On this day........

[The Baron]

Clinton has stated since that the one thing he loses sleep over repeatedly is this. Unreal that we knew so much and did so little.

[RED-DOG]

Clinton has stated since that the one thing he loses sleep over repeatedly is this. Unreal that we knew so much and did so little.

Not really. Take a look at the things that are happening now, we still do so little.

[The Baron]

It's unreal to me at least.

[MintTrav]

Clinton has stated since that the one thing he loses sleep over repeatedly is this. Unreal that we knew so much and did so little.

Not really. Take a look at the things that are happening now, we still do so little.

I know that your comment is meant to be constructive, and there have been many terrible situations since then, but nothing has compared to the scale or nature of what happened in Rwanda. The failures of the Belgian and French governments, as well as the US and UN, had a vastly greater effective than anything since.

[tikay]

1956

Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly. If "Hello" existed then, this would have been a double issue job.  

At the time, this was THE dream wedding, they were viewed the same way as, later, JFK & Jackie, Princess Di & Prince Charles, Posh & Becks.

Even now, older people recall Grace Kelly as the most perfect looking woman, & this was real fairy tale stuff. Sadly, & like the Kennedy & Princess Diana marriages, it ended in tragedy, when she was killed in a car crash.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

1993

The Waco siege ended in an inferno, as seen in this iconic photo.

This was a really weird, & tragic story, involving a 51 day siege, & the loss of some 80 lives.

Click to see full-size image.

Strangely, just 2 years later, another tragedy arose nearby, & which was said by many to be linked. The FBI had lain siege to the Waco cult, & so, 2 years later, perhaps in retribution.....

[tikay]

1995

2 years later, to the day, a building which housed the FBI, in Oklahoma City, was blown to smithereens. 168 people were killed.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

1968

Enoch Powell delivered his infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech on immigration.

Despite his views on racism, which most of us found abhorrent, he was the most wonderful orator, the sort of man you could listen to all day every day.

In that respect, & despite being almost a polar opposite of him, he reminded me of Tony Benn. I did not much care for the policies either of them advocated, but oh my, they spoke in such a compelling & engaging manner, hard to think of any other modern day politicians who spoke so well. The motley bunch up for Election next month could not hold a candle to them when it came to personality, or delivering a speech.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

1999

[tikay]

1955

A one month Newspaper strike in Fleet St ended.

With no internet, & precious few having a TV, people were desperate for daily news.

This is the London outlet of The Birmingham Post, (which was not affected by the strike) & those people are queuing up to buy a newspaper.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

1945

The Russians entered what remained of Berlin, ousting the beaten German army.

Click to see full-size image.

 

[tikay]

1959

This one was yesterday, when I was awol, but it's such a great little story. She was a huge star at the time.



1959: Dame Margot Fonteyn released from jail


The world famous British ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn has arrived in New York after spending 24 hours in a Panama City jail.
Panamanian police are still hunting her husband, Dr Roberto Arias, a former Panamanian ambassador in London, suspected of planning a coup against the government of President Ernesto de la Guarda.

She was mobbed by journalists at the airport. After trying to get through to her mother by phone, she agreed to talk to the press.

The ballerina said she did not know where her husband was or even if he was safe.

"Naturally I am concerned. Any woman who doesn't know where her husband is, is naturally concerned," she said.

She refused to answer questions about the situation in Panama but said she intended to return, saying "Of course, it's my husband's country."

After intervention from the British Ambassador Sir Ian Henderson, Dame Margot was freed from prison at dawn and taken to Panama City's airport for a flight to the United States.

'Decoy duck'

In a statement to the House of Commons in London, shadow foreign secretary Aneurin Bevan welcomed her release. "The British public did not appreciate having seen her in the role of the swan, then seeing her in the role of a decoy duck," he said.

The Panamanian National Guard detained the ballerina yesterday when she arrived at Balboa harbour at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal on a fishing boat called Nola.

She had set out with Dr Arias on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Panama but when she returned the following day her husband was missing.

It is believed he left the Nola and jumped onto the Elaine, a shrimp boat, in the Pearl Islands with the intention of landing on the coast and storming the National Guard barracks in the town of Chorrera.

Local fishermen told the authorities Dr Arias ordered them to raise from the sea a buoy loaded with machine-guns, grenades and ammunition.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[TightEnd]

1955

A one month Newspaper strike in Fleet St ended.

With no internet, & precious few having a TV, people were desperate for daily news.

This is the London outlet of The Birmingham Post, (which was not affected by the strike) & those people are queuing up to buy a newspaper.

Click to see full-size image.

Amazing to think now

i had to explain to my teenager the other day what "a career in print" was!

[tikay]

1968

As part of the change to decimalisation, the new 5p & 10p coins were introduced.






Look, these are coins

Click to see full-size image.

Sadly, that meant goodbye to threepenny bits & half crowns. We used to save threepenny bits in biscuit tins, it would be our holiday or Christmas money. Half crowns were the nuts. To this day, I still, in my head, auto convert to shillings & pence, £1.15 will always be 23 bob to me.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

1984


The AIDS virus was discovered, (or identified?).

The oddity was the way the news media reported it.


The discovery of a virus which may cause Aids, the fatal disease sweeping through America

If they did but know what the future held.........