On This Day

[Happydays]

This subject was much better when Ray gave us interesting information!

I am now going to stop looking at it as it's becoming just a page 3 equivalent. (With slightly more clothes)

[qbman1]

Sorry, won't be any more - promise !

[qbman1]

More in the spirit of the thread....

On this day….

1596 Sir Francis Drake died from dysentery aboard his ship, off Porto Bello. His exploits were legendary, making him a hero to the English but a pirate to the Spaniards. It's claimed that King Philip II of Spain offered a reward of 20,000 ducats, (equivalent to £4,000,000 in today's money) for Drake's life.

1813 The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, was first published. It follows Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with the issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England.

1829 The public hanging of Irish body-snatcher William Burke in Edinburgh. Burke and his accomplice William Hare, sold the corpses of their 17 victims to provide material for dissection to Doctor Robert Knox. Hare was offered immunity from prosecution if he confessed and if he testified against Burke. After Burke was hanged he was publicly dissected at the Edinburgh Medical College.

1833 Birth of General Charles George Hamilton Gordon, British defender of Khartoum and often referred to as Gordon of Khartoum.

1841 The birth of Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands), Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa. He is commemorated in this plaque in St. Asaph Cathedral. The New York Herald sent him to Africa, in search of Dr. Livingstone, who was born at Blantyre on the outskirts of Glasgow. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, 'Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'

1896 Walter Arnold of Kent was the first British motorist to receive a speeding fine, for exceeding 2 mph in a built-up area. He was doing 8 mph as he passed the house of the local policeman. The constable gave chase on his bicycle and after a 5 mile chase Mr. Arnold was arrested. He was fined one shilling for his offence.

1918 The birth of Harry Corbett, the English puppeteer who created Sooty. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Sooty is the longest-running children's programme in the UK. The puppet was 60 years old on 19th July 2008 and, as this was close to Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, Sooty sent him a birthday message!

1953 19 year-old Derek Bentley was hanged at Wandsworth Prison. On 2nd November 1952, he and 16-year-old Christopher Craig were attempting to rob a confectioner’s warehouse in Croydon when they were caught by police. It was alleged that Bentley urged Craig to fire his gun, injuring one policeman and killing another. Both boys were found guilty of murder. Craig, too young to hang, was imprisoned, while Bentley was sentenced to death despite considerable public protest.

1983 The death, aged 42, of Ronald William Wycherley, better known by his stage name Billy Fury. He equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s, and spent 332 weeks on the UK chart, without a chart-topping single or album. In 2003 this bronze statue of Fury was unveiled at the Albert Dock, Liverpool.

[Happydays]

Sorry, won't be any more - promise !

I was having a fuddy duddy moment! But still glad the "ladies" are going

[Silver_Shiney]

This subject was much better when Ray gave us interesting information!

I am now going to stop looking at it as it's becoming just a page 3 equivalent. (With slightly more clothes)

I agree. Sorry, Cubie.

[qbman1]

It's OK, I was even thinking the same thing myself just before the Happy one posted !

[qbman1]

Here's today's offering - 30th January.....

1606 Sir Everard Digby, Thomas Winter, John Grant and Thomas Bates who, along with others, had tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in November 1605 were hanged, drawn and quartered for their part in the 'Gunpowder Plot'.

1649 The executioner Richard Brandon beheaded King Charles I at Whitehall.

1661 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was exhumed and formally executed, after having been dead for two years! Ironically, it took place on the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I, the monarch who Cromwell himself had deposed 12 years previously.

1826 The opening of the Menai Bridge, the world's first modern suspension bridge. It was designed by Thomas Telford and links North Wales to the island of Anglesey.

1858 Charles Hallé founded the celebrated Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. Charles Hallé remained its principal conductor, proprietor and performer until his death in 1895.

1915 The birth of John Profumo, British politician. He is best remembered today for his involvement in a 1963 scandal involving the 'call-girl' Christine Keeler. After his resignation, Profumo began to work as a volunteer, cleaning toilets at Toynbee Hall, a charity based in the East End of London with a focus on working towards a future without poverty. Eventually Profumo volunteered as the charity's chief fundraiser and was awarded a CBE in 1975 for his charitable activities.

1937 Birth of the actress Vanessa Redgrave. She remains the only British actress ever to win the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Cannes, Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild awards. She was also the recipient of the 2010 BAFTA Fellowship 'in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film'.

1965 The state funeral, in London, of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain. It was the biggest state funeral of its kind since the burial of the Duke of Wellington in 1852.

1969 The Beatles played their last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert was broken up by the police.

1972 ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. British paratroopers, believing they were under fire from Catholic protesters on a banned march which had become a violent riot, opened fire, killing 13 people.

2015 Sir Jay Tidmarsh, Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol between 1996 and 2007, found an old school library book as he cleared his shelves. He decided to return the book to Taunton School, in Somerset, and made a £1,500 donation to the library in lieu of a fine for not returning the book for 65 years.

[qbman1]

It is also the birthday of the actor Tony Maudsley (Kenneth in Benidorm)

tony-maudsley-340947784JPG.jpg

I only mention it because we shared a table with him for a week on our very first cruise !

[qbman1]

Here you go - I've found a picture from that cruise in the family album !

20150731095102196_0001 (2).jpg

[Happydays]

Have you got that one framed? ha ha

[qbman1]

Can't remember the name of the feller on the left but he is also an actor and was in the original Lily Savage shows

[GillD46]

It's also my mum's 87th birthday.

[qbman1]

Happy birthday to Mumsie - tell her to go easy on the Mackeson !!

[GillD46]

Happy birthday to Mumsie - tell her to go easy on the Mackeson !!

Not much chance of that as she has been in hospital since November 2nd.

[qbman1]

Poor thing - hope she gets better soon. Don't they allow a little tipple in the hospital ?

[Happydays]

They should it might help;)

[GillD46]

Possibly, I'm not sure, but as an insulin dependent diabetic she can't really. She had a nice day though and as a special treat, a local ice cream.

Thnaks dor the good wishes.

[Happydays]

As long as she had something nice:)

[qbman1]

31st January....

1606 Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot, was hanged, drawn and quartered. Known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, Fawkes belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who had planned the failed Plot in November 1605. Guy Fawkes was born at Stonegate in York, in April 1570.

1788 Death, in Rome, of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie). After his father's death, Charles was recognised as 'King Charles III' by his supporters.

1849 The abolition of the Corn Laws. These trade barriers had been designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom against competition from less expensive foreign imports and their abolition marked a significant step towards free trade (then we joined the European Single Market!!).

1858 The Great Eastern, the five-funnelled steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and John Scott Russell, was launched at Millwall. At the time, it was the world's largest ship.

1867 The four bronze lions at the base of Nelson's Column were completed.

1910 American-born murderer Dr. Hawley Crippen poisoned his wife before cutting her into small pieces and burying her in the cellar of his home in London. He was later executed at Pentonville Prison.

1931 Christopher Chataway, former British athlete & Conservative MP, was born.

1953 307 people were killed when the Thames estuary broke its banks, flooding large areas of Kent and Essex. A car ferry also sank in the Irish Sea, in one of the worst gales in living memory, claiming the lives of more than 130 passengers and crew.

1981 Former British MP John Stonehouse, famous for faking his own death, married his former secretary Sheila Buckley.

1983 It became compulsory in Britain to wear car seat belts.

2000 Family GP Dr. Harold Shipman was jailed for life for murdering 15 of his patients, making him Britain's most prolific convicted serial killer. An official inquiry concluded that Shipman may have killed as many as 250 patients over 23 years.

2016 The death of the radio and TV brodcaster Terry Wogan, aged 77. He presented Children in Need, Wake Up to Wogan, Come Dancing, the game show Blankety Blank and he was the BBC's commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest from 1971 to 2008. His weekday radio programme on BBC Radio 2, 'Wake Up to Wogan', had eight million regular listeners, making him the most listened to radio broadcaster in Europe. He was granted a knighthood in 2005 and was entitled to use 'Sir' in front of his name as he held dual British and Irish citizenship.

[qbman1]

1st February……

1327 Fourteen year old Edward III was crowned King of England, but the country was ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

1587 Under pressure from her Council, Queen Elizabeth I of England signed the warrant authorising the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

1709 Scotsman Alexander Selkirk was rescued from an uninhabited desert island (Mas à Tierra, off the coast of Chile), inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

1884 The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. James Murray was its most famous editor but he had only reached the letter T after working 44 hours per week for 35 years, so hundreds of people sent in their own contributions.

1910 The first 80 Labour Exchanges opened in Britain to try and find jobs for the unemployed.

1915 Sir Stanley Matthews, often regarded as one of the greatest English football players, was born. He is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. He kept fit enough to play at the top level until he was 50 years old, was also the oldest player ever to play in England's top football division and the oldest player ever to represent his country. He played his final competitive game in 1985, at the age of 70.

1930 The first ever 'Times' crossword was published.

1939 A British White Paper proposing the formation of the Home Guard (which became better known as Dad’s Army because of the average age of the volunteers) was published.

1952 The first TV detector van was demonstrated. It enabled the BBC to track down users of unlicensed television sets in Britain.

1965 P.J. Proby, the US rock singer, was banned by ABC Theatres and the BBC after he had deliberately split his trousers during his act. The mainly female audience and the tabloids, who claimed Proby’s act was obscene, went wild. It was the beginning of the end for the flamboyant performer.

1965 Prescriptions on the NHS became free of charge and remained so until June 1968.

1974 Escaped Great Train Robber Ronald Biggs was arrested by Brazilian police in Rio. He escaped extradition because he was the father of a child by his Brazilian girlfriend.

1979 Trevor Francis, aged 24, became the first £1m footballer in England, signing for Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest.

1984 Chancellor, Nigel Lawson, announced that the halfpenny coin would cease to be legal tender. Its fate was sealed when it became more expensive to make than its face value.

[Happydays]

P.J. Proby, I remember my (older) sister was a fan;)

[qbman1]

P.J. Proby, I remember my (older) sister was a fan;)

Must have been the thought of those tight trousers that stayed with you !!

[qbman1]

On This Day 2nd February……

1461 The Battle of Mortimer's Cross, near Wigmore in Herefordshire. It was part of the Wars of the Roses, with the Yorkists being the victors. The victory paved the way for Edward's crowning later in the year (and we’ve been plagued with pigeons and ferrets ever since !).

1650 The birth of Nell (Eleanor) Gwynne, former orange seller at Drury Lane Theatre, who became a comedy actress and later mistress of Charles II, by whom she had two sons.

1665 British forces captured New Amsterdam, the centre of the Dutch colony in North America. The trading settlement on the island of Manhattan was renamed New York in honour of the Duke of York, its new governor.

1901 The state funeral of Queen Victoria. At the time of her death, her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any other British monarch and the longest of any female monarch in history.

1914 The very first Cub Scout pack was formed in England, the first pack being in Robertsbridge, Sussex, although the Cub Scout movement was not formally founded until 1916. By the end of that year there were 6,000 Cub Scouts and now there are 137,000 in the UK.

1920 The birth of Hughie Green, who became a 'household name' with his TV shows Double Your Money and Opportunity Knocks.

1940 The birth of Sir David John White OBE, better known by his stage name David Jason. He is best remembered as the main character Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He also played detective Jack Frost on the ITV crime drama A Touch of Frost, Granville in the sitcom Open All Hours, and Pop Larkin in the comedy drama The Darling Buds of May.

1943 The half-starved remnants of the German 6th Army gave themselves up after their five months of bloody fighting for Stalingrad ended in defeat.

1972 Angry demonstrators burned the British Embassy in Dublin to the ground in protest at the shooting dead of 13 people in Londonderry on the previous Sunday, known as Bloody Sunday.

1976 The Queen opened the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham. It is the largest and busiest exhibition centre in the UK and the seventh largest in Europe.

1987 Reports from Lebanon said that Church of England envoy Terry Waite had been kidnapped by an Islamic militia group.

1995 The death of Fred Perry, English tennis and table tennis player. He won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row.

1999 Glenn Hoddle was sacked as England's football coach after his comments that disabled people were reaping the punishment for something done in a previous life.

2015 Bristol became the first city in the UK to ban smoking in some outdoor public places and Millennium Square and Anchor Square became no smoking zones. The project, by Smokefree South West, was inspired by 33-year-old mother Kirsty Vass, who was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a year previously.

[qbman1]

On This Day……3rd February

1399 John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and father of King Henry IV, died.

1821 The birth, in Bristol, of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in the United States and the first on the UK Medical Register.

1830 Birth of Lord Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Salisbury and British Prime Minister.

1903 The birth of Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, pioneering Scottish aviator. He was the eldest of four brothers who were to make military history by all being at the rank of Squadron Leader or above simultaneously at the outbreak of World War II. He was also the youngest Squadron Leader of his day and was chief pilot on the first flight over Mount Everest in 1933, making it the first detailed and scientific survey of the Himalaya region.

1928 The birth, in Liverpool of the singer Frankie Vaughan. He had than 80 recordings in his lifetime and was known as 'Mr. Moonlight' after one of his early hits.

1935 The first 'League of Ovaltinies' created by the manufacturer of the drink Ovaltine. It became a children's 'secret society', promoting high morals and consideration towards others. At the height of its popularity, there were over five million members. In 1975 the song 'We Are The Ovaltinies' came back to a new audience when it was used by Ovaltine in a TV advertisement and also released as a single record.

1949 In Britain, 23 year old Margaret Roberts (Thatcher) was adopted as Tory candidate in Deptford, but she later failed to win the seat at the General Election.

1954 The Queen visited Australia, the first reigning monarch to do so.

1957 The Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire, moved for the first time. The distance moved was an inch (2.5cm)!

1960 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his 'wind of change' speech to the South African parliament in Cape Town. He talked of increasing national consciousness blowing through colonial Africa, signalling that his Government was likely to support decolonisation.

1963 Britain's worst learner driver, Margaret Hunter, was fined for continuing to drive on after her instructor jumped out of the car shouting 'This is suicide.'

1988 Nurses across the UK took part in a day of industrial action to secure more money for themselves and the NHS.

2012 The Energy Secretary Chris Huhne resigned after being charged over allegations that he handed penalty points for a speeding offence to his then wife, economist Vicky Pryce.

2012 England football captain John Terry was stripped of the captaincy for the second time amid growing concern over his pending race abuse trial.

2013 The cost of cleaning up the Sellafield nuclear waste site reached £67.5bn with no sign of when the cost would stop rising, according to a report. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said that it was facing up to the challenges.

2015 The unauthorised biography 'Charles: Heart of a King' revealed that both Prince Charles and Princess Diana contemplated calling off their wedding, because each knew that their relationship was deeply flawed.

2017 Tadcaster Bridge, which is believed to date from around 1700 is due to re-open at 2:00 p.m. today. The bridge collapsed on 29th December 2015 after flooding that followed Storm Eva. The loss of the bridge involved lengthy detours and loss of businesses.

[Stephen]

Looks like another thread take over Ray