On This Day - 9th July
1540
England's King Henry VIII had
his six-month marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled.
1553 The Duke of Northumberland announced to Lady Jane Grey that Edward VI had died and that she was
queen of England. The proclamation was made the next day, but her reign lasted for only nine
days. Her successor was Mary I. It is believed that Lady Jane was born here, at Bradgate House (see 
picture) in Leicestershire and spent the greater part of her short life there.
1811 Explorer David Thompson posted a sign at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers (in modern Washington state, America), claiming the land for Britain. Thompson was a British-Canadian fur trader, surveyor and map-maker, who, over his career mapped more than 3.9 million square kilometres of North America and for this has been described as the 'greatest land geographer who ever lived.'
1877The first Wimbledon Lawn Tennis
championship was held at its original site at Worple Road. The men's
singles title was won by Spencer Gore - beating fellow British player W.C.
Marshall in three sets.
1900Queen Victoria gave the Royal
Assent to the Australian Federation Bill which set up of the Commonwealth
of Australia in 1901.
1901Barbara Cartland, romantic
novelist was born. She wrote more than 500 books.
1916Edward Heath, British
politician was born.
1917The loss, at Scapa Flow, of the British battleship Vanguard. It was one of the most tragic accidents in the history of the Royal Navy and was caused by an internal explosion of cordite. All but two of the 845 men on board at the time were killed. The bodies that could be recovered now lie in Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery, Hoy and the wreck itself is afforded statutory protection as a designated war grave under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
1938In anticipation of World War
II, 35 million gas masks were issued to Britain's civilian population.
1947Princess Elizabeth (the Queen)
and Philip Mountbatten announced their engagement.
1973Prince Charles enjoyed the
Bahamas' last day as a British colony. He had hosted a formal reception at
Government House, Nassau, the previous night for dignitaries from 52
countries overseeing the end of over 300 years of British sovereignty.
1982Queen Elizabeth II woke to find
an intruder (Michael Fagan) sitting at the end of her bed, raising further
concerns about poor Palace security.
1984A massive fire, caused by a
lightning strike, devastated large parts of York Minster causing an
estimated £1m damage. (See a recent 
picture of York Minster).
1991The closure of the Bank of
Credit and Commerce International lost about 20 local councils up to
£30m in investments.
1996Nelson Mandela, on a state
visit to Britain, was welcomed by crowds at Horse Guards Parade and the
Mall.
1999Scotland celebrated one of its
most significant political events for centuries; the formal opening of the
new Scottish Parliament by the Queen. (A 
picture of the
Scottish Parliament) There was public uproar over the cost and delays. The
final cost was £414 million (10 times over budget) and it was three
years late.
2008A teenager, who thought
movement in her underwear was caused by her vibrating mobile phone found a
bat curled up asleep in her bra. Abbie Hawkins, aged 19, had been wearing
the bra for five hours when she plucked up the courage to investigate. - 'I
put my hand down my bra and pulled out a cuddly little bat. I felt quite
sorry for it. Perhaps I should have left it there and given it a good
home.'
2014The Times Higher Education
magazine's annual exam howlers competition came up with these and many
others. (1) All cars will be be fitted with Catholic converters (2)
Hitler's role in the Second World War is often overlooked (3) The hole in
the ozone layer is caused by arseholes (4) Stalin was extremely surprised
when he was taken from behind by Hitler.
2017 The Lake District (see 
picture) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, i.e. 'a site of outstanding international importance and therefore as deserving special protection.' The national park is the first in the UK to get the honour, a status it had been trying to attain since 1986.