Today in History

[Gemini]

1884

Simon Marks, a Polish immigrant, and Yorkshireman Tom Spencer opened their Penny Bazaar in Leeds, setting the foundations for the Marks and Spencer chain.

[Gemini]

1696

After nearly 150 years of neglect, the roof of Howden Minster collapsed. The minster ruins were left where they fell until 1748 when the site was cleared, and the townsfolk took building stones for their own. St. John of Howden was one of the earliest Canons of Howden and he was treated as a saint by the local community after his death, although he has not been officially canonised. Pilgrims, including Kings Edward I, Edward II and Henry V visited the Minster to see his tomb.


This is interesting to me as my ex and his wife live next door to Howden Minster!

[Gemini]

1967

The BBC Light Programme, Third Programme and Home Service were replaced with BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4 Respectively. BBC Radio 1 was also launched, with Tony Blackburn, a former Radio Caroline DJ, presenting the first show.

[Daisy]

Gem - I remember the excitement (or desperation) that the BBC were finally catching up with the swinging sixties!

I didn't have chance to ask yesterday, but was Howden Minster rebuilt or is it part of York Minster?

[Gemini]

Howden Minster looks fine Daisy, I didn't even know it had ever been any different!

Hodwen is around 20 miles from York

[Daisy]

It's a beautiful church, Gem, and looks a very attractive place to live.

[Gemini]

1974

The first McDonalds restaurant opened in London.

I remember this! I lived in London then, and was briefly going out with an American student. He was SO excited and went on and on about it to us all. None of us had heard of McDonalds, so were disappointingly unimpressed with the concept. I don't think I actually went to one until many years after that, once a branch opened in York and we sometimes took the kids.

[Oma]

We had Wimpy , I don't think we got a McDonalds for a long time , I remember Wendy's not sure if that was before or after McDonalds either
Not somewhere We went to still don't

[Lizzie48]

That is one of many questions GD2 asks me, "did I go to McDonalds as a child?" We had a fish and chip shop in the village, 2 actually, no Mac! I did look it up and the first one was opened here in Zaandam in 1971 and that was the first one in Europe.

[Gemini]

I think fish and chips were THE takeaway when we were children Lizzie.
I was introduced to the dizzy heights of Chinese takeaway when I went to London as a student!

[Lizzie48]

I think it is all we had Gem.

[Daisy]

I first went to McDonalds in America and I can remember our sons thinking we were kidding when we said they had to clear the table themselves. As for eating with your fingers!!!

The first Chinese where I lived was in the very early sixties and I thought it was brilliant.

Apart from that, our only takeaway was fish and chips, and restaurants were in department stores, day-time only. But they were waitress service. It was a special treat to be taken to one.

[Gemini]

It was a treat Daisy! I remember it being an extremely rare event to be taken out to eat as a child or teenager. Our children ate out far more often, and GC even more!

[Daisy]

That's true, Gem. My mum used to take me to a restaurant (a bit like a Lyons corner cafe) in a department store when we went shopping. I thought it was wonderful, and as soon as they were old enough to sit in a high chair I did the same with our children. Our local John Lewis was the favourite. Waitress service, and they could choose what they wanted. We also took them to pubs where they could have a meal as well.

Pubs only served drinks when I was a child. The best thing was a lemonade and a packet of crisps in the car while the grown-ups went inside for a drink! You couldn't do that now, could you!

I even managed to continue the department store thing with our GSs, although it was nowhere near as grand as JL or the ones of my childhood.

My eldest sister-in-law did something similar, but the huge treat for her DDs was baked beans. She never served them at home, but they could have them when eating out - and that's what they always chose!

[Gemini]

1925

John Logie Baird (Scottish born engineer born at Helensburgh) performed the first test of a working television system. Although Baird's electromechanical system was eventually displaced by purely electronic systems, his early successes earned him a prominent place in television's invention.