Today in History

[Gemini]

2013

Ornate plasterwork at the Apollo Theatre in London fell from the ceiling during a performance and after a flash flood thunderstorm. The collapse brought down a lighting rig and a section of balcony, trapping 2 people and injuring around 88, including 7 with serious injuries.

[Gemini]

2014

A grey seal was spotted in a farmer's field in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, 20 miles inland. The disorientated animal was captured and transferred to a wildlife centre in Nantwich, Cheshire.

[Gemini]

2013

More people accessed the BBC iPlayer on tablets than on computers for the first time, after thousands had unwrapped new devices for Christmas. Over the festive period, there were 1.96 million requests for Doctor Who's Christmas special The Time of the Doctor, in which Peter Capaldi arrived to succeed Matt Smith.

[Daisy]

You can just picture all those silent gatherings where everyone is glued to their shiny new tablet, instead of playing charades or something.

[Gemini]

1940

London suffered its most devastating air raid when Germans firebombed the city. Hundreds of fires caused by the exploding bombs engulfed areas of London, but fire fighters showed a valiant indifference to the bombs falling around them and saved much of the city from destruction. The next day, a newspaper photo of St. Paul's Cathedral standing undamaged amid the smoke and flames seemed to symbolize the capital's unconquerable spirit during the Battle of Britain.

[Daisy]

Dark and terrifying days, especially in London and other large cities.

[Gemini]

1951

The first episode of the BBC’s radio serial The Archers - farming folk of Ambridge. It is the world's longest running radio 'soap'. By 18th December 2011 it had reached 16,600 episodes.

And long may it continue!

[Nana]

I"ve never heard one episode Gem.

[Gemini]

Oh my life would be poorer without it, and the theme tune is to be played at my funeral 😊

[Nana]

Cheerful🤦♀️😉

[Gemini]

It will be Nana. I hope it will make them smile as they leave the crematorium 😊

[Gemini]

1988

Margaret Thatcher became the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century.

[Nana]

And all our pits were closing.🤬

[Gemini]

1957

A dissatisfied plastic surgeon patient was sentenced in London to ten years’ imprisonment, after he had threatened his surgeon with a gun, complaining that his nose was too short.

[Gemini]

2013

The death in Wirksworth - Derbyshire, of Britain's oldest man, Reg Dean aged 110 years and 63 days. He was a former church minister and lived through two world wars and 24 British prime ministers.