On This Day: July 5, 2008

Birthdays:
  1810Phineas T. Barnum, Circus entrepreneur
  1853Cecil Rhodes, Founder of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
  1879Dwight Davis, American statesman
  1911Georges Pompidou, French statesman
  1934Philip Madoc, Actor
  1953Maggie Moon, Singer
  1953Elizabeth Emmanuel, English dress designer

Events:
  1791The first ever British ambassador to the United States was appointed
  1817Gold sovereigns were first issued
  1865The speed of road vehicles was limited to 2mph in towns & 4mph in the country
  1945Winston Churchill lost the General Election
  1946The bikini swimsuit was first demonstrated at a Paris fashion show
  1948The National Health Service was established in Britain
  1969The Rolling Stones staged a free concert in Hyde Park
  1977Pakistans leader, Mr Bhutto, was deposed by the military