1652: Cromwell's Parliament decided to sell Hyde Park.

1935: Director, writer and film star Woody Allen was born on this day.

1895: The first credit card was issued in Britain. It was called 'The Golden Promise and Guarantee of Honour' and was limited to shops in Kingston upon Hull.

1922: The tomb of Egyptian King Tutankhamun was discovered by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter. The King's curse decreed that anyone entering his tomb lived to regret it.

1135: King Henry I died after over-indulging in a feast of fish he'd been told not to eat as it always disagreed with him.

1942: Britain's blueprint for post-war social security, the Welfare State, was revealed today in the Beveridge Report. The plan was aimed at bringing the entire adult population into a comprehensive, compulsory insurance scheme, giving protection against sickness, unemployment, old age and support for families.

1944: America created the rank of five-star general and awarded it to Eisenhower.