Today in History

[Gemini]

1978

The Guiness Book of Records entered the record books as the most-stolen book from British libraries.

[Gemini]

1999

A man who had all his fingers severed in a horrific accident at work became the first person to have all his fingers re-attached. Two teams of doctors along with nurses and theatre technicians performed the delicate micro-surgical procedure in a marathon 18-hour operation at Withington Hospital, Manchester.

[Gemini]

1993

The Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, fell into the sea following a landslide, making news around the world.

[Oma]

I remember that Gem.

[Plantaholic]

D Day landings anniversary today. The programme last evening was amazing and very sad and today another programme which I shall watch. Very sad, all those lives lost on both sides. My DD and Sil have shares in a home in Normandy and the locals still have Union flags and American flags flying in their gardens, they haven’t forgotten what they did for them. There are lots of American visitors every year. We are going in about a month, I expect we shall see lots of visitors. My OH was stationed in North Africa so was lucky not to see much action.

[Gemini]

A momentous day Plant .
As you say, the TV coverage is very moving.

[Oma]

A very important day in our history , so many lives lost on all sides .

[Plantaholic]

Another amazing programme of the DD landings, well done BBC. I am hoping to go and visit the new memorial for the British soldiers who died on Gold Beach. The King made the trip and gave a moving speach

[Gemini]

1873

Alexandra Palace in London burned down, after being open for only 16 days. It was built as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment and as North London's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London. With typical Victorian vigour, the palace was quickly rebuilt and it reopened on 1st May 1875.

[Gemini]

2012

Downing Street admitted that David Cameron had left his eight year old daughter in the pub after a Sunday lunch two months previously, because of a mix-up with his wife Samantha. The story proved embarrassing for the Prime Minister, as it came on the same day that the government relaunched its £450m 'Troubled Families Programme'.

[Gemini]

1997

Queen Elizabeth II reopened the Globe Theatre in London. The new theatre was approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of Shakespeare's original theatre, built in 1599.

[Gemini]

1987

Princess Anne was given the title Princess Royal.

[Gemini]

1995

Pauline Clare, 47, became the first woman to be appointed chief constable in Britain.

[Gemini]

1928

The House of commons voted to fix the date of Easter. However, a clause in the Bill allowed the consideration of the opinions of all the major churches and the Act was never put in force.

[Gemini]

1915

The foundation of the Women's Institute, regularly referred to as simply the WI. Its two aims were to revitalise rural communities and to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. It is now the largest women’s voluntary organisation in the UK.

The local WI are the mainstay of the Library Friend group of which I am secretary. There are few of us who are not WI. They are amazing.