On this day in...

2137BC - The first recorded total eclipse of the sun occurred in China.

1805 - The British defeated the Franco-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.

1858 - The can-can dance was performed for the first time, in Paris.

1958 - The first female peers took their places in the House of Lords.

1966 - The Welsh village of Aberfan was engulfed by a collapsed slagheap.

1998 - A family of emus were spotted wandering the streets of Leith in Scotland.

2000 - Six competitors at the Paralympics were found to have tested positive for banned substances.