Your weekly history book speed read, on today’s date Li Yuan became Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China, by ousting the child emperor he’d previously installed as puppet and later had executed. Joan of Arc defeated the English army at the Battle of Patay, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War, and the Swan River Colony was officially proclaimed in Western Australia, later to become the capital city of Perth despite an inauspicious start. Plus birthdays for Roger Ebert, Uday Hussein, Dizzy Reed and Sir Paul McCartney!

Today’s Track:

The Beatles – Hey Jude