Six awesome things to happen on 5 July

1. Ok, so cool might be stretching a point a bit, but Isaac Newton publishing Principia Mathematica in 1687 was massively important in the history of the world. It remains one of the most celebrated scientific works of all time, having established principles of force, movement of the planets and tides.

2. Monty Python made a song out of it and countless sandwiches have been made out of it as well. We think we can guess what was more popular. Yes, Spam entered the UK market on this day in 1937. Introduced by Hormel Foods Corporation, the tinned ham, pork shoulder and salt has caused many suspicious glances and sniffs in its 77-year history, but was a crucial part of wartime diets as quality meat became rationed.

3. The National Health Service (NHS) was launched in 1948 thanks to the National Health Service Act being pushed through Parliament in 1946. This was to provide a comprehensive health service for the citizens of England and Wales. Scotland’s National Health Service Bill was passed a year later, but both came into effect on 5 July 1948

4. Sir Trevor McDonald and Fiona Bruce owe a lot to this day in 1954 as the first ever BBC news broadcast took place then. Richard Baker was the anchor who read out a 20 minute bulletin and the first news item was a story about peace talks in Vietnam.

5. Scientists were seeing double on 5 July 1996 when they managed to clone a sheep that they named Dolly. It was the largest thing ever successfully recreated and was a huge leap forward in cloning technology and stem cell research.

6. The Shard officially became Europe’s tallest building when it opened in 2012. It stands 310 metres (1,020 feet), but is dwarfed by the world’s tallest building, which is Burj Khalifa in Dubai. That tower stands 828 metres (2,716 feet) tall.