16 January

On 16 January 2197, the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe materialised on Valiant. They found some of its crew members were hearing a mysterious bell, just as they had in the Doctor's TARDIS. They quickly ran afoul of Captain Tanya Oswin while trying to investigate the incongruous sound.

The Doctor and Evelyn soon discovered the ship had a mysterious, ancient door in its cargo hold. It led into open space. The bell seemed to be a kind of "siren call" which led crew members who heard it through the door and to their deaths.

Realising the grave danger this door posed, Captain Oswin sent a distress call to Earth, but did not hope that backup would arrive any sooner than about two months. (AUDIO: The Nowhere Place)

On the same day in 1692, in Salem Village, Reverend Samuel Parris discovered his daughter and niece practising what he believed was witchcraft. This was the first of many persecutions soon to follow. (PROSE: The Witch Hunters)

Behind the scenes

 * 1919 - Actress Margot Thomas was born.
 * 1923 - Actor Gordon Sterne was born.
 * 1927 - Actor Peter Forbes-Robertson was born.
 * 1937 - Actor David Arlen was born.
 * 1943 - Actor Michael Attwell was born.
 * 1949 - Actress Caroline Munro was born.
 * 1965 - "The Slave Traders" was first broadcast on BBC1.
 * 1965 - Part ten of TV Comic story The Klepton Parasites, the first ever Doctor Who comic story, was first released.
 * 1971 - Episode three of Terror of the Autons was first broadcast on BBC1.
 * 1979 - Actor Peter Butterworth died.
 * 1980 - Part two of Marvel Comics story Warlord of the Ogrons was first released.
 * 1988 - Actor Robert Keegan died.
 * 1997 - Virgin New Adventures novel Eternity Weeps and Virgin Missing Adventures novel Burning Heart were first published.
 * 1997 - REF: The Nth Doctor was first published by Virgin Publishing.
 * 2001 - Recording began for Big Finish audio story Invaders from Mars.
 * 2006 - Interactive mini-episode Attack of the Graske was first made available on the BBC's Doctor Who website, after it was available exclusively on the BBC Red Button service.
 * 2007 - Series two of Doctor Who was first released in full on Region 2 DVD.
 * 2007 - Recording began for Big Finish audio story Renaissance of the Daleks.
 * 2008 - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was first broadcast on BBC Two, starting the second series of Torchwood.
 * 2009 - Recording began for Big Finish audio story The Angel of Scutari.
 * 2012 - The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe was first released on DVD.