1420The Treaty of Troyes was signed, in which it was agreed that Henry V would marry Catherine, the daughter of King Charles VI of France and that Henry and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of the French king. The treaty was undermined by the deaths of both Henry V and Charles VI within two months of each other in 1422.

1471Henry VI, King of England, was murdered in the Tower of London where he had been imprisoned by Edward IV, who then resumed the throne.

1554A royal Charter was granted to Derby School as a grammar school for boys, by Queen Mary I, in return for a payment of £260 13s 4d, 'for the instruction and education of boys and youths in the said town of Derby for ever to be maintained by the Bailiffs and Burgesses of the same town.'

1662England's Charles II married Catherine de Braganza, daughter of John IV of Portugal.

1736Francis Egerton, Duke of Bridgwater, and builder of Britain's first canal was born.

1780The birth of Elizabeth Fry, English Quaker and prison reformer who visited Newgate Prison, London in 1813 where over 300 women and their children were living in filthy, overcrowded conditions. From this time, she devoted herself to improving conditions, providing hostels for the homeless and establishing various charitable organizations to help the poor.

1840Britain claimed complete sovereignty over New Zealand.

1894The official opening, by Queen Victoria, of the Manchester Ship Canal. At its opening it was the largest river navigation canal in the world. Its designer, Edward Leader Williams, was later knighted. At its eastern end in Runcorn, Weston Marsh Lock (see picture), at the end of the River Weaver, gives access to the estuary and the Manchester Ship Canal. The canal then runs for 36 miles and terminated at Manchester Docks, now a development complex known as Salford Quays and home to MediaCityUK (see picture).

1917The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established through Royal Charter to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth military forces.

1932American Amelia Earhart landed in Derry, Ireland, after taking off from Newfoundland the previous day. It was the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot.

1946A world wheat shortage led to bread rationing in Britain.

1950Two people died and more were injured as violent storms and a tornado swept through counties around London.

1958It was announced that automated telephone connection, making calls easier and cheaper, would be introduced in December.

1965The death, aged 82, of Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer.

1966American boxer Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) ended the hopes of British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper winning the world heavyweight titles when the bout was stopped in Round 6 because of a severe cut above Cooper's eye.

1996After the failure of EU representatives to take steps to ease the ban on British beef, John Major announced that the British government would adopt a policy of non co-operation with the EU.

1997The British government announced a complete ban on anti-personnel landmines.

2015At 8:00 am about 50 small boats that were involved in the evacuation of allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in World War Two set sail from Ramsgate to mark the 75th anniversary of the rescue. The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed 'Operation Dynamo' took place between 26th May and 4th June 1940 and saw hundreds of wooden fishing boats, pleasure yachts and lifeboats rescue 338,000 troops after they retreated from Nazi forces.

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