#ThisDay 1978 - Number one hit on UK music charts - John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - You're The One That I Want.

#ThisDay 1703 - The birth of John Wesley, English evangelist who initiated the Methodist societies and brought about an evangelical revival, not only in England, but also in North America. John was the 15th of 19 children born to Samuel Wesley, Rector of Epworth, and his wife Susanna. They lived at the Old Rectory in Epworth, Lincolnshire. A window in Epworth Methodist Church features the two brothers John and Charles.

#ThisDay 1703 - The birth of John Wesley, English evangelist who initiated the Methodist societies and brought about an evangelical revival, not only in England, but also in North America.

#ThisDay 1239 - The birth of King Edward I of England, also known as Edward Longshanks (because of his height) and the Hammer of the Scots.

#ThisDay 1823 - Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he used to make raincoats, after experimenting with waste rubber products from Glasgow's new gas works.

#ThisDay 1766 - The birth, in Portsmouth, of John Pounds, shoemaker, philanthropic teacher and the man most responsible for the creation of the concept of the Ragged School Movement. A replica of his workshop school can be seen at Portsmouth in the grounds of the Unitarian Chapel.

#ThisDay 1837 - Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent.

#ThisDay 1940 - France asks Germany for terms of surrender in WW II.

#ThisDay 1967 - China becomes world's 4th thermonuclear (H-bomb) power.

#ThisDay 1994 - "Following a televised low-speed highway chase and a failed attempt at suicide, O.J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman."

#ThisDay 1974 - An IRA bomb exploded at the Houses of Parliament, causing extensive damage and injuring 11 people.

#ThisDay 1970 - Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain.

#ThisDay 1940 - "The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union."

#ThisDay 1939 - "Last public guillotining in France. Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is guillotined in Versailles outside the prison Saint-Pierre."

#ThisDay 1631 - "Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spent more than 20 years to build her tomb, the Taj Mahal."

#ThisDay 1972 - Number one hit on UK music charts - Don McLean - Vincent.

#ThisDay 1950 - The first kidney transplant (Chicago).

#ThisDay 1863 - Travelers Insurance Co of Hartford chartered (1st accident insurer).