What happened this day in history - August 2

1870 - Tower Subway, the world’s first underground tube railway, opened in London.

1875 - Britain’s first roller skating rink opened to the public, in London’s Belgravia.

1876 - Cowboy Wild Bill Hicock was shot in the back while playing poker. He was holding two black aces, two black eights and the Jack of Diamonds - known to this day as ‘The Dead Man’s Hand’.

1892 - Charles Wheeler patented the first practical moving staircase. Although it was the forerunner of the escalator, it was never built.

1894 - Death duties were introduced in Britain. They later became known as inheritance tax.

1914 - The German occupation of Luxembourg began.

1934 - Hitler assumed the title ‘Fuhrer’.

1967 - The £8 million Dartford Tunnel opened under the River Thames.

1970 - The British army used rubber bullets for the first time.

1990 - Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War.