It happened today – this day in history – September 4

1860: The first weather forecast appeared in The Times.

1870: Emperor Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, was deposed and the Third Republic declared in France.

1886: Geronimo, Apache chief and leader of the last great Native American rebellion, surrendered in Arizona to General Nelson Miles.

1909: The first Boy Scout rally took place at Crystal Palace in London.

1939: The British liner Athenia was sunk by a German U-boat, the first sinking of its kind, off the coast of Ireland.

1964: The Forth road bridge, 6,156ft long and with a centre span of 3,300ft, was opened by the Queen.

1965: Albert Schweitzer, French medical missionary, died aged 90 in Gabon, the village where he had opened his hospital for natives.

1970: Russian ballerina Natalia Makarova defected to the West during a visit to London by the Kirov Ballet.

1989: Georges Simenon, creator of detective Maigret, died in Lausanne, Switzerland.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: A pair of sequined ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz, were recovered, 13 years after being stolen from a museum in her home town.

BIRTHDAYS: Bill Kenwright, theatrical impresario, 74; Tom Watson, golfer, 70; Damon Wayans, actor, 59; Noah Taylor, actor and comedian, 50; Kristen Wilson, actress, 50; Mark Ronson, music producer, 44; Beyonce Knowles, singer, 38; Jonny Lomax, rugby league player, 29.