Today in History

[Gemini]

1853

Queen Victoria became the first monarch to receive chloroform. It was administered to ease the birth of her eighth child, Prince Leopold.

[Daisy]

I wonder what Queen Victoria would have thought about the choices today, from water births to epidurals.

[Gemini]

1997

The results of the first ultrasonic scan of the front of the Titanic revealed a series of six short slits as the principal damage to the ship after it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912. There is a memorial in Southampton to the 35 engineer officers who battled to keep Titanic afloat during her fated maiden voyage

[Daisy]

1954

Bill Haley recorded "Rock Around the Clock". It was the first record to sell a million copies in Britain.

[Daisy]

1997

Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament. He was the first golfer of African American descent and the youngest player to win the event.

[Daisy]

1953

Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, launched the new royal yacht, Britannia.

[Daisy]

1956

Premium Bonds were introduced into Britain by the Conservative Chancellor, Harold Macmillan.

(Nanto is glad they are still going strong!)

[Daisy]

1881

The Natural History Museum in London was opened.

[Daisy]

1956

Prince Rainier III of Monaco married film actress Grace Kelly at the Cathedral of Monaco.

[Gemini]

1848

The first Royal yacht, Victoria and Albert, was launched at Pembroke Docks, after suffering serious damage when first floated.

[Gemini]

1962

In a joint USA British venture, the first international satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

[Gemini]

1840

The foundation stone for the new Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace) was laid by the wife of the architect Sir Charles Barry.

[Gemini]

1884

Oxford University agreed to admit female students to examinations. However, woman were not to be awarded degrees.

[Daisy]

Gem - it makes you realise what an uphill battle the Suffragettes and Suffragists had when they were dealing with a totally male-lead political and education system.

[Gemini]

May Day - originally a Roman festival which began on 28th April and lasted several days to mark the commencement of summer. In England, middle and lower classes would gather flowers - ‘go a maying’ - and the prettiest village maid was crowned Queen of the May, celebrated with dancing around the maypole.