Today in History

On This Day - 29th November
1530 Thomas Wolsey, English Cardinal, and Lord Chancellor died en route from York to his imprisonment in the Tower of London.


1781 The crew of the British slave ship Zong, murdered 133 Africans by dumping them into the sea to claim insurance. The resulting court cases, brought by the shipowners, sought compensation from the insurers for their lost cargo. The court established that the deliberate killing of slaves could, in some circumstances be legal. It was a landmark in the battle against the African slave trade of the eighteenth century, and inspired abolitionists such as Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson, leading to the foundation of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787.


1849 Sir John Ambrose Fleming, an English electrical engineer, was born. His inventions included the Fleming Valve and many related devices that led to the development of modern electronics.


1898 C.S. Lewis, author of the Narnia Chronicles, was born.


1907 British nurse Florence Nightingale, aged 87, was presented with the Order of Merit by Edward VII for her work tending the wounded during the Crimean War.


1934 In Britain, the first live radio broadcast of a royal wedding - the marriage of the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina at Westminster Abbey in London.


1940 The city of Liverpool endured nearly eight hours of bombing, which left 166 people dead and 2,000 people homeless. At the time, Prime Minister Winston Churchill described the tragedy as "the single worst civilian incident of the war."


1947 The UN approved Britain's plan for a partition of Palestine.


1956 Panic-buying broke out at garages across the country as the government gave details of its petrol rationing plans. Petrol had been in short supply since the President of Egypt, Gamal Abdul Nasser, took over the running of the Suez Canal four months previously.


1962 Britain and France announced a joint agreement to design and build the Concorde, the world's first supersonic airliner.


1963 The Beatles record I Want To Hold Your Hand was released, with advance orders of one million in the UK alone.


1965 Housewife Mary Whitehouse began her Clean Up TV Campaign by setting up the National Viewers and Listeners' Association to tackle 'bad taste and irresponsibility'.


1975 British racing driver Graham Hill was killed in an aircraft crash at Arkley, Hertfordshire.


1986 The death of Cary Grant, British-born American actor. He was considered one of Hollywood's definitive leading men and was named the second Greatest Male Star of All Time (after Humphrey Bogart) by the American Film Institute.


1995 On his historic visit to Britain, US President Bill Clinton praised British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister John Bruton for their joint efforts to bring peace in Northern Ireland.


2001 George Harrison, musician, actor, songwriter and former lead guitarist with the Beatles died of lung cancer, aged 58. Often referred to as the 'quiet Beatle', Harrison became an admirer of Indian culture and mysticism and introduced it to the other Beatles, as well as to their Western audiences.


2013 The consecration of the Rev. Pat Storey as the UK and Ireland's first woman bishop, at a service at Christ Church Cathedral - Dublin.


2013 A double engine failure caused a police helicopter to crash into the Clutha Vaults pub in Glasgow. Ten people died in the accident; all three onboard, six on the ground, and another person died two weeks later from injuries received.


2015 Great Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 after Andy Murray beat Belgium's David Goffin to clinch the decisive point in Ghent.

 

On this Day - 29th November:
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1980 - John Lennon
John and Yoko's Double Fantasy album was released. Though initially poorly received, the album is notable for its association with Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, whereupon it became a worldwide commercial success, and went on to win the 1981 Album of the Year at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards.

2001 - George Harrison
Beatles guitarist George Harrison died in Los Angeles of lung cancer aged 58. Following the breakup of The Beatles Harrison had a successful career as a solo artist and later as part of the Traveling Wilburys. The youngest member of The Beatles, (aged 16 when he joined), his compositions include ‘Taxman’, ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Something’, and ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. Harrison released the acclaimed triple album, All Things Must Pass, in 1970, from which came the worldwide No.1 single 'My Sweet Lord.'

2002 - Paul McCartney
Three paintings by Sir Paul McCartney were bought for just £35 each at the Secrets Postcard Sale at London's Royal College of Art. Members of the public gambled on whether they were buying works by celebrity artists at a fraction of their value, as a picture's creator was only made known after it has sold.

• 2002 "The Concert for George",

• A benefit memorial to George Harrison held at the Royal Albert Hall, London, features Eric Clapton; Paul McCartney; Ringo Starr; Jeff Lynne; Tom Petty; Joe Brown; Anoushka Shankar; Billy Preston; and members of Monty Python

 

On this Day - 30th November:
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1016 Cnut the Great [Canute], King of Denmark,
Claims the English throne after the death of Edmund 'Ironside'



Cnut the Great (King of England, Denmark and Norway) - On This Day

 

On this Day - 30th November:
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• 1949 Chinese Communists captured Chungking
• 1950 US President Harry Truman threatens China with atom bomb
• 1979 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• 1982 USSR performs nuclear test
• 1988 France performs nuclear test at Fangataufa Island

 

On this Day - 30th November:
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1963 - The Beatles
The Beatles second album With The Beatles became the first million selling album by a group in the UK.
The album stayed at the top of the charts for 21 weeks, displacing Please Please Me, so that The Beatles occupied the top spot for 51 consecutive weeks.

2002 - George Harrison
High Court probate records showed that George Harrison left his fortune of £99m in a trust to his wife Olivia and his son Dhani, depriving the taxman of £40m.
His English mansion near Henley-on-Thames was said to be worth £15m.
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1968 - Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Wichita Lineman.'
Jimmy Webb's inspiration for the lyrics came while driving through Washita County in northern Oklahoma. Webb was driving through an endless litany of telephone poles, each looking exactly the same as the last. Then, in the distance, he noticed the silouette of a solitary lineman atop a pole.
Webb then "put himself atop that pole and put that phone in his hand" as he considered what the lineman was saying into the receiver.

2012 - Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell played the very last live performance of his lifetime when he appeared at Uptown Theatre in Napa, California.
Campbell revealed his Alzheimer's diagnosis to the public in 2011, and had set out on his Goodbye Tour as a way to say farewell to his fans.

 

On this Day - 30th November:
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1999 - Elton John
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was blasted by the Boy Scout Association after he appeared on stage at London's Albert Hall performing 'It's A Sin' with six male dancers dressed as Boy Scouts.
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The dancers had peeled of their uniforms during the performance.

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On This Day 30th November
30th November is St Andrew’s Day. He is the patron saint of Scotland, also of golfers and fishermen.
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1016 Cnut the Great (Canute), King of Denmark, claimed the English throne after the death of Edmund II, often known as Edmund Ironside. The cognomen 'Ironside' was given to Edmund because of his valour in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great.


1872 The first football match between England and Scotland took place, at Hamelton Crescent Glasgow. It ended in a 0-0 draw.


1874 Birth of Sir Winston Leonard Churchill, British statesman, journalist, historian and Nobel prize-winner for literature. He was a descendant of the great Duke of Marlborough and was born in Blenheim Palace. The great wartime Prime Minister, with his highly quotable speeches, was considered by many as ‘the greatest living Englishman’.


1913 Charlie Chaplin made his film debut without the moustache and cane in 'Making a Living'.


1934 The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman (Engine No. 4472) became the first to officially exceed 100mph. She recently underwent went major restoration at the National Railway Museum in York. There was a series of test runs in January 2016 on the East Lancashire Railway, ahead of an official launch at King’s Cross railway station in London.


1936 The Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire. The spectacular blaze was seen miles away. Designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, it was originally erected in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition in 1851.


1944 HMS Vanguard, Britain’s largest, and last ever battleship, was launched at Clydebank.


1955 Floodlights were used for the first time at Wembley Stadium, during an international game with Spain.


1960 Gary Lineker, footballer, and former England captain, was born. Despite his long career, Lineker was never cautioned by a referee for foul play, a feat equalled only by Billy Wright, John Charles and Sir Stanley Matthews.


1968 The Trade Descriptions Act came into force making it a crime for a trader to knowingly sell an item with a misleading label or description.


1982 A letter bomb exploded inside No. 10, Downing Street, injuring a member of staff. The package was sent by animal rights activists. Margaret Thatcher was at home when the device exploded but she was not hurt in the blast.


1983 Seaweed contaminated by heavy radioactivity was discovered in Cumbria, near the Sellafield nuclear plant.


1987 At Christie's auctioneers in London, a painting by Edgar Degas, 'The Laundry Maids', was sold for £7.48 million.


1999 British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems merged to form BAE Systems, Europe's largest defence contractor and the fourth largest aerospace company in the world.


2011 Up to two million public sector workers from 30 trade unions went on strike over reforms to their pensions, hitting public services as diverse as health, refuse and tax collection. Thousands of schools were closed and ports and airports were affected as border control staff walked out. It was the biggest day of strike action in more than 30 years, with a warning of more stoppages to follow if ministers refused to negotiate on the dispute.


2013 Dr David Hessayon, the author, who sold more than 50 million of his 'Gardening Expert' guidebooks, announced his retirement at the age of 85. He has three honorary doctorates and was made an OBE in 2007.


2013 The Hon. Edward Charles d'Olier Gibson, who appealed his conviction for assaulting a police officer, claiming that he did not know what a modern policeman looked like, had his case thrown out by a judge who ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £620. Gibson was also disqualified from driving for 12 months for drink-driving and was fined a total of £2,350 for the offences.

 

On this Day - 1st December:

1884 Elfego Baca = American Old West: Near Frisco,



New Mexico, deputy sheriff Elfego Baca holds off a gang of 80 Texan cowboys who want to kill him for arresting Charles McCarthy.
Elfego Baca, legendary defender of southwestern Hispanos, manages to hold off a gang of 80 cowboys who are determined to kill him.

The trouble began the previous day, when Baca arrested Charles McCarthy, a cowboy who fired five shots at him in a Frisco (now Reserve), New Mexico, saloon. For months, a vicious band of Texan cowboys had terrorized the Hispanos of Frisco, brutally castrating one young Mexican man and using another for target practice. Outraged by these abuses, Baca gained a commission as deputy sheriff to try to end the terror.
His arrest of McCarthy served notice to other Anglo cowboys that further abuses of the Hispanos would not be tolerated.

The Texans, however, were not easily intimidated. The morning after McCarthy’s arrest, a group of about 80 cowboys rode into town to free McCarthy and make an example of Baca for all Mexicans. Baca gathered the women and children of the town in a church for their safety and prepared to make a stand. When he saw how outnumbered he was, Baca retreated to an adobe house, where he killed one attacker and wounded several others.
The irate cowboys peppered Baca’s tiny hideout with bullets, firing about 400 rounds into the flimsy structure.
As night fell, they assumed they had killed the defiant deputy sheriff, but the next morning they awoke to the smell of beef stew and tortillas–Baca was fixing his breakfast.

A short while later, two lawmen and several of Baca’s friends came to his aid, and the cowboys retreated. Baca turned himself over to the officers, and he was charged with the murder of one of the cowboys. In his trial in Albuquerque, the jury found Baca not guilty because he had acted in self-defense, and he was released to a hero’s welcome among the Hispanos of New Mexico. Baca was adored because he had taken a stand against the abusive and racist Anglo newcomers. Hugely popular, Baca later enjoyed a successful career as a lawyer, private detective, and politician in Albuquerque.

 

On this Day - 1st December:

• 1903 "The Great Train Robbery" the 1st Western film, released starring Justus D. Barnes and G. M. Anderson

The Great Train Robbery (1903 film) - Wikipedia
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• 1982 "Tootsie" directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange premieres in Hollywood
• 1984 "Beverly Hills Cop" directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold premieres in Los Angeles
• 2003 "The Return of the King", 3rd and final film in the Lord of the Rings series, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen premieres in Wellington, New Zealand

 

On this Day - 1st December:

1887 Sherlock Holmes first appears in print in "Study in Scarlet
The detective novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature.


A Study in Scarlet - Wikipedia
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1924 "La Révolution surréaliste"


La Révolution surréaliste was consistently scandalous and revolutionary. The journal focused on writing with most pages densely packed with columns of text, but also included reproductions of art, among them works by Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, André Masson and Man Ray.
La Révolution surréaliste - Wikipedia
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1953 Hugh Hefner publishes 1st edition of Playboy magazine



Playboy - Wikipedia

 

On this Day - 1st December:
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1955 Rosa Parks


Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, after a bus driver ordered her to give up her bus seat to another passenger, and she refused.
The other passenger was white and Parks was black.
In 1955, the law in Alabama required African Americans to give up their seats to whites if the bus was full.
Many reports say Parks was tired after a long day of work, a characterization Parks herself denied: “People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day . . . No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
- The African-American community in Montgomery, led by local ministers Ralph Abernathy and Martin Luther King, Jr., responded to Parks’ arrest by organizing a remarkable year-long bus boycott.
- - In December 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court banned all segregation on public transportation. In 1999, the U.S. Congress recognized Parks as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
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1964 Martin Luther King Jr. speaks to J. Edgar Hoover about his slander campaign

When Martin Luther King requested a meeting with J. Edgar Hoover in 1964, the FBI director’s first instinct was to refuse. His reason was simple: He detested King.
“I held him in complete contempt,” Hoover later told Time magazine. “First I felt I shouldn’t see him, but then I thought he might become a martyr if I didn’t.”

Hoover hated King for several reasons, according to former FBI assistant director William C. Sullivan. First, King’s attorney and friend Stanley Levison was a former Communist, which raised Hoover’s suspicions. Also, King dared to criticize the FBI for failing to solve civil rights–related crimes, which angered the thin-skinned G-man. And, as Sullivan wrote in his memoir, “Hoover was opposed to change, to the civil rights movement, and to blacks.”
“In my opinion,” he told a gathering of women reporters, “Dr. Martin Luther King is the most notorious liar in the country.”
That comment ignited a firestorm of controversy that led to the now legendary meeting between Hoover and King.
As it turned out, he had no choice. “US President Johnson ordered Hoover to meet with King and patch things up,” Sullivan recalled.
“Make sure the meeting is in my office,” Hoover ordered his aide Cartha DeLoach. “And no press. Do you hear me, no press!”

 

On this Day - 1st December:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
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1930 - Matt Monro
English singer Matt Monro. Known as “The Man with the Golden Voice”, he scored the 1964 UK No.4 & US No.23 single 'Walk Away' plus 10 other UK Top 40 hits including the 1965 hit with his version of The Beatles' 'Yesterday'. He died on7 February 1985 from liver cancer at the Cromwell Hospital, Ealing, London.
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1934 - Billy Paul
Billy Paul, (1972 US No.1 & 1973 UK No.12 single 'Me and Mrs Jones'). Paul died on 24th April 2016 aged 81.
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1936 - Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls, US singer. Rawls who released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, had the 1976 US No.2 and UK No.10 single 'You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine'. Rawls died from lung cancer on 6th January 2006 aged 72.
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1944 - John Densmore
John Densmore, drums, The Doors, who had the 1967 US No.1 & UK No.49 single 'Light My Fire' & 1971 single 'Riders On The Storm'. Densmore allowed 'Riders on the Storm' to be used to sell Pirelli Tyres, in the UK only and later stated that he "heard Jim's voice" in his ears and ended up donating the money earned to charity. In 2002, Densmore vetoed an offer by Cadillac for $15 million for 'Break on Through (To the Other Side)' because of Morrison's vehement opposition to licensing the Doors' music for commercial use.
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1946 - Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan, singer, songwriter, (1972 UK No.1 single 'Clair', 1972 US No.1 single 'Alone Again Naturally', plus 13 other UK Top 40 singles).

 

On this Day - 1st December:
HENDRIX:
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1967 - (1/2)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their second studio album Axis: Bold as Love.

Hendrix expressed dismay regarding the album cover art, which depicts him and the Experience as various forms of Vishnu, incorporating a painting of them by Roger Law, from a photo-portrait by Karl Ferris. Hendrix stated that the cover would have been more appropriate had it highlighted his American Indian heritage.

1967 - (1/2)
Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Move, Nice, Outer Limits and Amen Corner played at the Central Hall, Chatham.
The Chatham Standard later reported: ‘Hendrix opened his act with the Beatles’ number Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the three-piece group made as much of an impression as a studio full of musicians.


He did several of his own numbers, including unfaultable versions of 'Hey Joe' and 'Purple Haze' and The Troggs 'Wild Thing'.

 

On this Day - 1st December:
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1961 - The Beatles
The Beatles performed a lunchtime show at the The Cavern in Liverpool.
That night they headlined a six-group Big Beat Session at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton in Wallasey. Between 1961 -1963, The Beatles played at The Tower Ballroom on 27 occasions.

1964 - The Who
The Who played the first of 22 consecutive Tuesday night gigs at The Marquee Club in London, the band were paid £50 for each gig. The Marquee Club saw the rise of some of the most important British artists in the 60s such as Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Cream, Manfred Mann, The Nice, Yes, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and many others who all appeared at the club.
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1976 - Bill Grundy
The Sex Pistols appeared on ITV's live early evening 'Today' show (in place of Queen who had pulled out following a trip to the dentists by Freddie Mercury).
Taunted by interviewer Bill Grundy who asked the band to say something outrageous, guitarist Steve Jones says: 'You dirty bastard...you dirty fucker...what a fucking rotter!'


Because of them using profanity on TV, gets them branded as "rotten punks"

 

On this Day - 1st December:
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1987 - Pink Floyd
A Kentucky teacher lost her appeal in the US Supreme Court over her sacking after showing Pink Floyd's film The Wall to her class.
The court decided that the film was not suitable for minors with its bad language and sexual content.
The teacher, Jacqueline Fowler, rented a videotape of the movie and showed it to her students ages 14 to 17 before actually viewing it herself first.
The film described the life of a rock star including his childhood, failed marriage, drug abuse and ruined career.
Though some might call her the coolest teacher ever, in the end her firing was deemed lawful.
Pink Floyd and Company - Pink Floyd Articles and Reviews (neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk)

1989 - Sly Stone
Sly Stone was sentenced to 55 days after pleading guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of cocaine, (two weeks later he also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and was sentenced to spend 9-14 months in rehab).

1997 - Kenny G
Kenny G set a new world record when he held a note on his saxophone for 45 minutes and 47 seconds.
(The record has since been broken by Geovanny Escalante, who held a note for 1 hour, 30 minutes and 45 seconds, using a technique that allows him to blow and breathe at the same time).

 

I remember playing Pong on my computer. It was a fun distraction.

 

There was quite a sad story surrounding Lou Rawls but he was a great singer.