, painter, 62; Mark Wahlberg, actor and producer, 42; Fraser Watts, cricketer, 34.

ANNIVERSARIES

Births: 1723 Adam Smith, Kirkcaldy-born economist and philosopher; 1819 John Couch Adams, astronomer, co-discoverer of the planet Neptune; 1878 “Pancho” Villa, Mexican revolutionary; 1882 Igor Stravinsky, composer; 1883 John Maynard Keynes, economist; 1886 Doctor Kurt Hahn, German-born founder of Gordonstoun School; 1899 Frederico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet and dramatist; 1981 Jade Goody, reality television star (Big Brother).

Deaths: 1826 Carl von Weber, composer, pianist; 1916: Lord Kitchener, general (drowned when HMS Hampshire struck a mine off Orkney); 1999 Mel Tormé, singer; 2004 Ronald Reagan, 40th United States president 1981-89; 2012 Barry Unsworth, novelist; 2012 Ray Bradbury, sci-fi author.

Related topics:Europe