4 October 1957 – The Russian satellite Sputnik was launched into space. It was the first man-made object to leave the Earth’s atmosphere

11 October 1982 – The Mary Rose, flagship of King Henry VIII, was raised to the surface after 437 years at the bottom of the Solent

16 October 1987 – Hurricane winds battered southern Britain. Wind speeds hit 94 mph (151 km/h) in London

17 October 1980 – The Queen made history after becoming the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Vatican

24 October 2003 – Concorde touched down for the last time. The plane’s final transatlantic flight ended 27 years of supersonic history as it landed at Heathrow airport, London