On This Day – 14th Olympic Games and Two Marriages of Inconvenience

A Marriage of Inconvenience

1565 Mary, Queen of Scots married her cousin Lord Darnley (Henry Stuart) in the Old Abbey Chapel at Holyrood, Edinburgh, thus alienating Scottish protestants and England because Darnley was a Catholic heir to the throne.

The King of Scotland

1567 James VI was crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.

The Birth of British Naval Supremacy

1588 The Spanish Armada was sighted off the coast of Cornwall. The English fleet under the command of Charles Howard and Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, to establish the birth of British naval supremacy.

An Untimely Death

1833 William Wilberforce, English campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire died, a month before the Slavery Abolition Act was passed.

Show me the Way to Tipperary

1848 The Tipperary Revolt took place in the village of Ballingarry, County Tipperary, in protest at British rule. After being chased by a force of Young Irelanders and their supporters, an Irish Constabulary unit raided a house and took those inside as hostages. A gunfight lasting for several hours followed, but the rebels fled after a large group of police reinforcements arrived.

Dennis the Menace

1938 Dennis the Menace first appeared in the ‘Beano’ comic.

14th Olympic Games

1948 King George VI opened the 14th Olympic Games opened in London – the first time the Games had been held in 12 years, due to World War II.

Family Planning

1964 The Brook Advisory Clinic opened to give family planning advice to unmarried couples.

The Beatles in San Francisco

1966 British pop group The Beatles made their last live appearance – in San Francisco.

RIP John Barbirolli

1970 John Barbirolli, English conductor died.

The Southend Fire

1976 Fire destroyed the famous pierhead at the end of the world’s longest pier, in Southend, on England’s south-east coast.

An Unhappy Marriage

1981 The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. The televised ceremony was watched by over 700 million viewers around the world.

The Great Leveller

2010 A luxury car valued at £1.2m was clamped outside Harrods in central London after being illegally parked. The Koenigsegg CCXR (one of only six ever made) was released for £70 as the parking fine was paid within 14 days.

 

 

On This Day – A Lesser Spotted Tudor and the Scandal in Bohemia

A Lesser Spotted Tudor

1533 The death, at the age of 37, of Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII and queen consort of France through her marriage to Louis XII. She was first buried at the abbey at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, but her the Tudorsbody was moved to nearby St. Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds, when the abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

The Oxford Surrender

1646 The surrender of Oxford to the Roundheads virtually signified the end of the English Civil War.

The Battle of Santa Cruz

1797 During the battle off Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands Admiral Nelson was wounded in the right arm by grapeshot and had it amputated later that afternoon. This followed the loss of his sight in his right eye some three years earlier.

A Scandal in Bohemia

1891 The first episode of an Arthur Conan Doyle novel involving the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was printed in the Strand Magazine in London.

Happy Birthday, Your Lordship

1900 Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma was born. He was Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy in South East Asia during the Second World War, and later Viceroy of India during the transfer of power from Britain to India. Mountbatten was assassinated in 1979 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who planted a bomb in his fishing boat, the Shadow V, at Mullaghmore, County Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Orwell

1903 The birth of George Orwell, English novelist of ‘Animal Farm’ and ’1984′.

The Torturer

1912 The Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith was bitterly attacked in the Commons for the ‘torture’ of force-feeding suffragettes in prison.

Notting Hill Murderer

1953 John Christie was sentenced to hang for murdering his wife and then hiding her body under the floorboards of their Notting Hill home in London. Christie, 54, had admitted murder but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. It took the jury an hour and 22 minutes to reject his defence and declare him guilty.

All You Need is Love

1967 400 million viewers in 26 nations watched the world’s first televised satellite hook up; the Beatles recording of ‘All you need is love’ at Abbey Road

The Longest Singles

1969 Wimbledon saw the longest men’s singles match ever when Charlie Passarell was beaten by Pancho Gonzalez 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9.

Burnley Nights

2001 Race violence erupted in Burnley, Lancashire. White and Asian youths were involved in a series of overnight attacks on pubs, shops and restaurants. Many vehicles were also damaged or destroyed.

The Pirates of Penzance

2011 The Pirates of Penzance – 8,734 people in fancy dress assembled on Penzance promenade at 13:00 BST. The Guinness World Records later confirmed that Penzance now holds the title for the largest gathering of pirates in one place, officially breaking the previous record set by 6,166 pirates in Hastings in 2010.

 

On This Day – The Long And Winding Road

Royal Wedding

1625 King Charles I of England married Henrietta Maria of France.

The Great Plague

1665 The Great Plague began to take hold, as the official death toll reached 112.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Arnold

1795 Dr. Thomas Arnold, English educationalist and reformer of the Public School system whilst he was headmaster of Rugby School, was born.

Train Driver’s Assistant

1842 Queen Victoria travelled by train for the first time, from Slough (near Windsor Castle) to Paddington, accompanied by Prince Albert. A special coach had been built earlier, but the Queen had been reluctant to try this new form of travel. On her first journey, the engine driver was assisted by the great civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Clean Up Britain

1910 Birth of Mary Whitehouse, English co-founder of the ‘Clean up TV campaign’ and Honorary General Secretary of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association.

Gotha G Bombers

1917 The deadliest German air raid on London during World War I was carried out by Gotha G bombers and resulted in 162 deaths, including 46 children, with a further 432 people injured.

Hanging Up The Boots

1931 Jesse Boot, (Boots – the chemist) English pharmacist, drug manufacturer, and philanthropist died.

Desert War

1942 British forces lost 230 tanks in desert fighting.

Doodlebugs Have Landed

1944 World War II: the first German V1 flying bomb, or ‘doodlebug’ landed in Britain – killing three people in a house in the coastal city of Southampton. Only four of the eleven bombs hit their targets.

Royal National Theatre

1951 Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) laid the foundation stone for what was to become the Royal National Theatre

The Long and Winding Road

1970 ‘The Long and Winding Road’ became the Beatles’ last Number 1 single. The released version of the song was very successful, but the post-production modifications to the song by producer Phil Spector angered McCartney to the point that when he made his case in court for breaking up The Beatles as a legal entity, McCartney cited the treatment of ‘The Long and Winding Road’ as one of six reasons for doing so.

The Maiden Speech

1974 Prince Charles made his maiden speech in House of Lords. It was the first such royal speech in 90 years.

Don’t Give a Monkey’s

1996 French and British researchers injected material from cows suffering from BSE into the brains of macaque monkeys and found the same disease patterns as in patients suffering from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

Princess Royal

1987 Princess Anne was given the title Princess Royal.

 

On This Day – The Peasants Are Revolting

Peasants Are Revolting

1381 Wat Tyler led the peasants of Southern England in a march to London; the first popular rebellion in English history. His leadership proved one of the chief factors in the success of protest against the harsh taxation of the poorer classes.

The King is Murdered, Long Live the King

1488 James III of Scotland was murdered by rebellious Scottish nobles and was succeeded by his 15 year old son, James IV.

A Troublesome Teenager

1509 Eighteen year old King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives. When Catherine failed to produce a male heir, Henry divorced her against the will of the Roman Catholic Church, thus precipitating the Protestant Reformation in England. Henry went on to have five more wives; two of whom (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) he executed for alleged adultery after he grew tired of them. Mary, his only surviving child by Catherine of Aragon, ascended to the throne upon the death of Edward VI in 1553.

Peril at Great Barrier Reef

1770 Captain James Cook, in his ship Endeavour, ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef during his first voyage of exploration. The ship was badly damaged and his voyage was delayed for almost seven weeks while repairs were carried out on the beach. When he eventually arrived at Possession Island, he claimed the entire coastline he had just explored as British territory.

Carry On, Constable

1776 John Constable, English landscape painter was born. He is best known for his paintings representing his native valley of the River Stour, an area that came to be known as ‘Constable country’.

Short Shrift

1907 George Dennett (a left arm spin bowler for Gloucestershire) dismissed Northamptonshire for 12 runs. It was the lowest total in English county cricket.#

Le Mans Affair

1955 Eighty three people were killed and at least 100 were injured after an Austin-Healey and a Mercedes-Benz collided at the 24 Hours Le Mans race. The race was continued, officially in order to prevent departing spectators from crowding the roads and slowing down ambulances. Britain’s Mike Hawthorn and the Jaguar team, led by motorsport manager Lofty England won the race with teammate Bueb. As a mark of respect, the pair did not indulge in wild celebration. Funeral services for the dead were held the next day at the cathedral in the town of Le Mans. It was the deadliest ever accident in motorsports.

Arise, Sir Beatle

1965 All four members of the British group The Beatles, were awarded OBEs in Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday honours list.

The Gun Ban

1997 The British House of Commons voted for a total ban on handguns in a free vote.

 

On This Day – The Man of Steel and Mrs Attwell

The Man of Steel

1704 The birth of Benjamin Huntsman who experimented in steel manufacture at Handsworth, near Sheffield. The local cutlery manufacturers initially refused to buy his steel as it was harder than the German steel they were accustomed to using. Huntsman did not patent his process, and his secret was discovered by a Sheffield iron-founder called Walker who, according to a popular story, got into Huntsman’s works in the disguise of a starving beggar asking to sleep by a fire for the night. One of the original main buildings at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital is named after Huntsman, and in Sheffield city centre is a Wetherspoons pub called The Benjamin Huntsman.

The King and I

1738 The birth of George III, King of England from 1760. There was continual friction between him and his Prime Minister, Pitt, who was highly popular with the people. During his reign he mishandled the conflict with the American colony, which led to the War of Independence. He went insane in 1811 and the Prince of Wales was appointed Regent.

Trooping of the Colour

1805 The first official Trooping The Colour took place at Horse Guards Parade in London.

Happy Birthday, Mrs Attwell

1879 The birth of Lucie Attwell, English children’s author and illustrator. She was known for her cute, nostalgic drawings of children, based on her daughter, Peggy. In 1921, J.M. Barrie personally requested her to illustrate the gift-book edition of Peter Pan. The Lucie Attwell Annual was published for more than 50 years, from 1922 to 1974.

All For a Good Cause

1913 Suffragette Emily Davison ran out in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer, at Tattenham Corner on the Epsom racecourse. She was trampled, never regained consciousness and died a few days later.

The Beatles

1962 The Beatles signed a recording contract with EMI Parlophone.

The Crash

1967 British Midland flight G-ALHG crashed in Hopes Carr, Stockport, killing 72 passengers and crew.

Plane Spotters

1977 Five British plane-spotters imprisoned in Greece for alleged spying were released after 10 weeks in jail.

Victory Celebrations

1977 Scottish football fans caused at least £15,000 damage by breaking the goals and digging up the pitch at Wembley after Scotland beat England 2-1.

Cuts

1991 Defence Secretary Tom King confirmed Britain would reduce the amount it spent on the army.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

1998 The five major nuclear powers (the United States, Russia, China, France and Great Britain) renewed their appeal for India and Pakistan to stop development of nuclear arms and offered to help the two antagonists resolve their conflict over the Kashmir region.

Miracle Digits

1999 A man who had all his fingers severed in a horrific accident at work became the first person to have all his fingers re-attached. Two teams of doctors along with nurses and theatre technicians performed the delicate micro-surgical procedure in a marathon 18-hour operation at Withington Hospital, Manchester.

 

On This Day – Parliament Lost, Parliament Regained and Curlers for Hilda Ogden

Third Time Unlucky

1809 The third Theatre Royal Drury Lane was destroyed by fire. It was uninsured and still not paid for, so it was a financial disaster for the owners, who included Sheridan.

Parliament Lost

1909 Suffragettes attempted to break into the Houses of Parliament. The police made 29 arrests.

Parliament Regained

1920 Lady Nancy Astor, (the first woman to ever hold a seat in the House of Commons), became the first woman to speak in Parliament.

The Flying Scotsman

1923 The Flying Scotsman began hauling scheduled services between London & Scotland. She has undergone a major restoration at York’s National Railway Museum and is due to return to mainline working in 2012.

The Star is Born

1926 The birth of Jean Alexander, BAFTA Nominated English television actress. She is best known for her role as Hilda Ogden in the soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played for 23 years and also as Auntie Wainwright on the longest running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine from 1988 to 2010.

See Birkenhead and Die

1962 The Beatles played a concert at the Birkenhead YMCA for a fee of £30. The audience didn’t enjoy the show and the Beatles were booed off stage. They left early for a second gig at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, and the rest, as they say, is history.

A Wedding is Announced

1981 The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer ended months of speculation by announcing that they would marry in the summer.

Frozen to Life

1988 The first baby born from an embryo frozen after the fertilization of a donated egg was delivered at Dulwich Hospital, south London, to Mrs. Ann Forrester, 37, by Caesarean section.

No More Bobby Moore

1993 The famed English footballer Bobby Moore, died. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats of world football.

Murder Most Foul

1999 Home Secretary Jack Straw published the McPherson Report into the police handling of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence. The Metropolitan Police were criticised for what the report called ‘institutionalised racism’.