On this day: Gyanedra crowned last King of Nepal

EVENTS, birthdays, anniversaries
King Gyanendra (L) is crowned as new King of Nepal at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. Picture: AFP/GettyKing Gyanendra (L) is crowned as new King of Nepal at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. Picture: AFP/Getty
King Gyanendra (L) is crowned as new King of Nepal at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. Picture: AFP/Getty

4 June

1694: The Merchant Maiden Hospital, later to be known as The Mary Erskine School, was founded by Mary Erskine in the Cowgate, Edinburgh.

1805: The first Trooping the Colour took place at Horse Guards Parade, London.

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1832: The Great Reform Bill, an electoral measure which disenfranchised rotten boroughs, became law.

1937: The world’s first supermarket trolleys trundled down the grocery aisles. Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma built his push-baskets by fixing baskets and wheels to children’s chairs.

1940: Winston Churchill made his war-time rallying speech to the nation: “We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

1940: The evacuation of Dunkirk, which had begun on May 27 was completed. Thousands of little ships, under heavy German attack, returned to the English south coast with 338,226 soldiers.

1942: Battle of Midway in the Far East began and US ships inflicted the first decisive defeats on Japanese.

1943: Right-wing military coup, in which Juan Peron played an important role, overthrew Argentina president Ramon Castillo. Peron was elected to the presidency in 1946.

1944: Rome was liberated by the Allies.

1956: Egypt announced it would not extend the Suez Canal Company’s concession after expiration in 1959.

1958: The first Duke of Edinburgh awards were presented at Buckingham Palace.

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1963: The war minister, John Profumo, resigned from Parliament, admitting that he misled the Commons about his relationship with call-girl Christine Keeler.

1970: Tonga or Friendly Isles became completely independent and a member of the Commonwealth.

1977: Damage estimated at £15,000 was caused when fans dug up the Wembley pitch after Scotland beat England 2-1.

1989: More than 2,000 died in Tiananmen Square, Peking, when troops opened fire on protesting students.

1991: The Defence Secretary, Tom King, announced cuts in British Army which would lose a quarter of its manpower.

1992: The Appeal Court in London cleared Judith Ward of involvement in the M62 coach bombing in 1974.

1995: Lightning killed 17 football fans at a match in the central American republic of Honduras.

1995: Footballer Paul Gascoigne joined Rangers from Lazio in a £4.3m deal.

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1996: £565m and ten years’ work ended in a hail of debris when a European Space Agency rocket, Ariane 5, blew up 45 seconds after launching in French Guyana.

1998: Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

2001: Gyanendra, the last King of Nepal, ascended to the throne after the massacre in the Royal Palace.

2010: St Andrews shelved plans for a near-£50 million refurbishment of its library due to a lack of funds.

BIRTHDAYS

Angelina Jolie, actress, 40; Russell Brand, comedian, presenter, activist, actor, 40; Bob Champion MBE, jockey and trainer, 67; Bruce Dern, A actor, 79; Prof Joe Goldblatt, academic writer, 63; Geoffrey Palmer OBE, actor, 88; Sean Pertwee, actor, 51; Michelle Phillips, actress and singer, 71; Sir George Reid, presiding officer, Scottish Parliament 2003-7, MP 1974-79, 76; Debra Stephenson, actress, 43; Bill Treacher, actor, 85; Noah Wyle, actor, 44; Bradley actor and TV presenter, 55; Ruth Westheimer, sex therapist, author and TV presenter (best known as “Dr Ruth”), 87; Chris Robshaw, English rugby union captain, 29; Oona Chaplin, actress, 29; Anthony Braxton, musician, 70.

ANNIVERSARIES

Births: 1738 King George III; 1826 Stephen Collins Foster, songwriter; 1861 Bob Fitzsimmons, world heavyweight boxing champion; 1879 Mabel Lucie Attwell, writer and illustrator of children’s books; 1907 Patience Strong, poet, journalist and “agony aunt”; 1908 Rosalind Russell, actress; 1945 Gordon Waller, Scottish singer/songwriter; Daniel Topolski, writer and rowing coach.

Deaths: 1792 John Burgoyne, soldier and playwright; 1798 Giovanni Casanova, ecclesiastic, adventurer and romancer; 1913 Emily Wilding Davison, suffragette martyr (trampled to death after throwing herself under King’s horse Anmer during the Derby); 1941 Kaiser Wilhelm II, German emperor; 1968 Dorothy Gish, actress; 1968 Sir Walter Nash, New Zealand Labour prime minister.