ON THIS DAY
1582: Pope Gregory XIII announced the new Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian calendar. It was not adopted by Britain until 1752, when a “loss” of 11 days had to be made up. 1825: Thomas Bowdler, who took out the “naughty bits” in Shakespeare’s work, died. He gave the English language the word “bowdlerise”. 1848: France became a republic for the second time, following the abdication of King Louis Philippe. 1887: The first two cities to be linked by telephone were Paris and Brussels. 1905: The Simplon Tunnel through the Alps, 12.3 miles long, was completed. 1920: American-born Nancy Astor became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons following her election as an MP two months earlier. 1923: The Flying Scotsman locomotive began hauling scheduled services between London and Scotland. 1932: Malcolm Campbell in Bluebird beat his own land speed record at Daytona Beach by reaching 253.96 mph. 1938: A nylon toothbrush, the first commercial nylon product, went on sale in New Jersey. 1991: In their first parliamentary elections under a genuine multiparty system, voters in Lithuania rejected Communist rule. ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Jeremy Clarkson issued a formal apology to the Irish Top Gear producer he punched in a deal to settle a racial discrimination and personal injury claim against him. BIRTHDAYS: Phil Knight, billionaire co-founder of Nike, 79; Denis Law, commentator/former footballer, 77; Paul Jones, blues singer/ broadcaster, 75; John Stapleton, journalist/TV presenter, 71; Dennis Waterman, actor, 69; Alain Prost, racing driver, 62; Billy Zane, actor/ director, 51; Lleyton Hewitt, former tennis player, 36.