On this day

■ 1413: Henry IV, also known as Henry of Bolingbroke, died aged 45 after suffering a stroke at Westminster Abbey.

■ 1549: Death of Thomas Seymour, Lord High Admiral of England, who married Henry VIII’s widow Catherine Parr. When she died, he planned to marry Princess Elizabeth – but was arrested for treason and executed.

■ 1806: The foundation stone of Dartmoor prison in Devon was laid by Thomas Tyrwhitt.

■ 1815: After his banishment to Elba, Napoleon returned to regain power in France. It was his “Last Hundred Days”, ended by defeat at Waterloo.

■ 1819: The famous and exclusive Burlington Arcade opened in London.

■ 1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published. It became the best-selling novel of the 19th century.

■ 1969: Beatle John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

■ 1974: An attempt to kidnap Princess Anne was made by a gunman who fired six shots, then tried to drag her from her car in Pall Mall. He was later charged with attempted murder.

■ 1980: The pirate radio station Radio Caroline, on the ship Mi Amigo, sank after 16 years of broadcasting.

■ 1989: The IRA killed two senior Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in an ambush.

■ ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: The average price tag on a home in Britain topped £350,000 for the first time, according to website Rightmove.

■ BIRTHDAYS: Brian Mulroney, former Canadian prime minister, 84; Spike Lee, actor/director, 66; Theresa Russell, actress, 66; Holly Hunter, actress, 65; Paul Merson, former footballer, 55; Michael Rapaport, actor, 53; Alex Kapranos, singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand), 51; Jane March, actress, 50; Freema Agyeman, actress, 44.