Today in History

[Gemini]

1899

Unable to launch their lifeboat at Lynmouth because of heavy storms, the crew, horses and helpers dragged their 10 ton lifeboat Louisa and carriage, in the dark, the 15 miles overland to Porlock Weir.
The 11 hour journey across Exmoor included a haul over Countisbury Hill (gradient 25% : 1 in 4) followed by descending another 1 in 4 hill down into Porlock where the corner of a house had to be demolished to gain access.
Their rescue of the 18 crew from Forrest Hall was successful.
The journey was re-enacted in daylight on 12th January 1999.

[Daisy]

That must have been one of the most heroic rescues ever. I've been up and down that hill into Porlock a couple of times - in broad daylight in the summer, and it's daunting even then. I can't imagine what it must have been like in those conditions with horse-drawn vehicles.

[Gemini]

It's incredible isn't it?

[Gemini]

1964

Capital Records grudgingly released the first Beatles record, ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, in the US to, as they said 'see how it goes’. It became their fastest selling single ever. Within only three weeks, a million copies had been sold.

[Gemini]

2014

Monkeys at Paignton Zoo in Devon were banned from eating bananas. Keepers said - "Giving monkeys bananas that have been cultivated for humans is like giving them cake and chocolate. Reducing the sugar in their diets has calmed them down and made their group more settled."

[Gemini]

1559

Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England at the age of 26. She was the daughter of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn and the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

[Gemini]

1950

Listen With Mother began on radio with the words "Hello children. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin". When the series ended in 1982 there was a national outcry

[Gemini]

2014

Cambridge City Council said that apostrophes on new street signs would be abolished, a decision that was condemned by language traditionalists. The naming policy also banned street names which would be "difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell" and any that "could give offence" or would "encourage defacing of nameplates". After an intervention by cabinet minister Eric Pickles, local people in Cambridge started to edit street signs, adding apostrophes if they were necessary.

[Gemini]

1934

The first arrest was made in Britain as a result of issuing pocket radios to police. A Brighton shoplifter was arrested just 15 minutes after stealing three coats.

[Daisy]

I'd no idea the police had pocket radios that long ago!

[Gemini]

1937

The 18 year old English ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn made her debut in 'Giselle' at Sadler's Wells in London.

[Gemini]

1997

Three sisters, Phoebe, Faith and Alice Julian were among 17 girls who were the first to be admitted to the choir of York Minster, ending a 400 year old tradition of men only.


I live in York, in 1997 I lived 5 minutes walk from the Minster, and was not aware of this!!

[Gemini]

1807

Streets in London were first illuminated by gaslight when Pall Mall was lit up.

[Oma]

Its strange but we just take street lighting for granted don't we .
We never think of a time when they were in darkness .

[Daisy]

Oma - I've lived in a couple of places without street lights, and I can't remember it bothering me - but it was a long time ago! The ones we've got here now are dreadfully patchy. They've put baffles on them so they don't shine into people's houses but the main place people walk across our road at the end of our cul de sac is in total darkness - you can't even see the edge of the grass verge.