11th June

[chenrezig]

1381 Wat Tyler led the peasants of Southern England in a march to London; the first popular rebellion in English history. His leadership proved one of the chief factors in the success of protest against the harsh taxation of the poorer classes.

1488 James III of Scotland was murdered by rebellious Scottish nobles and was succeeded by his 15 year old son, James IV.

1509 Eighteen year old King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives. When Catherine failed to produce a male heir, Henry divorced her against the will of the Roman Catholic Church, thus precipitating the Protestant Reformation in England. Henry went on to have five more wives; two of whom (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) he executed for alleged adultery after he grew tired of them. Mary, his only surviving child by Catherine of Aragon, ascended to the throne upon the death of Edward VI in 1553.

1770 Captain James Cook, in his ship Endeavour, ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef during his first voyage of exploration. The ship was badly damaged and his voyage was delayed for almost seven weeks while repairs were carried out on the beach. When he eventually arrived at Possession Island, he claimed the entire coastline he had just explored as British territory.

1776 John Constable, English landscape painter was born. He is best known for his paintings representing his native valley of the River Stour, an area that came to be known as 'Constable country'.

1847 Sir John Franklin, English naval officer and Arctic explorer, died in Canada, in an attempt to discover the North-West Passage.

1907 George Dennett (a left arm spin bowler for Gloucestershire) dismissed Northamptonshire for 12 runs. It was the lowest total in English county cricket.

1952 English cricketer Denis Compton hit his 100th century, and on this day in 1953 Len Hutton became the first professional cricketer to captain England.

1955 Eighty three people were killed and at least 100 were injured after an Austin-Healey and a Mercedes-Benz collided at the 24 Hours Le Mans race. The race was continued, officially in order to prevent departing spectators from crowding the roads and slowing down ambulances. Britain's Mike Hawthorn and the Jaguar team, led by motorsport manager Lofty England won the race with teammate Bueb. As a mark of respect, the pair did not indulge in wild celebration. Funeral services for the dead were held the next day at the cathedral in the town of Le Mans. It was the deadliest ever accident in motorsports.

1959 The Hovercraft, invented by Christopher Cockerell was officially demonstrated for the first time, at Southampton.

1965 All four members of the British group The Beatles, were awarded OBEs in Queen Elizabeth II's birthday honours list.

1972 Six people were killed and 126 injured when a train derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station in London. At the subsequent public inquiry it was revealed that the driver (who was also killed) had been intoxicated and had most likely been drinking alcohol at the controls.

1987 Margaret Thatcher declared she was 'raring to go' after winning a record third term as Prime Minister.

1997 The British House of Commons voted for a total ban on handguns in a free vote.

2012 Downing Street admitted that David Cameron had left his eight year old daughter in the pub after a Sunday lunch two months previously, because of a mix-up with his wife Samantha. The story proved embarrassing for the Prime Minister, as it came on the same day that the government relaunched its £450m 'Troubled Families Programme'.

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[Misspears]

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