Today in History

[Daisy]

She was such an icon of the early 80s, and persuaded people all over the country to buy flowery furnishings etc.

[Nana]

I didn't know she is dead. I love her stuff. Died at a young age too. Who designs the stuff & keeps her company alive then?

[Daisy]

Nana - it's a limited company now. I think her husband, Bernard, carried on after her death, but she was the designer.

[Gemini]

1879

The world's first railway dining car was introduced in Britain on the line between London and Leeds.

[Daisy]

And I bet they had silver service, proper china and freshly cooked food, too.

[Gemini]

1996

Mandy Allwood lost the last five of the octuplets she had been expecting after a 19 week pregnancy. She had refused 'selective reduction' and her case provoked a media storm in Britain.

[Nana]

I can't remember this. What a brave & wonderful woman.

[Daisy]

Nana, I think there was a lot of controversy about her motives. Whichever way you look at it it was a sad case. 😟

[Gemini]

I remember it well. What she in fact did was sentence all 8 babies to die, as it was made clear to her that such a pregnancy couldn't have a live outcome. Removing some of the foetuses would have at least given the others a chance.
Very difficult choice I know .Sometimes going against medical advice is the right thing to do but sadly in this case it led to all 8 babies dying.
I think she sold her stories to magazines and newspapers.

[Nana]

Oh, it just goes to show how you need to know the full story. I try not to be judgemental but all I can say that in this case had I been in that position I would have chosen a different outcome. Also a no-no making money from it.

[Gemini]

1978

Ann Dadds became London Underground's first woman Tube driver.

[Daisy]

Did you have to memorise "dates" in History at school? Not many stuck in my memory but this one did for some reason -

1805 the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson defeated the French and Spanish fleets but was shot and died during the battle. There is a little plaque on HMS Victory in the historic naval dockyard at Portsmouth showing where he fell.

[Gemini]

1964

The Beatles won five UK Ivor Novello Awards - 1963's Most Broadcast Song, and Top-Selling Single 'She Loves You', Second Best-Selling Single 'I Want to Hold your Hand', Second Most Outstanding Song 'All My Loving', and the Most Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Daisy, we didn't have to memorise dates, it may have been a good idea!

[Daisy]

Gem - it was a waste of time! I forgot them anyway!!

Yes, that was definitely the height of Beatle-mania!!

[Gemini]

1992

The London Ambulance Service was thrown into chaos after the failure of a new Computer Aided Dispatch system. Its poor design and implementation led to significant delays in the assigning of ambulances, with reports of 11 hour waits. Media reports at the time claimed that up to 30 people may have died as a result of the chaos. The then-chief executive, John Wilby, resigned shortly afterwards.