1635 – Thomas Parr died. Known as Old Parr of Shropshire, he claimed to have been born in 1483, and would thus have been 152 years old.
A native of Upper Winnington, Shropshire, he also claimed to have sired a child at age 120 and was still working as a farm labourer at 145. He owed his longevity to a diet of bread, cheese and milk.
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1687 – Nell Gwynne died. Called “pretty, witty Nell” by Samuel Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of Cinderella. Elizabeth Howe, in The First English Actresses, says she was “the most famous Restoration actress of all time, possessed of an extraordinary comic talent.”
A long-time mistress of King Charles II of England, she had two sons by him.
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1963 – Surtsey born. The island of Surtsey, off Iceland, came into being as the result of an underwater volcano eruption. named after Surtr, a fire jötunn or giant from Norse mythology.
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Alchemy & Accident 