1777: George Washington's forces defeated the British at the Battle of Princeton in New Jersey, during the War of Independence.
1892: J R R Tolkein, author of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, was born.
1900: The new Royal yacht, Victoria and Albert, capsized as it left Southampton Docks.
1958: Sir Edmund Hillary reached the South Pole.
1961: The one millionth Morris Minor came off the assembly line.
1970: The Beatles recorded I Me Mine, their last song together.
1971: Open University programmes began on radio and television.
1973: Little Jimmy Osmond was at number one in the charts with Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.
1980: Alfred Hitchcock received a knighthood.
1992: Martin Offiah moved from Widnes to Wigan for a record £440,000.
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