On this day: Scots golfer Paul Lawrie wins the Open

Paul Lawrie of Scotland poses with the trophy with the green staff after winning the British Open 1999. Picture: Getty

AD64: The Great Fire of Rome occurred during the reign of Emperor Nero.

1290: By the Treaty of Birgham, King Edward I guaranteed the survival of Scotland “separate, apart and free without subjection to the English nation”.

1572: William of Orange was recognised as Viceroy of Holland, Friesland and Utrecht.

1593: King James VI of Scotland was taken prisoner by the Earl of Bothwell at Holyrood.

1872: Britain introduced voting by secret ballot.

1919: The Cenotaph in London’s Whitehall was unveiled. The First World War memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and would later do double duty for the Second World War.

1923: Matrimonial Causes Act gave women equality in divorce suits.

1925: Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which Adolf Hitler wrote while in jail, was published.

1931: SS Mariposa, the first air-conditioned luxury cruise ship, built in Quincy, Massachusetts, was launched.

1940: The first successful helicopter flight took place in Stratford, Connecticut.

1947: The first official night horse-racing meeting in Britain was held at Hamilton Park.

1953: Elvis Presley made his first recording in Sun studios, Memphis.

1955: The first electric power generated from atomic energy was sold commercially.

1966: Gemini X, America’s 16th manned space flight, splashed down with astronauts John Young and Michael Collins aboard.

1976: Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the first competitor in Olympic history to score a perfect ten in gymnastics.

1977: Vietnam became a member of the United Nations.

1984: Gunman James Huberty walked into a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, California and opened fire, killing 21 people and wounding 19 others. He was shot dead by police.

1988: Iran announced acceptance of United Nations resolution for ceasefire in Gulf war with Iraq.

1989: Tim Waterstone made about £8 million when he sold his chain of bookstores to WH Smith, the firm that had sacked him seven years previously.

1995: A report by the Board of Banking Supervisors into the Barings Bank crash with £827m losses, heaped blame on jailed trader Nick Leeson and the failure of Barings’ internal controls.

1998: A 23-foot tidal wave killed nearly 3,000 people in Papua New Guinea.

1999: Scottish golfer Paul Lawrie won the Open Championship at Carnoustie.

2012: Six Israelis were killed and 30 injured when a bomb exploded on a tourist bus at Bourgas airport, Bulgaria.

2012: Kim Jong-un was appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea.

2013: The city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy with debts of $18.5 billion.