On this day...

1274: Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland who defeated the English at Bannockburn, was born at Turnberry, Ayrshire.

1690: William of Orange defeated the deposed Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.

1776: Explorer Captain James Cook set sail from Plymouth on his third voyage of discovery, in search of a passage around the northern coast of America from the Pacific side.

1949: The first film made specially for British television, A Dinner Date With Death, was shot at Marylebone Studios between July 11 and 14.

1950: Puppets Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby Loo first appeared on BBC Television.