In this week: 17th - 23rd May

In a week when a Pope was born and the most powerful earthquake ever known took place, we celebrate birthdays for singers Ronald Isley and Cher.

Read on for more details....

17^th May

100 years ago: in 1920, the Dutch national airline KLM made their first flight, which was from London to Amsterdam. Scheduled services began a year later in 1921.

30 years ago: in 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases. 17th May is now marked as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Birthdays

Tony Roche: Australian tennis player, 75.

Sugar Ray Leonard: US boxer, 64.

18^th May

Pope John Paul II

100 years ago: in 1920, Pope John Paul II was born. Karol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice, Poland and was elected Pope in 1978. He died in April 2005.

25 years ago: in 1995, US actress Elizabeth Montgomery died. Best known for her role as Samantha in the fantasy sitcom Bewitched, she died aged 62 from cancer.

Birthdays

Miriam Margolyes: English – Australian actress, 79

Rick Wakeman: English keyboardist-songwriter, 71.

19^th May

90 years ago: in 1930, white women were granted the right to vote in South Africa.

15 years ago: in 2005, Scientists at the University of Newcastlein England announced that they had successfully cloned human embryos from stem cells. It was later revealed that the embryos had developed to the blastocyst stage – a mass containing a few hundred cells that forms 5 to 9 days after fertilisation – but they did not develop any further.

Birthdays

Trevor Peacock

Trevor Peacock: English actor – best known as Jim Trott in BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, 89.

Grace Jones: Jamaican – American singer and actress, 72.

20^th May

Betty Driver

100 years ago: in 1920, Betty Driver, British actress and singer was born. Best known for her role as Betty Turpin/Williams in the television soap opera Coronation Street, she died in October 2011 aged 91.

30 years ago: in 1990, The first post‐communist elections were held in Romania. Ion Iliescu was elected president.

Birthdays

Cher: American singer and actress, 74.

Petr Cech – Czech footballer, 38.

21^st May

Henry V

600 years ago: in 1420, the Treaty of Troyes was signed. It agreed that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the French crown upon the death of King Charles VI of France. In fact the two kings died within weeks of each other and the future kings of England continued to claim the French crown until 1800.

20 years ago: in 2000, both Dame Barbara Cartland, British author of over 700 romance novels and Sir John Gielgud, British actor, producer and director who is considered one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of his generation, died.

Birthdays

Ronald Isley: American singer – lead singer of The Isley Brothers, 79.

David Lonsdale: English actor – known for playing David Stockdale in ITV drama Heartbeat, 57.

22^nd May

60 years ago: in 1960, The Great Chilean Earthquake (also called the Valdivia earthquake) happened. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale, hit southern Chile killing 2,000 – 6,000 people.

Ray Dorsett - Mungo Jerry

50 years ago: in 1970, he song In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry was released. In June it reached no.1 on numerous record charts around the world

Birthdays

Bernie Taupin: Lyricist, known for his work with Elton John, 70.

Katie Price: Writer, model and TV personality (previously known by the pseudonym Jordan), 42.

23^rd May

125 years ago: in 1895, the New York Public Library was established when an agreement was signed that merged the city’s existing Astor Library and Lenox Library, using the fortune bequeathed by the former Governor of New York, Samuel J. Tilden.

Eichmann

60 years ago: in 1960, Israel announced that it had captured former Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. He was responsible for organizing the mass extermination of Jews in WWII. Following a trial, he was sentenced to death, and executed on 1st June 1962.

Birthdays

Joan Collins: English actress, 87.

Marvin Hagler: US boxer, 66.