Today in History

[Daisy]

Gem - this made me smile. I remember a teacher at junior school thinking it would be a great idea to teach us to maypole dance! Utter chaos.

[Gemini]

1965

Britain's Early Bird satellite began transmitting TV programmes to more than 300 million viewers. The first programme was:- 'Out Of This World'.

[Gemini]

1934

Science fiction writer H.G.Wells predicted there would be a world war before 1940.

[Daisy]

Sadly, he was right.

[Gemini]

2014

A police officer who handcuffed himself to a man on suspicion of assault locked his keys in his patrol car and found that he had no way of taking the pair of them to the police station. Undeterred he sheepishly knocked on the suspect’s door and asked the boy's mother if she would be willing to drive them to the station herself .....and she did.

[Daisy]

Gem - I bet his face was red!

[Gemini]

1997

The Bank of England was given independence from political control. It was the most significant change in its 300 year history.

[Gemini]

1956

Health Minister, RH Turton, rejected calls for a government campaign against smoking, saying no ill effects had been proven.

[Daisy]

Gem - that's unbelievable. I can remember our family doctor warning my dad about the dangers of smoking around that time!

[Gemini]

1986

British climber Alison Hargreaves became the first climber to conquer a Himalayan peak by its toughest route when she reached the 22,251 foot (6,782 m) summit of Kantega in 5 days without oxygen, porters or a fixed camp.

[Gemini]

1960

Start of the sexual revolution of the 1960s when the birth control pill went on the market.

[Daisy]

I think it was only available to married women to start with. But my best friend had two or threes days in bed with crippling period pains every month and her doctor prescribed the pill to help. He never told her (a single girl) that is was a contraceptive! It took quite a while for the 60s to start swinging!

[Gemini]

2014

Sixth formers at Hampton Court House, a private school in Surrey, are to begin their lessons in the afternoons to allow them to sleep later in the mornings. Headmaster Guy Holloway said that the change to 1:30 pm from the usual time of 9:00 am would be more productive and less stressful for students.

[Gemini]

1989

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'Cats' , based on T.S.Eliot's Old Possum poems, became the West End's longest-running musical, completing eight years

[Daisy]

I love this musical. We saw it early on in the West End, and were lucky to have seats on the moving platform which was a great experience.