Just for the record...........................

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 18 June

• In 1155, Frederick I (Barbarossa) is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
• In 1583, Richard Martin of London takes out the first life insurance policy, on William Gibbons. The premium was £383.
• In 1812, The War of 1812 begins as the US declares war against Britain.
• In 1815, The Battle of Waterloo is waged on this day in 1815.
• In 1873, Susan B. Anthony is fined in Rochester, New York, for committing the crime of voting.
• In 1901, actress and singer Jeanette MacDonald ('When I'm Calling You') is born.
• In 1901, Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, is born.
• In 1928, aviator Amelia Earhart completed a flight from Newfoundland to Wales and became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
• In 1942, rock musician and founder member of the Beatles, Paul McCartney is born.
• In 1945, William Joyce, (Lord Haw-Haw), British radio broadcaster for the Axis, is charged with treason.
• In 1967, guitarist Jimi Hendrix burns his guitar on stage at the Monterey Pop Festival.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 25 June



<LI>In 1212, Simon de Montfort a leader of the Crusades dies at 67.
<LI>In 1876, General George Custer and his detachment of 264 troops are killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn by the Sioux and their allies under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
<LI>In 1900, Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, uncle to Prince Phillip (husband of Queen Elizabeth II) is born.
<LI>In 1903, English satirist and author (Animal Farm, 1984) Eric Blair, known to the world as George Orwell is born.
<LI>In 1924, Sidney Lumet, American film, television, and stage director, is born.
<LI>In 1962, the US Supreme Court declares that official prayers in public schools are an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state.
<LI>In 1963, comedian Mike Myers is born in Canada.
<LI>In 1963, English rock singer George Michael is born.
<LI>In 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declare independence from Yugoslavia, starting a violent break-up of the federation.
In 1992, singer Billy Joel gets his high school diploma. He had overslept and missed English and Gym finals 25 years before.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 2 July



<LI>In 419, Valentinian III Roman emperor between 425 and 55 is born.
<LI>In 1489, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer is born.
<LI>In 1566, French astrologer, physician and prophet Nostradamus dies in France.
<LI>In 1608, the city of Quebec is founded by Samuel de Champlain.
<LI>In 1777, Vermont becomes the first American colony to abolish slavery.
<LI>In 1843, it is reported that an alligator fell from the sky during a Charleston, South Carolina, thunderstorm.
<LI>In 1862, William Bragg, British physicist who pioneered solid-state physics, is born.
<LI>In 1881, US President James Abram Garfield, who had been in the White House only four months, is shot by a mentally disturbed disappointed office seeker named Charles Guiteau in a Washington train station.
<LI>In 1903, Lord Alex Douglas-Home, Conservative British Prime Minister between 1963 and 64, is born.
<LI>In 1927, Helen Wills Moody becomes the first American to win Wimbledon in 20 years.
<LI>In 1937, Amelia Earhart, who had soloed across the Atlantic in 1932 and had flown from California to Hawaii in 1935, is lost near Howland Island in the South Pacific as she attempts a round-the-world flight.
<LI>In 1956, Jerry Hall, model and Mrs Mick Jagger, is born in Mesquite Texas.
<LI>In 1961, Ernest Hemingway shoots himself to death in Ketchum Idaho.
<LI>In 1966, Billie Jean King wins her first of six Wimbledon single titles.
<LI>In 1988, Steffi Graf, 19 years old, defeats eight-time Wimbledon champion, Martina Navratilova, to win her first Wimbledon crown.
In 1999, American popular writer Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, dies.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 6 August

• In 1623, Anne Hathaway the widow Shakespeare dies in Stratford, seven years after her illustrious husband.
• In 1726, the first permanent Roman Catholic convent in America is opened in New Orleans.
• In 1809, the sage of Victorian poets, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, is born in Lincolnshire.
• In 1825, Bolivia declares its independence from Spain.
  In 1844, Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is born.
• In 1890, the electric chair is first used in the USA, for John Hart, in New York for murder.
• In 1911, Lucille Ball, American comedienne, is born in Jamestown, New York.
• In 1945, the Japanese city of Hiroshima is targeted with the first Atom Bomb, dropped on it by the bomber Enola Gay.
• In 1960, Chubby Checker performs the Twist on American TV for the first time on American Bandstand.
• In 1962, after 300 years of British colonial rule, Jamaica becomes independent.
• In 1978, Pope Paul VI dies.
• In 1986, William J Schroeder, the world's longest-survivor with a permanent artificial heart, dies after 620 days with the Jarvik VII man-made pump.
• In 1996, NASA announces the discovery of evidence of primitive life on Mars.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 3 September

• In 1189, England's King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) is crowned in Westminster.
• In 1596, Nicolo Amati, violin maker (Stradivari & Guarneri) is born in Italy.
• In 1658, James I, King of England (1603-25), dies at 92.
• In 1658, the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell dies.
• In 1900, Britain annexes Natal South Africa.
• In 1913, actor Alan Ladd is born in Arkansas.
• In 1935, the first automobile to exceed 300 mph is driven by Sir Malcolm Campbell at a speed of 301.337 mph.
• In 1939, Great Britain declares war on Nazi Germany in 1939, following the invasion of Poland two days earlier.
• In 1954, the Lone Ranger is heard on radio for the final time after 2956 episodes over a period of 21 years.
• In 1962, poet e. e. cummings dies at 67.
• In 1965, actor Charlie Sheen - real name Carlos Estevez, is born in New York City.
• In 1971, John Lennon leaves the UK for New York City, never to return.
• In 1991, sentimental movie director Frank Capra dies at the age of 94.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 14 January



In 1163, Ladislaus I Arpad king of Hungary (1162-63), dies.
In 1236, English king Henry III marries Eleonora of Provence.
In 1690, the clarinet is invented, in Nüremberg, Germany.
In 1873, "Celluloid" registered as a trademark. First ARTIFICIAL plastic used for spectacle frames
In 1875, Albert Schweitzer doctor, humanitarian, Nobel Prize winner in 1952 is born.
In 1886, Hugh Lofting, the author of the Dr. Doolittle series of children's books, is born.
In 1898, the Reverend Charles L Dodgson better known as Lewis Carroll, dies at 66.
In 1900, Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca premieres in Rome.
In 1904, Sir Cecil Beaton, British royal family photographer is born.
In 1914, Henry Ford introduces assembly line, for T-Fords.
In 1941, actor Faye Dunaway is born in Bascom, Florida.
In 1957, actor Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca, Caine Mutiny), dies at 57.
In 1977, Anthony Eden British premier (1955-57), dies at 79.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 21 January



In 0879, Boudouin with the Iron Arm, Earl of Flanders, dies.
In 1338, Charles V (the Wise) king of France (1364-80) is born.
In 1677, the first medical publication in America (a pamphlet on smallpox), is published in Boston.
In 1793, French king Louis XVI (1774-93) is beheaded by revolutionaries at 38.
In 1799, Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination is introduced.
In 1853, the envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes in Worcester MA.
In 1855, John M Browning US, weapons manufacturer is born.
In 1903, Harry Houdini escapes from a police station in Amsterdam.
In 1905, fashion designer Christian Dior is born.
In 1922, the first slalom ski race is run in Mürren, Switzerland.
In 1924, British comedian Benny Hill is born.
In 1924, actor Telly [Aristotle] Savalas is born in Garden City Long Island New York.
In 1950, George Orwell (real name Eric Arthur Blair), author of Animal Farm and 1984, dies in London from tuberculosis at 46.
In 1959, Cecil B[lount] de Mille pioneer blockbuster Hollywood producer, dies at 77.
In 1976, faster-than-sound commercial air travel becomes a reality as the French Concorde starts flying between the US and Europe.
In 1977, Italy legalizes abortion.
In 1990, John McEnroe becomes the first person ever expelled from the Australian Open for throwing a tantrum & swearing at an official.
In 1997, Colonel Tom Parker, manager of Elvis Presley, dies at 87

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 28 January




In 0814, German emperor and Roman Emperor (800-814) Charlemagne, dies at 71.
In 1457, Henry VII, first Tudor king of England (1485-1509) is born in Pembroke Castle.
In 1547, Henry VIII King of England (1509-47), dies at 55.
In 1547, 9-year-old Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as king of England.
In 1595, English navigator and pirate Sir Francis Drake, dies at about 50.
In 1706, John Baskerville, English printer and inventor of typeface, is born.
In 1829, William Burke, murderer and body snatcher, is executed in Edinburgh.
In 1841, Henry Stanley, English journalist and explorer is born.
In 1929, clarinetist Acker Bilk (Stranger on the Shore) is born.
In 1936, actor Alan Alda (real name Alphonso D'Abruzzo), is born in New York City.
In 1939, Irish poet William Butler Yeats dies in France at 73.
In 1948, Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is born.
In 1956, Elvis Presley makes his first TV appearance on the Dorsey Brothers Talent Show.
In 1960, the BBC's innovative comedy The Goon Show has its final episode broadcast.
In 1980, comedian Jimmy Durante dies at 86.
In 1986, astronaut and teacher Christa McAuliffe, dies in the Challenger disaster.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 4 February

In 1189, English monastery founder and saint, Gilbert of Sempringham dies.

In 1794, French National Convention proclaims abolishment of slavery.


In 1824, J. W. Goodrich introduces rubber galoshes to the public.


In 1866, Mary Baker Eddy claims to cure her injuries by opening a Bible. She founds the Christian Science movement.


In 1894, Antoine J. "Adolphe" Sax, maker of the first saxophone, dies at 79.


In 1902, Charles A Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic, is born in Detroit MI.


In 1906, Clyde William Tombaugh, US astronomer who discovered Pluto, is born.


In 1910, South African playwright and novelist Uys Krige is born.


In 1913, Rosa McCauley Parks, whose defiance of segregated bus law in Montgomery began the Civil Rights movement, is born.


In 1914, actress Ida Lupino is born in London.


In 1918, English comedian Norman Wisdom is born in London.


In 1983, Karen Carpenter, singer/drummer for the Carpenters, dies of anorexia at 32.


In 1987, pianist and showman Liberace dies at 67.

[Chris Ryser]

In 0641, Heraclius emperor of Byzantium (610-641), dies at about 65.


In 1531, Henry VIII is recognised as supreme head of the Church in England.


In 1554, Lady Jane Grey deposed Queen of England, is beheaded after 9 day rule at 17.


In 1650, René Descartes philosopher "I think therefore I am", stops thinking.


In 1800, photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot is born in Wiltshire England.


In 1810, Napoleon marries Marie-Louise of Austria.


In 1847, inventor (and holder of 120 patents) Thomas Alva Edison is born in Milan Ohio.


In 1852, the first British public female toilet opens in Bedford Street London.


In 1904, New Zealand PM (1960-72) Sir Keith Holyoake is born.



In 1917, novelist and Academy Award winner Sidney Sheldon is born.

In 1921, actress Eva Gabor is born in Budapest Hungary.

In 1922, actor Leslie Nielsen is born.

In 1934, British race car driver John Surtees is born.


In 1941, the first gold record is presented to Glenn Miller for ChattanoogaChoo Choo.

In 1967, the Monkees announce that they would be playing all the instruments on all future recordings.
In 1986, Frank Herbert sci-fi author of Dune, dies at 65.


In 1990, Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in captivity.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day...........................

In 0641, Heraclius emperor of Byzantium (610-641), dies at about 65.

In 1531, Henry VIII is recognised as supreme head of the Church in England.


In 1554, Lady Jane Grey deposed Queen of England, is beheaded after 9 day rule at 17.


In 1650, René Descartes philosopher "I think therefore I am", stops thinking.


In 1800, photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot is born in Wiltshire England.


In 1810, Napoleon marries Marie-Louise of Austria.


In 1847, inventor (and holder of 120 patents) Thomas Alva Edison is born in Milan Ohio.


In 1852, the first British public female toilet opens in Bedford Street London.


In 1904, New Zealand PM (1960-72) Sir Keith Holyoake is born.


In 1917, novelist and Academy Award winner Sidney Sheldon is born.


In 1921, actress Eva Gabor is born in Budapest Hungary.


In 1922, actor Leslie Nielsen is born.


In 1934, British race car driver John Surtees is born.


In 1941, the first gold record is presented to Glenn Miller for Chattanooga Choo Choo.


In 1967, the Monkees announce that they would be playing all the instruments on all future recordings.


In 1986, Frank Herbert sci-fi author of Dune, dies at 65.


In 1990, Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in captivity.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 18 February



In 1516, Mary I Tudor, the first reigning queen of Great Britain is born.


In 1546, Martin Luther biblical scholar and religious reformer dies at 62.


In 1564, the artist Michelanglelo dies in Rome.


In 1678, John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" is published.


In 1745, Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta physicist andinventor of the battery is born.

In 1920, actor Jack Palance (rel name Walter Palanuik), is born in Lattimer Philadelphia.

In 1922, author and publisher of Cosmopolitan, Helen Gurley Brown is born in Portland Maine.

In 1932, Czechoslovakian director Milos Forman Cáslav (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Ragtime and more) is born.

In 1933, Yoko Ono, wife of John Lennon, is born in Tokyo Japan.


In 1954, actor John Travolta is born in Englewood New Jersey.


In 1967, Robert J Oppenheimer creator of the atomic bomb dies at 62.


In 1972, the California Supreme Court strikes down the state's death penalty.


In 1979, snow falls in the Sahara Desert.


In 2001, (Ralph) Dale Earnhardt NASCAR driver, dies in a crash during the Daytona 500 at 49.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 25 February



In 1570, England's Queen Elizabeth I is excommunicated by Pope Pius V.


In 1577, King Eric XIV of Sweden is born.</B>


In 1601, Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, is executed for treason against Queen Elizabeth I


In 1723, English astronomer and architect Sir Christopher Wren dies at 90.


In 1836, Samuel Colt patents the first revolving barrel multishot firearm – the Colt 45.


In 1841, French Impressionist painter and sculptor Pierre Auguste Renoir Limoges is born.


In 1888, John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State is born.


In 1919, Oregon places a one cent per gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first US state to levy a gasoline tax.


In 1943, Beatle member and composer George Harrison is born in Liverpool England.


In 1968, Archbishop Makarios is re-elected President of Cyprus.


In 1983, playwright Tennessee Williams dies.


In 2001, Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman dies.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 4 March



In 1394, Prince Henry the Navigator is born.


In 1595, English poet Robert Southwell is hanged for becoming a Catholic priest.


In 1678, Baroque violin virtuoso and composer Antonio Vivaldi is born in Venice.


In 1681, King Charles II grants William Penn a royal charter for Pennsylvania.


In 1792, oranges are introduced to Hawaii.


In 1835, the Italian astronomer who discovered canals of Mars, Giovanni Schiaparelli, is born.


In 1881, South African President Kruger accepts a ceasefire.


In 1909, billionaire builder of the Empire State Building, Harry B Helmsley is born in New York.

In 1924, "Happy Birthday To You" is published by Claydon Sunny.


In 1951, British soccer star Kenny Dalglish is born.


In 1966, John Lennon says "We (the Beatles) are more popular than Jesus".


In 1979, US Voyager I photo reveals Jupiter's rings.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 11 March



In 0537, the Goths lay siege to Rome.


In 1665, New York approves new code guaranteeing Protestants religious rights.


In 1669, the Volcano Etna in Italy (Sicily) erupts killing 15,000.


In 1682, the Chelsea Hospital for old soldiers (Chelsea Pensioners), also the venue for the world-famous flower show, is founded.


In 1794, Royal Theatre in London's Dury Lane opens.


In 1811, Urbain Jean Joseph le Verrier, co-discoverer of Neptune, is born.


In 1819, English sugar producer Henry Tate who founded the Tate Gallery is born.


In 1845, Henry Jones of Bristol, England, patents self-raising flour.


In 1885, Malcolm Campbell, the first auto racer to travel 8 km/minute is born.


In 1892, the first public basketball game takes place in Springfield MA.


In 1916, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson is born.


In 1931, Australian media tycoon and newspaper publisher Rupert Murdoch is born.


In 1927, the first armoured commercial car hold-up in US, Pittsburgh takes place.

In 1935, Hermann Goering officially creates the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.


In 1968, Otis Redding posthumously receives a gold record for "The Dock of the Bay".


In 1970, US writer of Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner, dies at 80.


In 1986, one million days pass since the traditional foundation of Rome, 4/21/753 BC.


In 1988, the Bank of England pound note ceases to be legal tender at midnight, and is replaced by the pound coin.


In 1990, Lithuania declares its independence.


In 1997, the ashes of Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry are launched into space.


In 1997, Beatle Paul McCartney is knighted Sir Paul by Queen Elizabeth II.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 25 March



In 0031, the first Easter is noted, according to calendar-maker Dionysius Exiguus.

In 1306, Robert the Bruce is crowned king of Scotland.

In 1133, Henry II King of England (1154-89) is born.

In 1133, William the Conqueror orders the first Domesday survey of England.


In 1223, Afonso II 3rd King of Portugal (1211-23), dies at 36.

..........................................................
I corrected, but have to compliment the sharp critic who caught a 1000 year old kibg.


In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh renews Humphrey Gilbert's patent to explore North America.


In 1807, the first railway passenger service begins in England.


In 1807, British Parliament abolishes the slave trade.


In 1857, Frederick Laggenheim takes the first photo of a solar eclipse.


In 1867, conductor Arturo Toscanini is born in Parma Italy.


In 1881, Hungarian composer and pianist Béla Bartók is born.


In 1889, the first Test Cricket match played at Newlands, Cape Town vs England.


In 1918, French composer Claude A Debussy dies in Paris France at 55.


In 1921, actress Simone Signoret is born in Wiesbaden Germany.


In 1942, Soul sister and singer Aretha Franklin is born in Memphis Tennessee.


In 1944, RAF Sergeant Nickolas Alkemade survives a jump from his Lancaster bomber from 18,0,00 feet without a parachute.


In 1947, Sir Elton John (real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight) is born in Pinner Middlesex England.


In 1954, RCA manufactures the first colour TV set (12½" screen at $1,000).


In 1965, actress Sarah Jessica Parker is born in Nelsonville Ohio.

In 1970, Concorde makes its first supersonic flight (700 mph/1,127 kph).

[1968]

On This Day - Back in time on 25 March

In 0306, Robert the Bruce is crowned king of Scotland.

Given that Robert the Bruce died in 1329, he would have been well over a thousand years old if that were true. That's pretty good even by Old Testament standards! I think that date is supposed to be 1306.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 8 April



In 0217, Roman Emperor Caracalla [Marcus Aurelius Antoniius] is murdered at 29.


In 1460, Spanish conqueror/explorer Ponce de León San Tervas de Campos is born.


In 1498, Charles VIII King of France (1483-98) is beheaded at 27.


In 1605, Philip IV king of Spain & Portugal (1621-65) is born.


In 1766, the first fire escape is patented - a wicker basket on a pulley and chain.


In 1862, John D Lynde patents the aerosol dispenser.


In 1873, Alfred Paraf receives a patent for the first commercially viable margarine manufacturing process.


In 1912, Sonja Henie, Olympic ice skater and actress, is born in Oslo Norway.


In 1919, [Douglas] Ian Smith premier of Rhodesia is born.


In 1947, Henry Ford US industrialist dies.


In 1986, Clint Eastwood is elected mayor of Carmel California.


In 1994, Smoking is banned in Pentagon & all US military bases.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 29 April



In 1091, the battle at Monte Levunium - Emperor Alexius I beats Petshegenes.


In 1429, Joan of Arc leads Orleans France, to victory over the English.


In 1856, the end of the Crimean War is announced.


In 1899, bandleader Duke [Edward Kennedy] Ellington is born in Washington DC.


In 1901, Emperor Hirohito of Japan (1926-89) is born.


In 1913, Swedish engineer Gideon Sundback of Hoboken patents the all-purpose zipper.


In 1931, skiffle vocalist/guitarist Anthony "Lonnie" Donegan is born in Glasgow Scotland.


In 1936, English banker and multi-millionaire Jacob Rothschild is born.


In 1951, 6-time NASCAR national champion [Ralph] Dale Earnhardt is born in Kannapolis North Carolina.


In 1955, Jerry Seinfeld comedian and actor is born.


In 1958, the Broadway musical, My Fair Lady, opens for its first night in London.


In 1958, actress Michelle Pfeiffer is born in Santa Ana California.


In 1970, one of the greatest tennis players ever, Andre Agassi, is born in Las Vegas Nevada.


In I975, US forces pull out of Vietnam.


In 1980, British director Alfred Joseph Hitchcock dies at 80.


In 1984, rocker Marvin Gaye is shot dead by his father at 45.


In 1993, Buckingham Palace opens to the public for the first time in a bid to raise funds to repair Windsor Castle.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 13 May

In 0609, Pope Boniface I turns the Pantheon into a Catholic church.


In 1390, Robert II the Steward King of Scotland (1371-90), dies.


In 1637, Cardinal Richelieu of France creates the table knife.


In 1835, John Nash, British town planner and architect of Regent's Park, dies.


In 1842, composer, and half of the Gilbert & Sullivan team, Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan is born in London.


In 1888, Brazil abolishes slavery.


In 1912, the Royal Flying Corps is established in England.


In 1914, world heavyweight boxing champion (1937-49) Joe Louis is born.


In 1926, actress and Golden Girl Beatrice Arthur is born in New York.


In 1950, singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder (real name Steveland Morris) is born in Saginaw Michigan.


In 1961, two-time Academy award winning actor Gary Cooper dies at 60.


In 1981, thousands in St Peter's Square in Rome are stunned by the close-range shooting of the Pope.


In 1995, a British mother of two becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 20 May



In 0526, Earthquake kills 250,000 in Antioch, Syria.


In 1471, Henry VI king of England (1422-61, 70-71)/France (1431-71), dies.


In 1506, explorer Christopher Columbus dies in poverty in Spain at 55.


In 1639, Dorchester Massachusetts forms the first school funded by local taxes.


In 1799, French novelist Honoré de Balzac is born.


In 1818, William George Fargo, the founder of Wells Fargo is born in Pompey, New York.


In 1830, the first railroad timetable is published in a newspaper (Baltimore American).


In 1874, Levi Strauss markets blue jeans with copper rivets, price $13.50 a dozen.


In 1892, George Sampson patents the clothes dryer.


In 1913, William Hewlett cofounder of Hewlett-Packard Co is born in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


In 1944, rock vocalist Joe Cocker is born in Sheffield England.


In 1954, Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of Nationalist China.


In 1958, citizens of High Wycombe in England witness a unique ceremony at which the mayor is weighed in public.


In 1965, Britain's police are armed with tear gas guns and grenades for use against dangerous criminals.


In 1983, at least 16 people are killed and more than 130 injured when a car bomb explodes in the centre of Pretoria.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 27 May



In 1564, priest and church reformer John Calvin dies at 54.


In 1626, William II prince of Orange is born.


In 1647, Achsah Young, a resident of Windsor, Connecticut, is executed for being a "witch." It is the first recorded American execution of a "witch."


In 1794, millionaire Cornelius Vanderbilt is born.


In 1837, cowboy and scout "Wild Bill" Hickok (real name James Butler) is born in Troy Grove, Illinois.


In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse completes the first telegraph line.


In 1907, Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco.


In 1915, novelist Herman Wouk is born in New York.


In 1922, actor Christopher Lee is born in London England.


In 1923, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is born in Furth, Germany.


In 1930, Richard Drew invents masking tape.


In 1937, in California, the Golden Gate Bridge is opened to the public.


In 1955, Anthony Eden's Conservatives win the general election in the UK with a clear majority, ending a five-year political stalemate.


In 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru, the founder of modern India and its current prime minister, dies suddenly at the age of 74.


In 1965, Australian tennis player and 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash is born.


In 1995, in Charlottesville, Virginia, Christopher Reeve is paralysed after being thrown from his horse during a jumping event.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 10 June



In 1692, in Salem Massachusetts, Bridget Bishop, the first colonist to be tried in the Salem witch trials, is hanged after being found guilty of the practice of witchcraft.


In 1720, Mrs Clements of England markets the first paste-style mustard.


In 1848, the first telegraph link between NYC & Chicago is established.


In 1902, a patent for the window envelope granted to H.F. Callahan.


In 1903, King Alexander I and Queen Dragia of Serbia are assassinated.


In 1910, rocker Howlin' Wolf (real name Chester Arthur Burnett) is born.


In 1921, Prince Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, and husband of Queen Elizabeth II is born in Greece.


In 1935, Dr Robert Smith & William Wilson of Akron form Alcoholics Anonymous.


In 1940, the last surviving Norwegian and British defenders of Norway are overwhelmed by the Germans, and the country is forced to capitulate to the Nazis.


In 1957, Harold MacMillan becomes British PM.


In 1967, Israeli forces comply with a UN ceasefire bringing to an end six days of fighting on three fronts.


In 1980, In South Africa, the ANC makes public a statement by Nelson Mandela, smuggled out of Robben Island.


In 1985, Coca Cola announces they'd bring back their 99-year-old formula.


:) In 1988, western writer Louis L'Amour dies at 80 of cancer.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 24 June



In 451, the tenth perihelion passage of Halley's Comet is recorded.


In 1509, Henry VIII is crowned King of England.


In 1540, Henry VIII divorces his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.


In 1812, French Emperor Napoleon orders his Grande Armýe, the largest European military force ever assembled to that date, into Russia.


In 1895, Jack Dempsey heavyweight boxing champion (1919-26) is born


In 1901, the first major exhibition of Pablo Picasso's artwork opens at a gallery on Paris' rue Lafitte, a street known for its prestigious art galleries.


In 1908, Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the USA, dies in Princeton, at 71.


In 1942, Mick Fleetwood, drummer of Fleetwood Mac, is born.


In 1949, Hopalong Cassidy becomes the first network western – on NBC.


In 1973, Eamon de Valera, the world's oldest statesman, resigns as president of Ireland at the age of 90.


In 1983, America's first woman in space, Sally Ride, returns safely in the Challenger space shuttle after a six-day flight.

[Chris Ryser]

On This Day - Back in time on 15 July



In 1573, architect Inigo Jones, who restored St Paul's cathedral, is born in London.


In 1662, Charles II grants charter to establish the Royal Society in London.


In 1856, Natal is established as a British colony separate from the Cape Colony.


In 1881, William "Billy the Kid" Bonney is killed by Pat Garrett.


In 1946, singer Linda Ronstadt is born in Tucson Arizona.


In 1962, actress Brigitte Nielsen is born in Eisinore Denmark.


In 1965, US scientists display close-up photos of Mars from Mariner IV.


In 1971, the British Government endorses a cull of baby seals in the Wash.


In 1995, thousands of Muslim refugees flee the captured "safe area" of Srebrenica - forced out by the Bosnian Serbs.


In 1997, Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace is shot dead on the steps of his Miami mansion.