It happened today – this day in history – January 10

49BC Julius Ceasar defies the Roman Senate and crosses the Rubicon, , signaling the start of a civil war which would lead to his appointment as Roman dictator for life.

1642: Charles I and his family flee London for Oxford.

1833: Felix Mendelssohn’s cantata “Die erste Walpurgisnacht” premieres in Berlin.

1839: Tea arrives from India for the first time.

1845: Poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning begin corresponding.

1863: The first underground railway opens in London between Paddington and Farringdon using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.

1889: The Ivory Coast is declared a protectorate of France.

1920: The Inauguration of the League of Nations is held in Paris.

1927: Fritz Lang’s silent film “Metropolis” premieres in Berlin.

1928: The Soviet Union orders the exile of Leon Trotsky.

1946: The UN General Assembly meets for the first time in London.

1949: RCA introduces the 45rpm record.

1956: Elvis Presley records Heartbreak Hotel in his first session for RCA.

1957: Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister after the resignation of Anthony Eden.

1966: India and Pakistan sign the Tashkent Declaration peace accord.

1969: Sweden is the first Western country to recognize North Vietnam.

1973: For the first time graduates studying from home with the Open University receive their degrees.

1985: Daniel Ortega inaugurated as President of Nicaragua for the first time.

1994: Trial of Lorena Bobbitt, who cut off her husband’s penis, begins.

1996: King Hussein of Jordan visits Israel.

1997: Arnoldo Aleman is sworn in as President of Nicaragua.

2001: A large piece of the chalk cliff at Beachy Head collapses into the sea.

2016: Death of David Bowie from liver cancer two days after his 69^th birthday and the release of his final album Blackstar.

2018: Death of former Motorhead guitarist ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke aged 67. On the same day, Jeff Bezos becomes the second man worth over $100 billion as his wealth hits $106 billion due to a rise in Amazon’s share price.

BIRTHDAYS: Rod Stewart, singer, 75; Aynsley Dunbar, drummer, 74; Martin Turner, guitarist (Wishbone Ash) 73; Donald Fagen, musician/songwriter (Steely Dan) 72; George Foreman, former boxing champion, 71; Pat Benatar, singer, 67; Michael Schenker, guitarist, 65; Don Letts, director/musician (Big Audio Dynamite) 64; Shawn Colvin, singer, 62; Brad Roberts, singer/musician (Crash Test Dummies) 56; Joey Santiago, guitarist (Pixies) 55; Jemaine Clement, actor/comedian 46; Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to President Donald Trump, 39.