23rd March

[chenrezig]

1645 The birth of William Kidd (later known as Captain Kidd). He was tried and executed for piracy in 1701 after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Despite the legends and fiction surrounding Captain Kidd, his actual career was punctuated by only a handful of skirmishes followed by a desperate quest to clear his name.

1831 London's first tramcars began operating. They had been designed by a Mr. Train from New York!

1848 The ship John Wickliffe arrived at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, carrying the first Scottish settlers from Greenock on the Firth of Clyde.

1860 The birth of Horatio William Bottomley, English journalist and financier who wanted a life of luxury but whose grandiose business schemes kept leading to bankruptcy. When found guilty of fraud for a third time, he was sentenced to seven years in jail. He founded the patriotic journal John Bull, had been a Member of Parliament, and had gone through millions of pounds when he died in poverty in 1933.

1921 The birth of Donald Malcolm Campbell, son of the former world land and water speed holder, Sir Malcolm. He was in awe of his father and was determined to carve his own name as a world speed record-breaker which he did, on numerous occasions. Donald Campbell is buried in the new parish churchyard at Coniston.

1929 Dr. Roger Bannister, the first person in the world to run a mile in under four minutes was born. His world beating record time was 3 min 59.4 sec

1956 Queen Elizabeth II laid the foundation stone of the new Coventry cathedral. The new building was built next to the remains of the 14th-century cathedral that had been destroyed in the 2nd World War.

1966 The first official meeting between the Catholic and Anglican churches for 400 years took place when Pope Paul VI and Dr. Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury met in Rome.

1981 Mike Hailwood, 9 times World Champion motor cyclist died, along with his 9 year old daughter Michelle, following a motoring accident in Warwickshire.

1984 Sarah Tisdall, the young British civil servant who tipped off the Guardian newspaper that Cruise missiles were on their way to Britain, was sent to jail for six months.

1985 Ben Hardwick, Britain’s youngest liver transplant patient at just three years old, died in hospital. He inspired a national fund raising campaign.

1987 More than 30 people were injured when a car bomb exploded at the UK Army headquarters in Rheindahlen, West Germany.

1991 Prime Minister John Major issued his Citizens' Charter. Failing public service providers would be forced to offer customers cash refunds or face government budget cuts.

2011 Dame Elizabeth Taylor, one of the 20th century's biggest film stars, died in Los Angeles at the age of 79.

[annie]

tha22222

[wendy]

[Rosalind]