1930: Every thinking woman's crumpet, Scottish actor Sean "007" Connery was born. An ex-coffin polisher and muscleman, he made his stage debut in South Pacific and changes his name from Thomas to Sean in 1953, the same year Ian Fleming wrote his first Bond novel Casino Royale.

1803: The story of one of the great non-executions began in Sydney, Australia, when Joseph Samuels was found guilty of murder and taken by cart to the gallows. When the cart was driven from beneath him, the "suspending cord was separated" and the condemned man fell to the ground. They tried again and the "line unroven until the legs of the sufferer trailed on the ground". They tried a third time and again the rope snapped. Samuels was reprieved. 1891: A real-life Jonah was swallowed by a whale off the Falkland Isles. James Bartley was found curled up alive but unconscious in the intestines of a dead sperm-whale.

1960: The 17th modern Olympics opened in Rome. Heroine of the track event was Wilma Rudolph, the first American girl to win three gold medals.

1940: Arno Rudolphi and Anne Hayward went down in the history books for taking part in the world's first parachute wedding.

1919: The world's first scheduled civil airline began its regular service between London and Paris today.

1944: The Free French Second Armoured Division marched into Parish to receive the surrender of General von Choltitz.