Today in History

[Gemini]

1984

The 17-year-old South African barefooted, long and middle distance runner, Zola Budd, was granted British citizenship by Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, after only a matter of weeks, enabling her to compete as a British citizen in the Olympic games. The decision provoked considerable controversy.

[Gemini]

1827

Chemist John Walker of Stockton on Tees sold the world's first box of 'friction matches' that he had invented the previous year. He charged one shilling for a box of 50 matches. Each box was supplied a piece of sandpaper, folded double, through which the match had to be drawn to ignite it. He named the matches 'Congreves' in honour of the inventor and rocket pioneer, Sir William Congreve.

[Daisy]

Gem - that's fascinating. Nearly 200 years ago! People must have been really desperate though (or very rich) to pay 1/- for 50 matches.

[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.

[Gemini]

1969

Sikh busmen in Wolverhampton won the right to wear turbans on duty.

[Daisy]

They should never have had to fight for this in the first place. But I remember it was quite a long dispute with the local bus company.

[Gemini]

1633

Bananas went on display in Thomas Johnson's shop window in London. This was the first time the fruit had been seen in Britain.

[Oma]

I wonder if they knew how to eat them in those days , we take it for granted but something new like that must have been so strange

[Gemini]

My mum remembers when bananas were unavailable during WW2, and what treat it was when they came back into the shops.

[Daisy]

Gem - I can remember my dad's shop having bananas which were delivered from the wholesaler in very long wooden boxes, packed with straw. You never knew quite what else you'd find in there!!

They were a treat in those days, and somehow I've never quite shaken off the belief that they still are a bit of a luxury!

[Oma]

My Mam remembers mashing Parsnip with sugar as a Banana substitute

[Daisy]

Oma - that was very enterprising.

[Gemini]

1954

American, Bill Haley recorded 'Rock Around The Clock'. It was first record to sell a million copies in Britain.

[Daisy]

I was 11 in 1954 and remember listening to this and thinking it was the most exciting music I'd even heard. I was a rock chick before the term was even invented!!

[Gemini]

1742

George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah made its world-premiere, in Dublin, Ireland.