1852 For the first time in its history, journalists were allowed into the House of Commons to report debates.
1884 The birth of Henry George (Harry) Ferguson, Irish engineer and inventor who is noted for his role in the development of the modern agricultural tractor, for becoming the first Irishman to build and fly his own aeroplane, and for developing the first four-wheel drive Formula One car, the Ferguson P99.
1890 The Prince of Wales travelled by the underground electric railway from King William Street to the Oval to mark the opening of what is now the City Branch of the Northern Line. It was the first electrified underground railway system.
1900 Britain's first driving lessons were given, in London.
1922 English explorers Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the Tomb of King Tutankhamen, in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. It had been undisturbed since 1337 BC.
1980 Republican candidate Ronald Reagan is elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent Democrat US President Jimmy Carter by a landslide
1987 Millionaire Peter de Savary bought Land’s End in Cornwall.
1994 400 years of shipbuilding came to an end at the Swan Hunter Shipyard, Tyneside, with the launch of the Royal Naval Frigate 'Richmond'.
1996 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut album "Spice", goes on to sell 23 million copies.
2001 "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" 1st film adaptation of the books by J. K. Rowling, premieres starring Daniel Radcliffe.
2008 Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate John McCain.
Football On This Day – 4th November 1970 The 1970/71 season saw the penalty shoot-out reach the premier club tournament in Europe - the European Cup. The first-ever European Cup shoot-out penalty was taken by an English player and ... it was saved! Joe Royle was the player and Everton his club but despite his failure Everton reached the Third Round 4-3 on penalties.
Guy Fawkes by Charles Gogin, painted 1870. York Museums Trust.
Seething after years of persecution over their religion, a group of 13 English Catholics decided on this day to take action. Extreme action. Under the leadership of Robert Catesby, an outspoken critic of the Crown, they planned to set off a massive explosion during the Opening of Parliament ceremony, killing King James I and as many members of the legislature as possible.
They collected together 36 barrels of gunpowder and over a period stored them in a cellar under the House of Lords. But as the day of the planned assassination drew near some of the plotters began to have second thoughts, concerned that innocent people, including fellow Catholics, would be hurt or killed. One of them sent a letter to his friend, Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away from Parliament on November the 5th.
The letter was shown to King James who ordered a search of the building’s cellars and there, in the early hours of 5th November, one of the plotters, Guy Fawkes, was discovered and arrested. Behind him, the barrels of gunpowder were found hidden under piles of firewood and coal.
Fawkes, whose job was to light the fuse, was tortured for two days before confessing and naming his fellow plotters. After they had been found guilty of high treason, the Attorney-General, Sir Edward Coke, announced that each of the condemned would be dragged towards his death by a horse. They were to be “put to death halfway between heaven and earth as unworthy of both”. Their genitals would be cut off and burnt before their eyes, and their bowels and hearts removed. They would then be decapitated, and the dismembered parts of their bodies displayed so that they might become "prey for the fowls of the air".
It was a fate, however, that Fawkes managed to avoid. As he waited on the gallows for the grisly punishment to begin he managed to break loose and leapt to his death, dying of a broken neck. Nevertheless, his body was cut into quarters and his remains were sent to "the four corners of the kingdom" as a warning to others.
On the night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled bonfires were lit to celebrate the King’s escape. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night and is celebrated every year across the United Kingdom with effigies of Guy Fawkes being burned on a bonfire, accompanied by firework displays.
And before the annual State Opening of Parliament the Yeomen of the Guard still search the Houses of Parliament – even if it is a tradition rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution.
The first British Woolworth's opened in Church Street, Liverpool on Friday 5 November, 1909.
The Founder, Frank Winfield Woolworth, had chosen the location after a nationwide tour. He had picked the bustling seaport on the North West coast of England because of its thriving industry, civic pride and superior transport infrastructure. He had been particularly impressed by the grandeur of the city's public buildings and its 'magnificent' overhead electric railway.
He had delegated responsibility for planning the opening to his second cousin, Fred Moore Woolworth, who he had appointed Managing Director of his first overseas subsidiary.
The Founder was unable to make it to the opening. Instead he asked Fred to play "Mr Woolworth" on the big day. The MD duly scheduled a pre-opening preview for the day before trading commenced, as company custom from the USA dictated. Members of the public were invited to join dignitaries, shopkeepers and journalists for refreshments in the tea room, and to 'freely inspect the beautiful building and big values'. As promised entertainment was provided by a local orchestra.
The MD made a short speech before cutting the ribbon. He explained that almost every product and almost every worker in the new store was British, and that not a single item on sale cost more than sixpence. The 3D and 6D Stores aimed to bring a wide selection of household items and luxuries into the price range of ordinary people. He hoped there would soon be branches 'across the North and beyond'.
Early the next day Fred and his Directors scoured the morning papers for their verdict on the preview. A few nationals managed a short mention. The Daily Chronicle was typical, offering faint praise tempered with alarm that the range included hunting knives, which they described as 'un-British'. They sneared that Mr. Woolworth did not seem to know that there were no wild bears in the City of Liverpool.
The self-imposed maximum price at Woolworth's was sixpence ('6D') which was the equivalent at the time of 2½p, or £2.11 at today's prices.
The company reported opening day sales of £562/6/11d (£562.40 at the time, equivalent to £47,289.32 at today's prices).
1994 November 05. George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ.
On November 5, 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to “all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail.”
Born in 1949 in Marshall, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson’s Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. “Big George,” as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO’d “Smokin'” Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center.
A decade later, the millions he’d made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he’d had on the night he lost to Ali.
Foreman didn’t hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long. In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker, and he gave up his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with Axel Schulz, whom he’d narrowly beat in a controversial judges’ decision in April of that same year. Foreman’s last fight was in 1997; he lost to Shannon Biggs. He retired with a lifetime record of 76-5.
Outside of the boxing ring, Foreman, who has five sons, all named George, and five daughters, has become enormously wealthy as an entrepreneur and genial TV pitchman for a variety of products, including the hugely popular George Foreman Grill.
November 5th 1991. Millionaire publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was found dead at sea, several hours after mysteriously disappearing from his yacht off the Canary Islands.
Great frauds in history: Robert Maxwell.
Robert Maxwell looted millions from the pension fund of the Mirror Group, wiping out shareholders and condemning pensioners to poverty.
Robert Maxwell was born Jan Ludvik Hoch in modern day Ukraine (then part of Czechoslovakia) in 1923. He escaped to France during World War II and made his way to Britain, where he joined the British Army.
After buying the rights to distribute German academic papers, he took over a small academic publisher, which later became Pergamon Press. During the 1980s he aggressively expanded his business empire, with the result that, by the end of the decade, he owned a string of companies, including Macmillan Publishers, the Daily Mirror and New York Daily News.
What was the scam?
Having taken on large amounts of debt, and following the launch of a string of expensive failures, Maxwell was reduced to shunting money between his companies to give the impression they were profitable, repeatedly changing the dates on which they reported earnings, in order to fool auditors. When this wasn't enough to keep his empire going, he looted money from the pension fund of the Mirror Group in an attempt to prop up its share price.
What happened next?
With his businesses on the brink of collapse, Maxwell was reported missing from his yacht on 5 November 1991. His body was later discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, an apparent suicide (officially considered an accidental drowning). His bankers called in their loans, and his looting of the pension fund was discovered. By 1992 his sons Kevin and Ian were forced to declare bankruptcy.
In the end, Maxwell's firms were liquidated and his sons were put on trial for fraud (they were ultimately acquitted).
Lessons for investors.
While Mirror Group shareholders were wiped out, arguably the biggest losers were the pensioners who had £460m looted from their fund. Despite a partial government bailout, as well as money from the investment bankers who advised Maxwell, most pensioners had to accept a 50% cut in the value of their pensions. Perhaps all this mess could have been avoided had the people dealing with Maxwell heeded the words of the government investigation of the shadowy dealings at Pergamon in the 1970s, which concluded that "he is not in our opinion a person who can be relied on to exercise proper stewardship of a public company".
Monopoly is a classic board game and on November 5, 1935, Parker Brothers officially launched the infamous game.
While Monopoly was actually launched in 1935, the game itself can be traced back to 1903,where it was created by Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips.This version was published in 1906 as The Landlord’s Game.After this,several games were created based upon the Elizabeth’s idea.
When Parker Brothers took over the game, several people had contributed to the game’s design. The original game itself was also based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Monopoly was licensed for sale outside of the United States beginning in 1936.This licensing helped many people. In World War II, many airmen tended to fall behind enemy lines. Under these circumstances, Germany allowed humanitarian groups to deliver care packages to the prisoners. In 1941, the British Secret Intelligence Service had a version of the game created for World War II prisoners of war,in which the game concealed maps on the board,compasses in the pieces,real money under the fake money and other essential escape tools within the game.The game was distributed to prisoners by fake British charity groups and was too innocent to be deemed suspicious.
1605 Guy Fawkes was arrested when around 30 barrels of gunpowder,camouflaged with coal,were discovered in the cellar under Parliament.Robert Catesby’s small band of Catholic zealots who planned to blow up James I and Parliament were only arrested after Fawkes revealed their names when tortured on the rack.Conspirators met at the Old Lion Inn, Dunchurch, Warwickshire on 5th November to await news of the destruction of Westminster.
1854 Crimean War: British & French defeat Russian force of 50,000 at Inkerman.Nineteen Victoria Crosses were won in the defeat of the Russians.
1909 Woolworths opened its first British store, in Liverpool. Almost 100 years later,(at the end of the first week in January 2009) the last remaining stores closed for the last time.
1912 The appointment of a British Board of Film Censors. They decided on only two classifications - 'Universal' and 'Not Suitable for Children'.
1927 Britain’s first automatic traffic lights were installed at Princess Square road junction in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands.
1932 Gillespie Road London Underground station, which also served Arsenal Football Club’s Highbury ground, had its name changed to Arsenal after representations by the club.
1935 Parker Brothers launches game of Monopoly.
1935 Lester Piggott, champion jockey, was born. Aged 18, he rode his first Derby winner. Piggott had 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories and is one is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time. In 1987 he was convicted of tax fraud, jailed for three years and was stripped of his OBE that had been awarded in 1975.
1937 Adolf Hitler informs his military leaders in a secret meeting of his intentions of going to war.
1955 Date returned to in "Back to the Future" by Marty McFly.
1967 The Hither Green rail derailment in the United Kingdom kills 49 people.The survivors include Bee Gee Robin Gibb.
1968 Republican candidate Richard Nixon is elected President of the United States.
1971 Princess Anne was voted ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ by the British Sportswriters' Association.
1991 Millionaire publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was found dead at sea, several hours after mysteriously disappearing from his yacht off the Canary Islands.
1992 "Revenge Match of the 20th century" American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky to win an unofficial match in Belgrade.
1994 George Foreman (45) KOs Michael Moorer to win boxing Heavyweight championship.
1996 Bill Clinton is re-elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate Bob Dole.
2006 Following the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 by a coalition of countries including Britain and America, Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq was sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial for his role in the massacre of 148 Shi'as in 1982. His execution was carried out on 30th December 2006.
The death, aged 66, of Fred Dibnah MBE - Bolton born steeplejack, industrial historian, mechnical engineer, steam engine enthusiast and television presenter. His coffin was towed through the centre of Bolton by his restored traction engine, driven by his son, followed by a cortège of steam-powered vehicles. His former home in Bolton is now the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre. He is buried in Tonge Cemetery, Bolton.
Three times Grand National hero Red Rum,won his first race as a 3 year old,a novice event at Doncaster, at odds of 100/7.
RED RUM – NATIONAL LEGEND
In the history of horse racing, few horses have captured the affection of the British public like Red Rum. The spirited horse rose from an early life of anonymity to become the only three-time Grand National winner. Today, three decades after his retirement, he is still one of the best-known and most beloved racehorses of all time.
The Early Years
Red Rum was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1965. He was passed around to several owners before being purchased for Noel Le Mar. The agent who made the purchase was the now-legendary horse trainer Donald “Ginger” McCain.
It wasn’t apparent at the time, but Red Rum was saddled with a debilitating bone disease in his foot. For many horses (and many trainers) this would mean the end of a racing career before it even began. For Ginger and Red Rum, though, it was just an obstacle to greatness that had to be overcome.
Ginger McCain trained Red Rum in the sand and shallow waters at Southport in Merseyside. This routine is often said to be the reason that “Rummy” was able to overcome his disability and race on a world-class level.
Legendary Career
Red Rum had a flat racing pedigree, making him more genetically suited to racing short, straight distances. However, Rummy’s true talent came out in steeplechases. His power, speed and jumping ability carried him to his first Grand National title in 1973. The very next year, Red Rum returned to take his second title. He was the first horse to take consecutive firsts since Reynoldstown in 1935-1936. Red Rum’s spirit and grace had already begun to charm the leagues of Grand National fans.
In the following two years, Red Rum lost out on the title, coming in second both times. When he returned in 1977 to try again, he was largely regarded as past his prime. He was 12 years old and not expected to place highly. He surprised sporting fans around the world when he came in a remarkable 25 lengths ahead of the nearest horse, taking his third Grand National win. To this day, Red Rum’s third win is known as one of the greatest moments in horse racing history.
Red Rum’s career included many wins other than his Grand National Victories. Most notably, he won the Scottish Grand National just three weeks after his 1973 Grand National win. To date, he is the only horse to have taken first in both races consecutively.
Retirement and Beyond
Red Rum was headed for the Grand National once again in 1978 but suffered a hairline fracture in one of his heels shortly before the race. He was retired soon after, but his public life and fame by no means diminished with the end of his career. Red Rum was a national celebrity by this time and traveled all over the country for various engagements. He often led pre-race parades at Aintree and was a popular guest at charity benefits and public events.
When Red Rum died on October 18, 1995, his remains were lovingly buried at the winning post at Aintree Racecourse. Ginger McCain, the trainer who led this remarkable horse to his life of victory, said that the burial place was perfect. He reported that he was comforted by the thought of all future winning horses would race past Red Rum on the way to their own victories.
UK punk rock group, the Sex Pistols, gave their first public performance at London's St Martin's College of Art. College authorities cut the concert short after a mere 10 minutes.
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they are regarded as one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music.
Their first gig was arranged by Glen Matlock, who was studying at Saint Martins College. The band played at the school on 6 November 1975,in support of a pub rock group called Bazooka Joe,arranging to use their amps and drums.The Sex Pistols performed several cover songs,including the Who's "Substitute",the Small Faces' "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone",made famous by the Monkees,according to observers,they were unexceptional musically aside from being extremely loud.Before the Pistols could play the few original songs they had written to date,Bazooka Joe pulled the plugs as they saw their gear being trashed.A brief physical altercation between members of the two bands took place on stage.
1429 Henry VI was crowned King of England, seven years after acceding to the throne at the age of eight months. Two years later, in Paris, he was also crowned King of France.
1935 The RAF's first monoplane fighter, the 'Hawker Hurricane' made its maiden flight. Although largely overshadowed by the Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned during the Battle of Britain, and accounted for 60% of the RAF's air victories.
1942 The Church of England relaxed its rule that women must wear hats in church.
1970 Three times Grand National hero Red Rum,won his first race as a 3 year old,a novice event at Doncaster, at odds of 100/7.
1975 UK punk rock group, the Sex Pistols, gave their first public performance at London's St Martin's College of Art. College authorities cut the concert short after a mere 10 minutes.
1985 U.S.A. Iran Contra Affair. American newspapers reveal that US President Ronald Reagan had authorized the shipment of arms to Iran as part of the Iran Contra affair to release American hostages.
1986 Forty five people died after a Chinook helicopter carrying oil rig workers plunged into the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. It is the deadliest civilian helicopter crash on record.
2004 The death, aged 66, of Fred Dibnah MBE - Bolton born steeplejack, industrial historian, mechnical engineer,steam engine enthusiast and television presenter.His coffin was towed through the centre of Bolton by his restored traction engine, driven by his son, followed by a cortège of steam-powered vehicles.His former home in Bolton is now the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre.He is buried in Tonge Cemetery, Bolton.
2011 Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated 25 years as manager of Manchester United,making him the longest serving manager in their history and the longest serving manager in English League football.He was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game and also holds the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.
2013 Anthony Peter McCoy (commonly known as AP McCoy) became the first jump jockey to ride 4,000 winners when he triumphed with the second of two rides at Towcester, (on Mountain Tunes in the 3:10pm race).
red rum dead heated in his first race over 5 furlong's at aintree
Thanks have now edited it,that's what happens when in a rush and don't double check the first info you come to,here're the correct stats.
Brought back to Britain, Red Rum was easy to break in, tucked into his food and was remembered by the trainer's wife Stella Molony as "a bit of a character...nearly every day he was getting into scrapes" and that he "dropped the lads many times." Gelded and sent off to run in a five-furlong seller at the then dual-purpose Aintree, Red Rum overcame his greenness to grab Curlicue for a dead-heat victory. He ran a further seven times at two, winning a seven-furlong nursery at Warwick and making the frame in three other starts, culminating in a fairly useful Timeform rating of 84. The next year he was similarly rated from only two outings, winning a seven-furlong seller at Doncaster, and, after having been retained for 1,400 guineas, carried a 10 lb penalty when beaten a short head at Aintree the same week. His Flat career amounted to three wins from ten starts and he was then sold privately in a move which crushed Tim Molony, who had been planning the gelding's upcoming jumping campaign.
November 7th 1974 Lord Lucan mysteriously disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny and a serious assault on his wife.
At 9.45pm on the night of 7th November 1974, a distressed and bloodstained woman burst into the bar of The Plumber’s Arms, Lower Belgrave Street, crying out "Help me, help me, help me. I’ve just escaped from being murdered. He’s in the house. He’s murdered the Nanny!" She was the Countess of Lucan, who had fled from her home at number 46, leaving behind her three children. She was obviously the victim of a serious assault, and the police and an ambulance were called to the scene. The police officers who arrived to investigate found a substantial house with a ground floor, a basement and four upper floors. Forcing open the front door, they searched the premises, and found the children in their bedrooms, unharmed. The door to the basement was open. There was no light in the hall, so they fetched a flashlight. They descended the stairs to the breakfast room, and found the walls splashed with blood, a pool of blood on the floor, with some male footprints in it, and, near the door connecting the breakfast room to the kitchen, a bloodstained sack. The top of the sack was folded over but not fastened. Inside was the corpse of Sandra Rivett, the children’s' nanny. She had been battered to death with a blunt instrument. In the hallway was a length of lead piping, covered in surgical tape, very bent out of shape and heavily bloodstained. The back door was unlocked.
When Lady Lucan was able to make a statement to the police she named her husband as her attacker and the murderer of Sandra Rivett. There was no sign of Lord Lucan.
Shortly after 10pm, Mrs. Madeleine Floorman, a friend of the Lucans, who lived a short distance away, was dozing in front of the TV after a tiring day when she was awoken by someone pressing the doorbell insistently. Assuming it was a local youth, who had done this kind of thing before, she ignored it and went back to sleep. Some time later, the phone rang. She was sure that the caller was Lord Lucan, but he sounded distressed and became incoherent. She put the phone down and went back to sleep. (Later, some spots of what appeared to be blood were found on her doorstep).
At approximately 10.30 that evening, Lord Lucan telephoned his mother who lived in St John’s Wood, telling her there had been a catastrophe at the house, and he wanted her to collect the children. She went straight there, found the place occupied by police, and informed them that the Lucans were separated, the children were wards of court, and that Lord Lucan currently resided at a nearby flat. She then took the children to her home. The police searched Lord Lucan’s flat. He was not there, but they found his car keys, passport, chequebook, driving licence, wallet and glasses. His blue Mercedes car was parked outside. The battery was flat. (It had been suffering from battery trouble for some time).
Lord Lucan was driving another car that night, a Ford Corsair he had borrowed from a friend some 2-3 weeks previously. (He had, in fact, insisted that he wanted the car for that particular evening.) It was about 11.30pm when he arrived in Uckfield, Sussex, at the home of his friends Ian and Susan Maxwell-Scott. The house was 42 miles from Lower Belgrave Street, a journey of about an hour at average speed, though he was a fast driver and might have taken less time. Ian Maxwell-Scott was away, but his wife admitted Lord Lucan and was surprised to see him in disheveled daytime clothing. His flannels looked as though they had been stained and something sponged off.
This was Lord Lucan’s story, as told to Susan Maxwell-Scott. He had been walking past the Lower Belgrave St house, and had peeped in through the basement window. He had seen someone struggling with his Lady Lucan in the basement kitchen. He let himself in through the front door and ran down the stairs. He slipped and fell in a pool of blood, and the man had run off. He had calmed Lady Lucan down and taken her upstairs to try and clean her up, but while he was in the bathroom she had run out of the house shouting "Murder!". He had panicked, realizing things looked very bad for him, and decided to get out.
Between that time and arriving at the Maxwell-Scotts he said had made three phone calls, one to Mrs. Floorman, one to his mother, and he had also tried to telephone Bill Shand Kydd, who was married to Lady Lucan’s sister but there was no reply. Mrs. Maxell-Scott said that he did not tell her where he made these calls from, but she got the impression they had been made after he left the house. At 12.15 he rang his mother from the Maxwell-Scotts house to check that she had the children, and rang Bill Shand Kydd again, but there was no reply.
Lord Lucan then wrote two letters, both addressed to Bill Shand Kydd at his home in Bayswater. (They were posted the following day. The envelopes were found to have smears of blood on them. ) Mrs. Maxwell-Scott tried to persuade him to remain so they could go to the local police the next morning, but he said he had to "get back". He drove away. There has been no validated sighting of him since.
Three days after the murder, the Ford Corsair was found abandoned at Newhaven. Bloodstains were found inside of both type A and type B, also, a piece of bandaged lead piping, unstained, but very similar to the one found in the murder house.
1967 British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper beat challenger Billy Walker to become the only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright.
Wembley, London, England, 7th November 1967, British Commonwealth Title fight, Henry Cooper v Billy Walker, Billy Walker feels the effects of a left punch from Henry Cooper, Walker was stopped in the 6th round with a cut right eye with Henry Cooper declared the winner.
1872 Cargo ship Mary Celeste sails from Staten Island for Genoa; mysteriously found abandoned four weeks later.
Mary Celeste, formerly Amazon, American brigantine that was found abandoned on December 5, 1872, some 400 nautical miles from the Azores, Portugal. The fate of the 10 people aboard remains a mystery.
The ship was built in 1861 at Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, and named the Amazon. After being launched on May 18, 1861, it encountered a number of mishaps. During the maiden voyage, its captain caught pneumonia and later died, and the ship was damaged on several occasions, most notably in October 1867, when it ran aground in Cow Bay, Cape Breton Island. The following year the Amazon was sold to American Richard W. Haines, who renamed it the Mary Celeste. The ship underwent significant structural changes over the next several years, and it was eventually sold to a group that came to include Capt. Benjamin Spooner Briggs.
On November 7, 1872, the Mary Celeste set sail from New York City, with more than 1,700 barrels of alcohol destined for Genoa, Italy. On board were 10 people, including Captain Briggs, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter. Over the next two weeks, the ship encountered harsh weather. According to the last log entry—dated November 25—the Mary Celeste was some 6 nautical miles from the Azores. Ten days later the vessel was spotted by the British brig Dei Gratia. Crew from that ship boarded the Mary Celeste and discovered it deserted. Although there was more than 3 feet of water in the hold—an amount that would not have caused panic—the vessel was seaworthy. Adding to the mystery was the fact that the cargo and personal belongings were largely undisturbed, although a longboat was missing. It appeared that the ship had been abandoned quickly. Crewmen from the Dei Gratia sailed the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar, some 800 miles away. There British authorities conducted an investigation, which ultimately found no evidence of foul play.
The mystery garnered some attention, but it became famous in 1884, when Arthur Conan Doyle published a short story about a survivor of a ghost ship called the Marie Celeste. In his account, a revenge-seeking former slave killed the passengers. While that was purely fiction, many theories were put forward to explain what happened. Most, however, seemed unlikely. There were no signs of violence or missing cargo, casting doubt on claims of mutiny, murder, and piracy. In addition, there was no evidence to support the claim that an explosion caused by alcohol fumes caused the ship to be abandoned.
A more likely scenario is that Captain Briggs erroneously believed his ship was taking on too much water and was about to sink. This theory was supported by the fact that the sounding rod—used to determine the amount of water in the hold—was discovered on deck, suggesting that it had been used just before the ship was abandoned. In addition, one of the ship’s pumps showed signs of trouble; it was disassembled. A faulty reading of the sounding rod and an ineffective pump could have led Captain Briggs to believe the ship was foundering and order it abandoned. A mishap may then have occurred in the longboat, causing all to perish.
Despite being seen as unlucky, the Mary Celeste remained in service and went through a number of owners before being acquired by Capt. G.C. Parker. In 1885 he deliberately sailed it into a reef near Haiti as part of a plan to defraud an insurance company. When the vessel failed to sink, authorities discovered his scheme. The Mary Celeste, however, was damaged beyond repair, and it was left on the reef, where it deteriorated.
1665 The first edition of the London Gazette was printed. It is the world's longest running journal and carried news of military appointments and engagements.
1935 The Royal National Institute for the Blind distributed its first Talking Books of players and records to blind & partially sighted people.
1945 Group Captain H J Wilson became the first man to exceed 600 miles per hour flying a Gloster Meteor jet fighter at Herne Bay. The aircraft was powered by two 3,500 lb thrust Rolls Royce Derwent V turbojets.
1964 The country's first drink-driving advertisement was shown on television, with the message "Drinking and driving are dangerous."
1967 British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper beat challenger Billy Walker to become the only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright.
1974 Lord Lucan mysteriously disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny and a serious assault on his wife.
In one of those strange quirks of the fixture list Premier League new boys Bournemouth - the most southerly side who had ever played in the Premier League - entertained Newcastle - the most northerly side ever to play in the PL. On the same day at Carrow Road Norwich City, the most easterly club to have played in the PL, played Swansea City - you've guessed it, the most westerly side ever to play in the Premier League. There were 1-0 victories for Newcastle and Norwich.
The Murder (Abolition of the Death Penalty) Act 1965 is given Royal Assent, formally abolishing the death penalty for murder in the United Kingdom.
Executions for murder in Britain were suspended under the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 and finally abolished in 1969.
After that, the death penalty remained, but was never imposed, for such crimes as treason and piracy with violence.
A gallows for hangings was kept in working order at Wandsworth Prison until the death penalty was totally abolished in 1998.
In 1688, there were 50 crimes for which the death penalty could be imposed in England. By 1810 this number had grown to 222.
These included cutting down an orchard or using a disguise while committing a crime, the impersonation of a Chelsea pensioner and damaging Westminster Bridge.Moreover, the law did not distinguish between adults and children, and ‘strong evidence of malice in a child of 7 to 14 years of age’ was also a hanging matter.
By 1861 the number of capital crimes had been reduced to four: murder, treason (including arson in Royal Naval dockyards), mutiny and piracy.
Nobody has been burned at the stake in Britain since 1789.
The last public hanging in Britain was in 1868.
A “derrick” originally meant a scaffold after London hangman Goodman Derrick, around 1600.
The condemned person stands on a trapdoor and when the trap is released he falls several feet until stopped by the rope tied around his neck.The jerk breaks the cervical vertebrae and is thought to cause immediate loss of consciousness. A knot or metal eyelet (the hangman’s knot) in the noose helps jerk back the victim’s head sharply enough to break the neck.
1789 Bourbon Whiskey 1st distilled from corn by Elijah Craig in Bourbon, Kentucky.
A Brief History of America’s Whiskey
For a whiskey to be properly labeled as a bourbon, most “purists” will tell you it has to come from Kentucky. Others will say it simply must be American. The truth is that it can come from anywhere in America, but it must come from America. Yes, 95% comes from Kentucky, but it can come from any state and still be bourbon.
Bourbon must be created from a mash that is at least 51% corn.The other 49% is usually a mixture of barley, rye, or wheat.
Bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels (whereas many types of whiskey,like Scotch whiskey,are often aged in barrels that have previously held wine, port, other whiskey and so forth).
Bourbon must go into the barrel at no more than 125 proof and it cannot enter the bottle at anything less than 80 proof.
For it to be bourbon,nothing but water can be added, and that is only at the end to proof the whiskey down to what the distiller is seeking (in comparison to Scotch, where caramel coloring is a common additive).
Some bourbons are aged for years while others are aged for only a few months,there is no age requirement to be called bourbon as long as it has spent even a day in the barrel, even 45 seconds in a barrel would still count.
The type of whiskey generally accepted as bourbon today can indirectly trace its name back to a dynasty of French royals.
The House of Bourbon reaches as far back as the mid-13th century.However,it’s important to note how unlikely it is that bourbon whiskey was named directly after French royalty. It’s more likely the booze was named from Bourbon County, Kentucky, where much of the sweet elixir was distilled in the 19th century.
Bourbon was born out of both necessity and ingenuity,Scots,Irish and other Europeans who settled and farmed the American South during the late 1700s and early 1800s brought knowledge of distilling with them from the old countries. Corn was a robust, reliable and sugar-rich crop abundant in the New World. So what did many of these bright-eyed,thirsty folks do? They started making whiskey using old-world techniques and new world mash.A few names from among these early entrepreneurs were Jacob Beam, Elijah Craig, and Evan Williams.
Throughout the 19th century, bourbon grew and grew in popularity,being cheaper than imported liquors,relatively easy to distill thanks to the abundance of corn.
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1852 For the first time in its history, journalists were allowed into the House of Commons to report debates.
1884 The birth of Henry George (Harry) Ferguson, Irish engineer and inventor who is noted for his role in the development of the modern agricultural tractor, for becoming the first Irishman to build and fly his own aeroplane, and for developing the first four-wheel drive Formula One car, the Ferguson P99.
1890 The Prince of Wales travelled by the underground electric railway from King William Street to the Oval to mark the opening of what is now the City Branch of the Northern Line. It was the first electrified underground railway system.
1900 Britain's first driving lessons were given, in London.
1922 English explorers Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the Tomb of King Tutankhamen, in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. It had been undisturbed since 1337 BC.
1980 Republican candidate Ronald Reagan is elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent Democrat US President Jimmy Carter by a landslide
1987 Millionaire Peter de Savary bought Land’s End in Cornwall.
1994 400 years of shipbuilding came to an end at the Swan Hunter Shipyard, Tyneside, with the launch of the Royal Naval Frigate 'Richmond'.
1996 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut album "Spice", goes on to sell 23 million copies.
2001 "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" 1st film adaptation of the books by J. K. Rowling, premieres starring Daniel Radcliffe.
2008 Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate John McCain.
Football On This Day – 4th November 1970
The 1970/71 season saw the penalty shoot-out reach the premier club tournament in Europe - the European Cup. The first-ever European Cup shoot-out penalty was taken by an English player and ... it was saved! Joe Royle was the player and Everton his club but despite his failure Everton reached the Third Round 4-3 on penalties.
Guy Fawkes by Charles Gogin, painted 1870. York Museums Trust.
Seething after years of persecution over their religion, a group of 13 English Catholics decided on this day to take action. Extreme action. Under the leadership of Robert Catesby, an outspoken critic of the Crown, they planned to set off a massive explosion during the Opening of Parliament ceremony, killing King James I and as many members of the legislature as possible.
They collected together 36 barrels of gunpowder and over a period stored them in a cellar under the House of Lords. But as the day of the planned assassination drew near some of the plotters began to have second thoughts, concerned that innocent people, including fellow Catholics, would be hurt or killed. One of them sent a letter to his friend, Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away from Parliament on November the 5th.
The letter was shown to King James who ordered a search of the building’s cellars and there, in the early hours of 5th November, one of the plotters, Guy Fawkes, was discovered and arrested. Behind him, the barrels of gunpowder were found hidden under piles of firewood and coal.
Fawkes, whose job was to light the fuse, was tortured for two days before confessing and naming his fellow plotters. After they had been found guilty of high treason, the Attorney-General, Sir Edward Coke, announced that each of the condemned would be dragged towards his death by a horse. They were to be “put to death halfway between heaven and earth as unworthy of both”. Their genitals would be cut off and burnt before their eyes, and their bowels and hearts removed. They would then be decapitated, and the dismembered parts of their bodies displayed so that they might become "prey for the fowls of the air".
It was a fate, however, that Fawkes managed to avoid. As he waited on the gallows for the grisly punishment to begin he managed to break loose and leapt to his death, dying of a broken neck. Nevertheless, his body was cut into quarters and his remains were sent to "the four corners of the kingdom" as a warning to others.
On the night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled bonfires were lit to celebrate the King’s escape. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night and is celebrated every year across the United Kingdom with effigies of Guy Fawkes being burned on a bonfire, accompanied by firework displays.
And before the annual State Opening of Parliament the Yeomen of the Guard still search the Houses of Parliament – even if it is a tradition rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution.
The Founder, Frank Winfield Woolworth, had chosen the location after a nationwide tour. He had picked the bustling seaport on the North West coast of England because of its thriving industry, civic pride and superior transport infrastructure. He had been particularly impressed by the grandeur of the city's public buildings and its 'magnificent' overhead electric railway.
He had delegated responsibility for planning the opening to his second cousin, Fred Moore Woolworth, who he had appointed Managing Director of his first overseas subsidiary.
The Founder was unable to make it to the opening. Instead he asked Fred to play "Mr Woolworth" on the big day. The MD duly scheduled a pre-opening preview for the day before trading commenced, as company custom from the USA dictated. Members of the public were invited to join dignitaries, shopkeepers and journalists for refreshments in the tea room, and to 'freely inspect the beautiful building and big values'. As promised entertainment was provided by a local orchestra.
The MD made a short speech before cutting the ribbon. He explained that almost every product and almost every worker in the new store was British, and that not a single item on sale cost more than sixpence. The 3D and 6D Stores aimed to bring a wide selection of household items and luxuries into the price range of ordinary people. He hoped there would soon be branches 'across the North and beyond'.
Early the next day Fred and his Directors scoured the morning papers for their verdict on the preview. A few nationals managed a short mention. The Daily Chronicle was typical, offering faint praise tempered with alarm that the range included hunting knives, which they described as 'un-British'. They sneared that Mr. Woolworth did not seem to know that there were no wild bears in the City of Liverpool.
The self-imposed maximum price at Woolworth's was sixpence ('6D') which was the equivalent at the time of 2½p, or £2.11 at today's prices.
The company reported opening day sales of £562/6/11d (£562.40 at the time, equivalent to £47,289.32 at today's prices).
George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ.
On November 5, 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to “all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail.”
Born in 1949 in Marshall, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson’s Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. “Big George,” as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO’d “Smokin'” Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center.
A decade later, the millions he’d made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he’d had on the night he lost to Ali.
Foreman didn’t hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long. In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker, and he gave up his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with Axel Schulz, whom he’d narrowly beat in a controversial judges’ decision in April of that same year. Foreman’s last fight was in 1997; he lost to Shannon Biggs. He retired with a lifetime record of 76-5.
Outside of the boxing ring, Foreman, who has five sons, all named George, and five daughters, has become enormously wealthy as an entrepreneur and genial TV pitchman for a variety of products, including the hugely popular George Foreman Grill.
Foreman vs Moorer 10th rd ko.
Great frauds in history: Robert Maxwell.
Robert Maxwell looted millions from the pension fund of the Mirror Group, wiping out shareholders and condemning pensioners to poverty.
Robert Maxwell was born Jan Ludvik Hoch in modern day Ukraine (then part of Czechoslovakia) in 1923. He escaped to France during World War II and made his way to Britain, where he joined the British Army.
After buying the rights to distribute German academic papers, he took over a small academic publisher, which later became Pergamon Press. During the 1980s he aggressively expanded his business empire, with the result that, by the end of the decade, he owned a string of companies, including Macmillan Publishers, the Daily Mirror and New York Daily News.
What was the scam?
Having taken on large amounts of debt, and following the launch of a string of expensive failures, Maxwell was reduced to shunting money between his companies to give the impression they were profitable, repeatedly changing the dates on which they reported earnings, in order to fool auditors. When this wasn't enough to keep his empire going, he looted money from the pension fund of the Mirror Group in an attempt to prop up its share price.
What happened next?
With his businesses on the brink of collapse, Maxwell was reported missing from his yacht on 5 November 1991. His body was later discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, an apparent suicide (officially considered an accidental drowning). His bankers called in their loans, and his looting of the pension fund was discovered. By 1992 his sons Kevin and Ian were forced to declare bankruptcy.
In the end, Maxwell's firms were liquidated and his sons were put on trial for fraud (they were ultimately acquitted).
Lessons for investors.
While Mirror Group shareholders were wiped out, arguably the biggest losers were the pensioners who had £460m looted from their fund. Despite a partial government bailout, as well as money from the investment bankers who advised Maxwell, most pensioners had to accept a 50% cut in the value of their pensions. Perhaps all this mess could have been avoided had the people dealing with Maxwell heeded the words of the government investigation of the shadowy dealings at Pergamon in the 1970s, which concluded that "he is not in our opinion a person who can be relied on to exercise proper stewardship of a public company".
While Monopoly was actually launched in 1935, the game itself can be traced back to 1903,where it was created by Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips.This version was published in 1906 as The Landlord’s Game.After this,several games were created based upon the Elizabeth’s idea.
When Parker Brothers took over the game, several people had contributed to the game’s design. The original game itself was also based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Monopoly was licensed for sale outside of the United States beginning in 1936.This licensing helped many people. In World War II, many airmen tended to fall behind enemy lines. Under these circumstances, Germany allowed humanitarian groups to deliver care packages to the prisoners. In 1941, the British Secret Intelligence Service had a version of the game created for World War II prisoners of war,in which the game concealed maps on the board,compasses in the pieces,real money under the fake money and other essential escape tools within the game.The game was distributed to prisoners by fake British charity groups and was too innocent to be deemed suspicious.
1605 Guy Fawkes was arrested when around 30 barrels of gunpowder,camouflaged with coal,were discovered in the cellar under Parliament.Robert Catesby’s small band of Catholic zealots who planned to blow up James I and Parliament were only arrested after Fawkes revealed their names when tortured on the rack.Conspirators met at the Old Lion Inn, Dunchurch, Warwickshire on 5th November to await news of the destruction of Westminster.
1854 Crimean War: British & French defeat Russian force of 50,000 at Inkerman.Nineteen Victoria Crosses were won in the defeat of the Russians.
1909 Woolworths opened its first British store, in Liverpool. Almost 100 years later,(at the end of the first week in January 2009) the last remaining stores closed for the last time.
1912 The appointment of a British Board of Film Censors. They decided on only two classifications - 'Universal' and 'Not Suitable for Children'.
1927 Britain’s first automatic traffic lights were installed at Princess Square road junction in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands.
1932 Gillespie Road London Underground station, which also served Arsenal Football Club’s Highbury ground, had its name changed to Arsenal after representations by the club.
1935 Parker Brothers launches game of Monopoly.
1935 Lester Piggott, champion jockey, was born. Aged 18, he rode his first Derby winner. Piggott had 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories and is one is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time. In 1987 he was convicted of tax fraud, jailed for three years and was stripped of his OBE that had been awarded in 1975.
1937 Adolf Hitler informs his military leaders in a secret meeting of his intentions of going to war.
1955 Date returned to in "Back to the Future" by Marty McFly.
1967 The Hither Green rail derailment in the United Kingdom kills 49 people.The survivors include Bee Gee Robin Gibb.
1968 Republican candidate Richard Nixon is elected President of the United States.
1971 Princess Anne was voted ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ by the British Sportswriters' Association.
1991 Millionaire publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was found dead at sea, several hours after mysteriously disappearing from his yacht off the Canary Islands.
1992 "Revenge Match of the 20th century" American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky to win an unofficial match in Belgrade.
1994 George Foreman (45) KOs Michael Moorer to win boxing Heavyweight championship.
1996 Bill Clinton is re-elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate Bob Dole.
2006 Following the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 by a coalition of countries including Britain and America, Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq was sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial for his role in the massacre of 148 Shi'as in 1982. His execution was carried out on 30th December 2006.
The death, aged 66, of Fred Dibnah MBE - Bolton born steeplejack, industrial historian, mechnical engineer, steam engine enthusiast and television presenter. His coffin was towed through the centre of Bolton by his restored traction engine, driven by his son, followed by a cortège of steam-powered vehicles. His former home in Bolton is now the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre. He is buried in Tonge Cemetery, Bolton.
Men in flat caps built this country,Men with briefcases destroyed it.
Three times Grand National hero Red Rum,won his first race as a 3 year old,a novice event at Doncaster, at odds of 100/7.
RED RUM – NATIONAL LEGEND
In the history of horse racing, few horses have captured the affection of the British public like Red Rum. The spirited horse rose from an early life of anonymity to become the only three-time Grand National winner. Today, three decades after his retirement, he is still one of the best-known and most beloved racehorses of all time.
The Early Years
Red Rum was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1965. He was passed around to several owners before being purchased for Noel Le Mar. The agent who made the purchase was the now-legendary horse trainer Donald “Ginger” McCain.
It wasn’t apparent at the time, but Red Rum was saddled with a debilitating bone disease in his foot. For many horses (and many trainers) this would mean the end of a racing career before it even began. For Ginger and Red Rum, though, it was just an obstacle to greatness that had to be overcome.
Ginger McCain trained Red Rum in the sand and shallow waters at Southport in Merseyside. This routine is often said to be the reason that “Rummy” was able to overcome his disability and race on a world-class level.
Legendary Career
Red Rum had a flat racing pedigree, making him more genetically suited to racing short, straight distances. However, Rummy’s true talent came out in steeplechases. His power, speed and jumping ability carried him to his first Grand National title in 1973. The very next year, Red Rum returned to take his second title. He was the first horse to take consecutive firsts since Reynoldstown in 1935-1936. Red Rum’s spirit and grace had already begun to charm the leagues of Grand National fans.
In the following two years, Red Rum lost out on the title, coming in second both times. When he returned in 1977 to try again, he was largely regarded as past his prime. He was 12 years old and not expected to place highly. He surprised sporting fans around the world when he came in a remarkable 25 lengths ahead of the nearest horse, taking his third Grand National win. To this day, Red Rum’s third win is known as one of the greatest moments in horse racing history.
Red Rum’s career included many wins other than his Grand National Victories. Most notably, he won the Scottish Grand National just three weeks after his 1973 Grand National win. To date, he is the only horse to have taken first in both races consecutively.
Retirement and Beyond
Red Rum was headed for the Grand National once again in 1978 but suffered a hairline fracture in one of his heels shortly before the race. He was retired soon after, but his public life and fame by no means diminished with the end of his career. Red Rum was a national celebrity by this time and traveled all over the country for various engagements. He often led pre-race parades at Aintree and was a popular guest at charity benefits and public events.
When Red Rum died on October 18, 1995, his remains were lovingly buried at the winning post at Aintree Racecourse. Ginger McCain, the trainer who led this remarkable horse to his life of victory, said that the burial place was perfect. He reported that he was comforted by the thought of all future winning horses would race past Red Rum on the way to their own victories.
UK punk rock group, the Sex Pistols, gave their first public performance at London's St Martin's College of Art. College authorities cut the concert short after a mere 10 minutes.
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they are regarded as one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music.
Their first gig was arranged by Glen Matlock, who was studying at Saint Martins College. The band played at the school on 6 November 1975,in support of a pub rock group called Bazooka Joe,arranging to use their amps and drums.The Sex Pistols performed several cover songs,including the Who's "Substitute",the Small Faces' "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone",made famous by the Monkees,according to observers,they were unexceptional musically aside from being extremely loud.Before the Pistols could play the few original songs they had written to date,Bazooka Joe pulled the plugs as they saw their gear being trashed.A brief physical altercation between members of the two bands took place on stage.
1429 Henry VI was crowned King of England, seven years after acceding to the throne at the age of eight months. Two years later, in Paris, he was also crowned King of France.
1935 The RAF's first monoplane fighter, the 'Hawker Hurricane' made its maiden flight. Although largely overshadowed by the Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned during the Battle of Britain, and accounted for 60% of the RAF's air victories.
1942 The Church of England relaxed its rule that women must wear hats in church.
1970 Three times Grand National hero Red Rum,won his first race as a 3 year old,a novice event at Doncaster, at odds of 100/7.
1975 UK punk rock group, the Sex Pistols, gave their first public performance at London's St Martin's College of Art. College authorities cut the concert short after a mere 10 minutes.
1985 U.S.A. Iran Contra Affair.
American newspapers reveal that US President Ronald Reagan had authorized the shipment of arms to Iran as part of the Iran Contra affair to release American hostages.
1986 Forty five people died after a Chinook helicopter carrying oil rig workers plunged into the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. It is the deadliest civilian helicopter crash on record.
2004 The death, aged 66, of Fred Dibnah MBE - Bolton born steeplejack, industrial historian, mechnical engineer,steam engine enthusiast and television presenter.His coffin was towed through the centre of Bolton by his restored traction engine, driven by his son, followed by a cortège of steam-powered vehicles.His former home in Bolton is now the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre.He is buried in Tonge Cemetery, Bolton.
2011 Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated 25 years as manager of Manchester United,making him the longest serving manager in their history and the longest serving manager in English League football.He was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game and also holds the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.
2013 Anthony Peter McCoy (commonly known as AP McCoy) became the first jump jockey to ride 4,000 winners when he triumphed with the second of two rides at Towcester, (on Mountain Tunes in the 3:10pm race).
Brought back to Britain, Red Rum was easy to break in, tucked into his food and was remembered by the trainer's wife Stella Molony as "a bit of a character...nearly every day he was getting into scrapes" and that he "dropped the lads many times." Gelded and sent off to run in a five-furlong seller at the then dual-purpose Aintree, Red Rum overcame his greenness to grab Curlicue for a dead-heat victory. He ran a further seven times at two, winning a seven-furlong nursery at Warwick and making the frame in three other starts, culminating in a fairly useful Timeform rating of 84. The next year he was similarly rated from only two outings, winning a seven-furlong seller at Doncaster, and, after having been retained for 1,400 guineas, carried a 10 lb penalty when beaten a short head at Aintree the same week. His Flat career amounted to three wins from ten starts and he was then sold privately in a move which crushed Tim Molony, who had been planning the gelding's upcoming jumping campaign.
At 9.45pm on the night of 7th November 1974, a distressed and bloodstained woman burst into the bar of The Plumber’s Arms, Lower Belgrave Street, crying out "Help me, help me, help me. I’ve just escaped from being murdered. He’s in the house. He’s murdered the Nanny!" She was the Countess of Lucan, who had fled from her home at number 46, leaving behind her three children. She was obviously the victim of a serious assault, and the police and an ambulance were called to the scene. The police officers who arrived to investigate found a substantial house with a ground floor, a basement and four upper floors. Forcing open the front door, they searched the premises, and found the children in their bedrooms, unharmed. The door to the basement was open. There was no light in the hall, so they fetched a flashlight. They descended the stairs to the breakfast room, and found the walls splashed with blood, a pool of blood on the floor, with some male footprints in it, and, near the door connecting the breakfast room to the kitchen, a bloodstained sack. The top of the sack was folded over but not fastened. Inside was the corpse of Sandra Rivett, the children’s' nanny. She had been battered to death with a blunt instrument. In the hallway was a length of lead piping, covered in surgical tape, very bent out of shape and heavily bloodstained. The back door was unlocked.
When Lady Lucan was able to make a statement to the police she named her husband as her attacker and the murderer of Sandra Rivett. There was no sign of Lord Lucan.
Shortly after 10pm, Mrs. Madeleine Floorman, a friend of the Lucans, who lived a short distance away, was dozing in front of the TV after a tiring day when she was awoken by someone pressing the doorbell insistently. Assuming it was a local youth, who had done this kind of thing before, she ignored it and went back to sleep. Some time later, the phone rang. She was sure that the caller was Lord Lucan, but he sounded distressed and became incoherent. She put the phone down and went back to sleep. (Later, some spots of what appeared to be blood were found on her doorstep).
At approximately 10.30 that evening, Lord Lucan telephoned his mother who lived in St John’s Wood, telling her there had been a catastrophe at the house, and he wanted her to collect the children. She went straight there, found the place occupied by police, and informed them that the Lucans were separated, the children were wards of court, and that Lord Lucan currently resided at a nearby flat. She then took the children to her home. The police searched Lord Lucan’s flat. He was not there, but they found his car keys, passport, chequebook, driving licence, wallet and glasses. His blue Mercedes car was parked outside. The battery was flat. (It had been suffering from battery trouble for some time).
Lord Lucan was driving another car that night, a Ford Corsair he had borrowed from a friend some 2-3 weeks previously. (He had, in fact, insisted that he wanted the car for that particular evening.) It was about 11.30pm when he arrived in Uckfield, Sussex, at the home of his friends Ian and Susan Maxwell-Scott. The house was 42 miles from Lower Belgrave Street, a journey of about an hour at average speed, though he was a fast driver and might have taken less time. Ian Maxwell-Scott was away, but his wife admitted Lord Lucan and was surprised to see him in disheveled daytime clothing. His flannels looked as though they had been stained and something sponged off.
This was Lord Lucan’s story, as told to Susan Maxwell-Scott. He had been walking past the Lower Belgrave St house, and had peeped in through the basement window. He had seen someone struggling with his Lady Lucan in the basement kitchen. He let himself in through the front door and ran down the stairs. He slipped and fell in a pool of blood, and the man had run off. He had calmed Lady Lucan down and taken her upstairs to try and clean her up, but while he was in the bathroom she had run out of the house shouting "Murder!". He had panicked, realizing things looked very bad for him, and decided to get out.
Between that time and arriving at the Maxwell-Scotts he said had made three phone calls, one to Mrs. Floorman, one to his mother, and he had also tried to telephone Bill Shand Kydd, who was married to Lady Lucan’s sister but there was no reply. Mrs. Maxell-Scott said that he did not tell her where he made these calls from, but she got the impression they had been made after he left the house. At 12.15 he rang his mother from the Maxwell-Scotts house to check that she had the children, and rang Bill Shand Kydd again, but there was no reply.
Lord Lucan then wrote two letters, both addressed to Bill Shand Kydd at his home in Bayswater. (They were posted the following day. The envelopes were found to have smears of blood on them. ) Mrs. Maxwell-Scott tried to persuade him to remain so they could go to the local police the next morning, but he said he had to "get back". He drove away. There has been no validated sighting of him since.
Three days after the murder, the Ford Corsair was found abandoned at Newhaven. Bloodstains were found inside of both type A and type B, also, a piece of bandaged lead piping, unstained, but very similar to the one found in the murder house.
Wembley, London, England, 7th November 1967, British Commonwealth Title fight, Henry Cooper v Billy Walker, Billy Walker feels the effects of a left punch from Henry Cooper, Walker was stopped in the 6th round with a cut right eye with Henry Cooper declared the winner.
Mary Celeste, formerly Amazon, American brigantine that was found abandoned on December 5, 1872, some 400 nautical miles from the Azores, Portugal. The fate of the 10 people aboard remains a mystery.
The ship was built in 1861 at Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, and named the Amazon. After being launched on May 18, 1861, it encountered a number of mishaps. During the maiden voyage, its captain caught pneumonia and later died, and the ship was damaged on several occasions, most notably in October 1867, when it ran aground in Cow Bay, Cape Breton Island. The following year the Amazon was sold to American Richard W. Haines, who renamed it the Mary Celeste. The ship underwent significant structural changes over the next several years, and it was eventually sold to a group that came to include Capt. Benjamin Spooner Briggs.
On November 7, 1872, the Mary Celeste set sail from New York City, with more than 1,700 barrels of alcohol destined for Genoa, Italy. On board were 10 people, including Captain Briggs, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter. Over the next two weeks, the ship encountered harsh weather. According to the last log entry—dated November 25—the Mary Celeste was some 6 nautical miles from the Azores. Ten days later the vessel was spotted by the British brig Dei Gratia. Crew from that ship boarded the Mary Celeste and discovered it deserted. Although there was more than 3 feet of water in the hold—an amount that would not have caused panic—the vessel was seaworthy. Adding to the mystery was the fact that the cargo and personal belongings were largely undisturbed, although a longboat was missing. It appeared that the ship had been abandoned quickly. Crewmen from the Dei Gratia sailed the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar, some 800 miles away. There British authorities conducted an investigation, which ultimately found no evidence of foul play.
The mystery garnered some attention, but it became famous in 1884, when Arthur Conan Doyle published a short story about a survivor of a ghost ship called the Marie Celeste. In his account, a revenge-seeking former slave killed the passengers. While that was purely fiction, many theories were put forward to explain what happened. Most, however, seemed unlikely. There were no signs of violence or missing cargo, casting doubt on claims of mutiny, murder, and piracy. In addition, there was no evidence to support the claim that an explosion caused by alcohol fumes caused the ship to be abandoned.
A more likely scenario is that Captain Briggs erroneously believed his ship was taking on too much water and was about to sink. This theory was supported by the fact that the sounding rod—used to determine the amount of water in the hold—was discovered on deck, suggesting that it had been used just before the ship was abandoned. In addition, one of the ship’s pumps showed signs of trouble; it was disassembled. A faulty reading of the sounding rod and an ineffective pump could have led Captain Briggs to believe the ship was foundering and order it abandoned. A mishap may then have occurred in the longboat, causing all to perish.
Despite being seen as unlucky, the Mary Celeste remained in service and went through a number of owners before being acquired by Capt. G.C. Parker. In 1885 he deliberately sailed it into a reef near Haiti as part of a plan to defraud an insurance company. When the vessel failed to sink, authorities discovered his scheme. The Mary Celeste, however, was damaged beyond repair, and it was left on the reef, where it deteriorated.
1665 The first edition of the London Gazette was printed. It is the world's longest running journal and carried news of military appointments and engagements.
1935 The Royal National Institute for the Blind distributed its first Talking Books of players and records to blind & partially sighted people.
1945 Group Captain H J Wilson became the first man to exceed 600 miles per hour flying a Gloster Meteor jet fighter at Herne Bay. The aircraft was powered by two 3,500 lb thrust Rolls Royce Derwent V turbojets.
1964 The country's first drink-driving advertisement was shown on television, with the message "Drinking and driving are dangerous."
1967 British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper beat challenger Billy Walker to become the only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright.
1974 Lord Lucan mysteriously disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny and a serious assault on his wife.
In one of those strange quirks of the fixture list Premier League new boys Bournemouth - the most southerly side who had ever played in the Premier League - entertained Newcastle - the most northerly side ever to play in the PL. On the same day at Carrow Road Norwich City, the most easterly club to have played in the PL, played Swansea City - you've guessed it, the most westerly side ever to play in the Premier League. There were 1-0 victories for Newcastle and Norwich.
Death Penalty Abolished.
The Murder (Abolition of the Death Penalty) Act 1965 is given Royal Assent, formally abolishing the death penalty for murder in the United Kingdom.
Executions for murder in Britain were suspended under the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 and finally abolished in 1969.
After that, the death penalty remained, but was never imposed, for such crimes as treason and piracy with violence.
A gallows for hangings was kept in working order at Wandsworth Prison until the death penalty was totally abolished in 1998.
In 1688, there were 50 crimes for which the death penalty could be imposed in England. By 1810 this number had grown to 222.
These included cutting down an orchard or using a disguise while committing a crime,
the impersonation of a Chelsea pensioner and damaging Westminster Bridge.Moreover, the law did not distinguish between adults and children, and ‘strong evidence of malice in a child of 7 to 14 years of age’ was also a hanging matter.
By 1861 the number of capital crimes had been reduced to four: murder, treason (including arson in Royal Naval dockyards), mutiny and piracy.
Nobody has been burned at the stake in Britain since 1789.
The last public hanging in Britain was in 1868.
A “derrick” originally meant a scaffold after London hangman Goodman Derrick, around 1600.
The condemned person stands on a trapdoor and when the trap is released he falls several feet until stopped by the rope tied around his neck.The jerk breaks the cervical vertebrae and is thought to cause immediate loss of consciousness. A knot or metal eyelet (the hangman’s knot) in the noose helps jerk back the victim’s head sharply enough to break the neck.
A Brief History of America’s Whiskey
For a whiskey to be properly labeled as a bourbon, most “purists” will tell you it has to come from Kentucky. Others will say it simply must be American. The truth is that it can come from anywhere in America, but it must come from America. Yes, 95% comes from Kentucky, but it can come from any state and still be bourbon.
Bourbon must be created from a mash that is at least 51% corn.The other 49% is usually a mixture of barley, rye, or wheat.
Bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels (whereas many types of whiskey,like Scotch whiskey,are often aged in barrels that have previously held wine, port, other whiskey and so forth).
Bourbon must go into the barrel at no more than 125 proof and it cannot enter the bottle at anything less than 80 proof.
For it to be bourbon,nothing but water can be added, and that is only at the end to proof the whiskey down to what the distiller is seeking (in comparison to Scotch, where caramel coloring is a common additive).
Some bourbons are aged for years while others are aged for only a few months,there is no age requirement to be called bourbon as long as it has spent even a day in the barrel, even 45 seconds in a barrel would still count.
The type of whiskey generally accepted as bourbon today can indirectly trace its name back to a dynasty of French royals.
The House of Bourbon reaches as far back as the mid-13th century.However,it’s important to note how unlikely it is that bourbon whiskey was named directly after French royalty. It’s more likely the booze was named from Bourbon County, Kentucky, where much of the sweet elixir was distilled in the 19th century.
Bourbon was born out of both necessity and ingenuity,Scots,Irish and other Europeans who settled and farmed the American South during the late 1700s and early 1800s brought knowledge of distilling with them from the old countries. Corn was a robust, reliable and sugar-rich crop abundant in the New World. So what did many of these bright-eyed,thirsty folks do? They started making whiskey using old-world techniques and new world mash.A few names from among these early entrepreneurs were Jacob Beam, Elijah Craig, and Evan Williams.
Throughout the 19th century, bourbon grew and grew in popularity,being cheaper than imported liquors,relatively easy to distill thanks to the abundance of corn.