Today in History

[Gemini]

1802

William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy saw a 'long belt' of daffodils, inspiring him to pen 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud'

[Gemini]

1919

Gandhi organized a day of 'prayer and fasting' in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British. Official Government of India sources estimated the fatalities at 379, with 1,100 wounded, many of them women and children.

[Daisy]

Gem, I haven't heard of this massacre, but it sounds awful.

[Gemini]

1949

The first 'Bob-a-Job week' began when 440,000 British Scouts started a nationwide campaign to raise the £22,000 needed to cover the deficits of the Scout movement. In the first year £60,000 was raised. The variety of jobs undertaken included a 13 year old who spent four hours cleaning the silver at 10 Downing Street.

As a child I remember my mum trying to find jobs for them when they came round.

[Gemini]

1981

Steve Davis became the world snooker champion at 23 years of age, beating Doug Mountjoy at Sheffield. On 17th April 2016 he announced his retirement, aged 58. Davis won six world titles and 28 ranking titles, putting him joint second on the all-time list with Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins.


My mum, an avid snooker fan along with my dad, disliked poor Steve Davies because he kept winning! I asked what she expected him to do, lose on purpose?

[Gemini]

1964

BBC television launched Playschool as the opening programme of their second channel. BBC2 actually opened a day late due to a major power failure the previous day.

[Daisy]

Playschool was such a Godsend. Twenty minutes to get a few jobs done round the house without falling over two young people who were "helping".

[Gemini]

23rd April is the National Day of England and the Feast Day of St. George.


1564

The birth of poet & playwright William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He died on his 52nd birthday in 1616.

[Daisy]

I wish England's national day had a higher profile. Most people don't even know it's today.

[Gemini]

2014

Yorkshire Sculpture Park won the £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year prize and was hailed as 'one of the finest outdoor museums one might ever imagine. It is located at West Bretton near Wakefield


It's a wonderful place

[Daisy]

Gem, something else to go on my bucket list when I eventually get to visit your part of the world.

[Gemini]

2014

The only surviving letter thought to have been written on the ill-fated Titanic, was sold at auction for £119,000.

[Gemini]

1992

The House of Commons elected a woman to the post of Speaker for the first time. She was Betty Boothroyd, the 62-year-old Labour MP for West Bromwich.

[Oma]

Betty took no nonsense from the male politicians did she 😁

[Gemini]

No Oma My mum admired her greatly.