1975: UK embraces Europe in referendum.
British voters back the UK's continued membership of the EEC by two-to-one in a nationwide referendum.

1942: Japanese beaten in Battle of Midway.
The United States routs the Japanese Navy in a major three-day battle over a remote military base at Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean.

1978: Woman takes world sailing record.
Yachtswoman Naomi James breaks the solo round-the-world sailing record by two days.

1983: Thatcher wins landslide victory.
Margaret Thatcher leads the Conservatives to a landslide second term election victory.

2000: Swaying Millennium Bridge closed.
London's newest bridge is closed for safety checks after large crowds cause it to sway violently.

1955: Le Mans disaster claims 77 lives.
Seventy-seven people are killed and 77 others injured when a racing car spins off the track and into the crowd.

1964: Nelson Mandela jailed for life.
The leader of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, is given a life sentence for sabotage.

1996: Guernsey votes to legalise abortion.
Guernsey votes to legalise abortion, overturning a ban which dates back to 1910.

1961: Panda replaces zebra at road crossing.
A new type of zebra crossing with push button controls for pedestrians is being introduced next year.

1963: Soviets launch first woman into space.
Valentina Tereshkova, a former textile worker from the Soviet Union becomes the first woman in space.

1970: 'Babes in the wood' bodies found.
Detectives investigating the disappearance of two children are at the site of a shallow grave in Essex where two bodies have been found.

1965: Drink-drive limit to be introduced.
The government announces it will introduce a blood alcohol limit for drivers with penalties for those caught above it

1978: Botham bowls into cricket history.
Cricketing star Ian Botham becomes the first man in the history of the game to score a century and take eight wickets in one innings of a Test match.

1990: Major proposes new Euro currency.
British Chancellor John Major proposes a new European currency which would circulate alongside existing national currencies.

1982: Princess Diana gives birth to boy.
Diana, Princess of Wales, gives birth to a boy sixteen hours after checking in to St Mary's Hospital, in London.