Great Scot
1306 Robert the Bruce (eighth Earl of Carrick) was crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace, near Perth. Bruce secured Scottish independence from England, militarily, if not diplomatically, at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
His statue is at the Bannockburn battlefield site,
his body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey,
while his heart is at Melrose Abbey.
The King is Dead, Long live the King (only, he didn’t)
1625 King James I of England (he was also James VI of Scotland), died. King Charles I ascended to the throne as king of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as claiming the title King of France. He later lost the English Civil War and was executed by parliament.
Waiting to Roll
1863 Henry Royce, co-founder of the Rolls-Royce auto & aerospace companies was born.
Ours is not to reason why. Ours is but to do and die
1854 Crimean War:- Britain declared war on Russia.
Onward Christian Soldiers
1880 The Salvation Army uniform was authorized, but the distinctive bonnets for women did not appear until June.
London Calling
1899 Italian inventor Marconi achieved the first international radio transmission (a Morse Code message) between England and France.
Oh, Dr. Beeching
1963 The Beeching Report on Britain’s railways was published. The report concluded that only half the network’s routes carried enough traffic to cover the cost of operating them. Many lines and stations were subsequently closed.
The Great Train Robbery
1964 Six months after the ‘Great Train Robbery’ in Buckinghamshire, 20 of the gang were still at large, but the ten who were arrested were found guilty of stealing more than £2.6m from mailbags. They included Ronnie Biggs. Sentences totalled 307 years in jail.
Pickles’ Glory
1966 The stolen football world cup was found in south London by a dog called Pickles, whilst it was out for a walk with its owner.
mirabooks 