ON A DAY LIKE TODAY

l Born: Bob Willis, cricket commentator, 1949; Ray Cooney, theatrical producer, 1932. l Died: Claude Rains, actor, 1967; Boris Pasternak, Russian poet and author, 1960; John Barrymore, actor, 1942; Wilbur Wright, pioneer aviator, 1912; Christopher Marlow, dramatist, 1593.. l On this day: 1959, the first hovercraft flight took place at Cowes; 1920, Joan of Arc, burned at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1421, was canonised; 1913, the new state of Albania was created by the Treaty of London which ended the Balkan War. l From our files: l 1965: The Commissioner for the Restoration of the Artistic Heritage of Spain, don Gabriel Alomar, had visited Majorca and announced that the old city of Palma and the Majorcan “corniche” from Estellencs to Soller would be protected from unsuitable developments. l 1975: The three major car producers in Britain were facing serious labour problems: British Leyland had laid off 14'000 workers following a strike at a Dunlop tyre factory; Chrysler was facing a complete shut–down because of a strike of 4'000 engine makers; Ford had sent 5'000 workers home as a strike of door–hangers stopped production lines.