Today in History

[Daisy]

Gem - you make me feel old. I remember that day so well! My parents sold sweets in their corner shop and it was my job to count all the coupons to do the return to the Ministry. I got made redundant.

And I don't like sweets anyway, so there wasn't even that cause to celebrate.

[Gemini]

2015

26 year old Royal Marine, Andy Grant, woke up from an operation to remove his leg below the knee and found a key word missing from his You'll Never Walk Alone tattoo. He used the new wording "You'll Never Walk" as the inspiration for his rehabilitation. The marine learnt to walk and run, won two gold medals at the Invictus Games, abseiled the Shard and went on to work as a motivational speaker.

[Daisy]

Some people are heroes through and through.

[Gemini]

2005

Britain's Ellen MacArthur (born 8th July 1976) became the fastest person to sail solo around the world. Two months after her amazing feat she also became the youngest person to receive a damehood.

[Daisy]

She's an amazing lady. She set up a sailing Trust for young people who have had cancer to help them regain their confidence and find their way back into the world. She's also involved in promoting a 'circular economy' - reusing, recycling, sharing knowledge etc.

[Gemini]

1855

The 'Devil's Footprints' mysteriously appeared in southern Devon when trails of hoof-like marks appeared overnight in the snow. Estimates of the total distance covered by the prints ranged from 40 to 100 miles. Houses, rivers, haystacks and other obstacles were allegedly travelled straight over, and the footprints appeared on the tops of snow-covered roofs and high walls, as well as leading up to and exiting various drain pipes with a diameter as small as 4 inches

[Daisy]

Gem - I'd never heard of this, but it sounds to me like one of those urban myths that go round from time to time, and they gain extra details (like the drain pipes - did the Victorians even have drainpipes?) with every retelling. A great story to tell children, isn't it. My curious GD1 loves things like this.

[Gemini]

2015

Seven straw houses went on sale at Shirehampton - Bristol, clad in brick to fit in with the surroundings. Declared to be safe from 'huffing and puffing' the prefabricated timber walls, filled with straw bales were said to be 90% cheaper in terms of heating costs than traditional brick houses.

[Daisy]

I've seen a couple of tv programmes about people who've built straw houses. Some have used mud as well. They seem very well insulated and keep warm in winter and cool in summer. I don't know how they've been financed though, as I can't imagine a conventional lender getting involved.

[Plantaholic]

Very interesting

[Daisy]

Plant - we've got a friend whose ambition is to buy a small plot of land and build himself a straw and mud house.

[Gemini]

1774

Andrew Baker demonstrated his practical diving suit in the River Thames.

[Gemini]

1993

Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales both volunteered to pay income tax and capital gains tax on their private income. The Queen also took over civil list payments to junior members of the royal family.

[Gemini]

1954

The British Standing Advisory Committee on cancer claimed that the illness had a definite link with cigarette smoking.

[Gemini]

1978

Tomorrow's World presenter Anna Ford was officially announced as ITN's first female newsreader.