It happened today – on this day in history – February 20
- It happened today – this day in history – October 25 - 25/10/2021
- It happened today – this day in history – October 24 - 24/10/2021
- It happened today – this day in history – October 23 - 23/10/2021
1472: Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a dowry payment.
1547: Edward VI is crowned following the death of his father Henry VIII.
1673: The first recorded wine auction is held in London.
1724: Handel’s opera “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” premieres at the King’s Theatre in Haymarket, London.
1745: Jacobite troops occupy Fort Augustus, Scotland.
1792: US postal service created.
1798: Napoleon’s chief of staff Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power and takes him prisoner.
1810: Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean patriot and leader of a rebellion against Napoleon is executed.
1811: Austria declares bankruptcy.
1816: Gioachino Rossini’s opera “The Barber of Seville” premieres in Rome.
1831: Polish revolutionaries defeat Russia in the Battle of Growchow.
1846: The British occupy the Sikh citadel of Lahore.
1856: The steam packet-ship John Rutledge, en route from Liverpool to New York, hits an iceberg and sinks with the loss of 120 passengers and 19 crew. There is only one survivor.
1873: Naval Officer John Moresby discovers the site of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and claims it for Britain.
1919: French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau is injured during an assassination attempt.
1932: Japanese troops occupy Tunhua, China.
1935: Caroline Mikkelson becomes the first woman to land on Antarctica.
1938: Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden resigns saying Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has appeased Nazi Germany.
1941: Polish Jews are barred from using public transportation. On the same day, the first transport of Jews to concentration camps leaves Plotsk.
1944: US forces take Enewetak Atoll.
1947: Earl Mountbatten of Burma appointed as last viceroy of India to oversee the move to independence. On the same day, the state of Prussia ceases to exist
1952: Britain’s Jeannette Altwegg wins the Olympic women’s figure skating gold medal at the Olso Winter Games.
1958: The government announces the closure of one of the oldest naval dockyards in the UK at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
1959: Sixteen year-old Jimi Hendrix makes his stage debut at the Temple De Hirsch Sinai synagogue in Seattle. He is sacked from the band after the first set for his wild playing.
Singles chart:
- As I Love You – Shirley Bassey
- One Night – Elvis Presley
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – The Platters
- Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On The Bedpost Over Night) – Lonnie Donegan
- Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me – Shirley Bassey
- To Know Him Is To Love Him – The Teddy Bears
- Baby Face – Little Richard
- Problems – The Everly Brothers
- A Pub With No Bear – Slim Dusty
- The Day The Rains Came – Jane Morgan
1962: Astronaut John Glen becomes the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Friendship 7.
1965: Ranger 8 makes hard landing on the Moon, returning photos and other data to Earth.
On TV (Saturday)
| ATV LONDON | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.45 | News | ||
| 12.50 | World of Sport | ||
| 17.15 | The Forest Rangers | ||
| 17.45 | News | ||
| 17.50 | Thank Your Lucky Stars Pete Murray introduces Adam Faith, Herman’s Hermits and Gene Pitney | ||
| 18.35 | Bonanza Western Adventure starring Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker | ||
| 19.25 | Danger Man Espionage series starring Patrick Magoohan as agent John Drake | ||
| 20.25 | Fire Crackers | ||
| 21.00 | News | ||
| 21.10 | The Saint Starring Roger Moore as Simon Templar | ||
| 22.10 | The Sullavan Brothers | ||
| 23.05 | On the Braden Beat With Bernard Braden | ||
| 23.30 | The Four Just Men | ||
| 23.55 | News | ||
| BBC ONE | |||
| 11.45 | The Science Of Man | ||
| 12.15 | Komm Mit! | ||
| 12.40 | Notice Board | ||
| 12.45 | Grandstand | ||
| 17.15 | Juke Box Jury Chris Hutchins, Lulu, Roy Orbison and Marjorie Proops review the week’s new releases from The Everly Brothers, P J Proby, Petula Clark, The Ronettes and The Four Pennies with host David Jacobs | ||
| 17.40 | Doctor Who: The Zarbi William Hartnell as The Doctor against people dressed like giant wasps. Even to a 7 year-old it wasn’t scary. | ||
| 18.05 | The News And The Weather | ||
| 18.15 | Dixon Of Dock Green | ||
| 19.00 | Temple Houston Western series | ||
| 19.50 | The Billy Cotton Band Show Variety show with guests Ronnie Hilton, Ted Rogers and The Seekers. | ||
| 20.35 | Sherlock Holmes: The Illustrious Client Douglas Wilmer as Sherlock Holmes, Nigel Stock as Dr. Watson | ||
| 21.25 | The Rogues Film series starring Starring David Niven, Charles Boyer and Gig Young | ||
| 22.15 | News | ||
| 22.25 | Not So Much A Programme More A Way Of Life Satire from David Frost | ||
| 23.10 | Sports Special Alan Weeks introduces Chelsea v. Tottenham Hotspur; Peterborough United v. Swansea Town; Manchester United v; Burnley from th FA Cup fifth round. | ||
| 23.40 | Weather | ||
| BBC TWO | |||
| 18.55 | News | ||
| 19.00 | Match Of The Day | ||
| 19.50 | Cinema 625: South Wind (1960) Italian film with subtitles starring Claudia Cardinale | ||
| 21.25 | Not Only… But Also Iconic comedy from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with guests Peter Sellers and Barry Humphries | ||
| 22.10 | The Cambridge Union | ||
| 23.00 | Jazz 625 The Errol Garner trio | ||
| 23.35 | News Followed By Late Night Line-Up |
1966: Album chart:
- The Sound Of Music – Original Soundtrack
- Rubber Soul – The Beatles
- The 2nd LP – The Spencer Davis Group
- Mary Poppins – Original Soundtrack
- Going Places – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
- Take It Easy – The Walker Brothers
- Beach Boys Party – The Beach Boys
- Help! – The Beatles
- My Name Is Barbra Two – Barbra Streisand
- Otis Blue – Otis Redding
1968: John Cleese marries actress Connie Booth.
1971: The US National Emergency Centre erroneously orders US radio & TV stations to go off the air. Mistake wasn’t resolved for 30 minutes.
1975: A feud begins between the official IRA and the INLA.
1976: Muhammad Ali defeats Belgian Jean Pierre Coopman in Round 5 in Puerto Rico
1978: Egypt pulls its diplomats out of Cyprus.
1979: Eleven ‘loyalists’ known as the “Shankill Butchers” are sentenced to life in prison for 19 murders; the gang was named for its late-night kidnapping, torture and murder (by throat slashing) of random Catholic civilians in Belfast.
1983: Hundreds die in Assam as fierce fighting rages in the run-up to Indian elections.
1988: Peter Kalikow purchases the New York Post from Rupert Murdoch for $37.6million.
1989: Two IRA bombs explode at an army barracks at Tern Hill, Shropshire, shortly after soldiers are evacuated.
1993: Ten year olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson are charged with the abduction and murder of two-year old James Bulger.
1998: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan lands in Baghdad, for peace negotiations.
2005: Death of journalist and author Hunter S Thompson aged 67.
2016: A gunman goes on a random killing spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing six. On the same day, a lock of John Lennon’s hair sells for $35,000 at an auction in Dallas, Texas
2020: Donald Trump associate Roger Stone is sentenced to 40 months imprisonment for obstructing a congressional investigation.
BIRTHDAYS: Sidney Poitier, actor/director, 94; Buffy (Beverley) Sainte-Marie, singer-songwriter, 80; Jimmy Greaves, football legend, 80; Mitch McConnell, US senator, 79; Mike Leigh, director/playwright, 78; Brenda Blethyn, actress, 75; Gordon Brown, former prime minister, 70; Phil Neal, former footballer, 70; Anthony Head, actor, 67; Imogen Stubbs, actress, 60; Ian Brown, singer-songwriter (The Stone Roses) 58; French Stewart, actor, 57; Cindy (Cynthia) Crawford, model, 55; Chelsea Peretti, comedian/actress, 43; Lauren Ambrose, actress, 43; Trevor Noah, comedian/TV host, 37; Miles Teller, actor, 34; Rihanna (Robyn Fenty) singer, 33; Mabel (McVey) singer-songwriter, 25; Cruz Beckham, 16.
