27 APRIL 1791: Birth Samuel F.B. Morse - telegraph inventor 1822: Birth of Ulysses (Simpson) Grant, American general with the Union Army and 18th US President. 1828: The London Zoological Gardens in Regents Park, London, were opened. 1888: The oil company Esso was established in London. 1927: Birth of Sheila (Christine) Scott, English aviator who broke 104 light aircraft records and was the first to fly solo over the North Pole. Despite this, she failed her driving test three times. Her flying endeavours were always under-financed and when funds ran out, she was left to a sad and lonely retirement. 1932: Birth of Pik Botha, South African Minister for Foreign Affairs, and one of the more enlightened members of the Nationalist Party and government. 1932: Imperial Airways began its service from London to Cape Town. 1933: The East Lancs Road Liverpool to Manchester opened for the first time, though not officially. 1937: The first Social Security checks are mailed in the US. 1943: English-born Judy Johnson rode Lone Gallant in a steeplechase in Baltimore to become the first woman jockey to ride as a professional. 1950: The British Government recognized the state of Israel. 1951: New Brighton FC lost their league status at bottom of division Division Three North. 1961: Sierra Leone becomes an independent part of the British Commonwealth 1967: Expo '67 offically opens in Montreal, Canada. 1970: US actor Tony Curtis was fined £50 in London for being in possession of cannabis. 1981: Former Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr, marries Barbara Bach in London. 1992: Labour MP Betty Boothroyd elected first Woman Speaker. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.351 / Virus Database: 197 - Release Date: 19/04/02