Today in History

[Gemini]

1969

ATV (Midland) screened the first colour TV commercial in Britain; for Birds Eye Peas. It cost £23 for the off peak 30 second slot.

[Daisy]

Gem, that sounds like the bargain of the century for Birds Eye, but there were probably only ten people with a colour tv in the whole country at that time.

[Gemini]

1959

Two Scottish airports, Prestwick and Renfrew, became the first to offer duty free goods in Britain. Heathrow followed soon after.

[Gemini]

1477

Caxton’s book, the Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres, was published. It was the first printed book in England bearing a date.

[Daisy]

I bet that's not a relaxing bedtime read.

[Gemini]

2003

An acoustic guitar on which the late Beatle George Harrison learned to play, fetched £276,000 at a London auction.

[Gemini]

1896

The first Royal Command Performance for the British Sovereign. The event was in the Red Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, before H.M. Queen Victoria.

[Daisy]

That really does sound like a "Command" performance - very regal.

[Gemini]

1984

Band Aid rock stars gathered at Sarm Studios in London to record 'Do They Know It's Christmas', to aid famine relief in Ethiopia.

[Gemini]

1987

Drawings of English bank notes by US artist James Boggs were declared works of art and not illegal replicas of UK currency by an Old Bailey jury.

[Plantaholic]

Oh…………

[Gemini]

2011

British company Captive Media announced details of its urinal mounted, urine-controlled games console for men. It called it the first 'hands-free' video gaming console of its kind, with games on offer including a skiing challenge, and a multiple choice pub quiz.
A noted side effect was that the toilets became markedly cleaner, as a new premium was set on accuracy.

Ewwwwww!

[Oma]

Oh Yuk 😱🤢

[Daisy]

Haha - I bet the queues built up though as 'players' tried to beat their previous scores!

[Gemini]

1977

Wings started a nine week run at No.1 with Mull of Kintyre. It was the first single to sell over 2 million in the UK.