On this day in history: Garry Sobers hit six sixes in an over, 1968

Born in 1936 in Bridgetown, Barbados, Garfield St. Auburn Sobers grew up to be a great sportsman representing the island at golf, football, table-tennis and even dominoes, but it was as a cricketer that he became best known. A talented bowler and batsman, he played his first test match against England in 1954. In 1968, he moved to England to play for the county side Nottinghamshire.

On 31st August 1968, Sobers captained his side in a County Championship match against Glamorgan, at St. Helen's in Swansea. He won the toss and elected to bat first. Sobers, batting at seven, faced an over from the left-arm medium pace bowler Malcolm Nash. The West-Indian hit all six bowls for maximum scores. Roger Davis caught the fifth ball but then fell over the boundary rope making it a six. Sobers hit the sixth ball out of the ground and down a nearby street where it was picked up by a young boy. At the end of the over, the unfortunate bowler said to Sobers, "We've gone into the record books, and you couldn't have done it without me." Nottinghamshire went on to win the match by 166 runs.

Never before had every ball in an over been hit for six in first-class cricket - a feat that has only been repeated four times: by Ravi Shastri for Bombay against Baroda in a West Zone Ranji match in 1985; by Herschelle Gibbs in a One Day International match for South Africa against the Netherlands in 2007; and, also in 2007, by Yuvraj Singh in a 20Twenty International match for India against England.

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On this day in history: Slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia, 1800

On August 30th 1800, a group of slaves from Henrico County, Virginia, marched on Richmond. The slaves had planned the insurrection for months, under the leadership of Gabriel Prosser. They managed to secure weaponry such as clubs and swords for the revolt. Once in the city the slaves intended to capture more arms, and spark a general slave insurrection.

They were prevented from reaching Richmond by a storm that washed out the bridges and made the roads impassable. Governor Monroe promptly responded, having already been made aware of the plot after two slaves alerted the authorities of what was planned. Monroe called out more than 600 troops and contacted every militia commander in the state. The authorities arrested many of the slaves but Prosser escaped. Of those captured 35 suffered the death penalty. Following his capture in late September, Gabriel Prosser refused to talk and was also executed.

To learn more about the revolt read Herbert Aptheker's account, an extract from his book American Negro Slave Revolts (1943) hosted on the World History Archives site.

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On this day in history: last Beatles tour ended, 1966

By the mid-sixties, the Beatles had become the biggest popular music group in the World. The fanatical response of their fans - particularly young females - who screamed through their concerts became known as Beatlemania. John, Paul, George, and Ringo became increasingly disenchanted playing live music that nobody could hear, consequently their concerts became shorter and shorter.

1966 marked a turning point for the band. During their world tour of that year, the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, turned down an invitation to meet Imelda Marcos, the wife of the Dictator of the Philippines. In response the Philippine authorities withdrew the group's police protection and released details of the snub to the media resulting in the band being harassed as they left the country. This was nothing compared to the storm that broke when they arrived in America.

In March, the London newspaper the Evening Standard printed an interview with John Lennon in which he made controversial comments about Christianity. In response, some religious groups in America burnt Beatles records and merchandise. The group also received death threats.

The last date of the tour was at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on the 29th August 1966. Little did the screaming fans know, but this was to be their last ever paid concert. From then on the band would focus on studio work and only occasional public performances.

You can read the controversial Evening Standard article, "How Does a Beatle Live? John Lennon Lives Like This", in full.

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