17th June
Posted: 17 Jun 2015, 05:311239 The birth of King Edward I of England, also known as Edward Longshanks (because of his height) and the Hammer of the Scots.
1497 The Battle of Deptford Bridge (also known as the Battle of Blackheath) took place On This Day. Forces under King Henry VII were victorious in what was the culminating event of the Cornish Rebellion. After carefully spreading rumours that he would attack on the following Monday, Henry moved against the Cornish at dawn on his 'lucky day' which was Saturday (17th June). By 2pm, Henry had returned to the City in triumph, knighting deserving parties on the way, and accepted the acclamation of the Mayor followed by a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's.
1579 Francis Drake anchored the Golden Hind just north of what would one day be San Francisco Bay, California and proclaimed England's sovereignty over an area he named New Albion.
1703 The birth of John Wesley, English evangelist who initiated the Methodist societies and brought about an evangelical revival, not only in England, but also in North America.
1775 In the War of American Independence, British troops won a victory at Bunker Hill, north of Boston, Massachusetts.
1823 Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he used to make raincoats, after experimenting with waste rubber products from Glasgow's new gas works.
1867 Pioneer doctor Joseph Lister amputated a cancerous breast from his sister Isabella using carbolic acid as an antiseptic. The operation in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary was the first under antiseptic conditions.
1940 World War II: In a radio broadcast, Winston Churchill urged Britain to conduct herself so that this would be remembered as her finest hour.
1940 World War II: The RMS Lancastria was sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. Over 4,000 lives were lost making it the worst ever loss of life in the sinking of a single British ship, and the bloodiest single engagement for UK forces (in terms of lives lost) in the whole of World War II. The sinking claimed more lives than the combined losses of the Titanic and Lusitania.
1945 The birth of Ken Livingstone, former Labour politician and the first Mayor of London.
1964 The first purpose-built floating trade fair docked at Tilbury in London with 22,000 samples of Japanese goods on board.
1974 An IRA bomb exploded at the Houses of Parliament, causing extensive damage and injuring 11 people.
1980 The locations for the first US nuclear missiles to be stored on British soil (at Greenham Common and Molesworth military bases) were revealed by the government.
1982 Manchester United footballer Norman Whiteside became the youngest player to appear in the World Cup finals - playing for Northern Ireland against Yugoslavia in Spain. He was aged 17 years and 41 days.
1999 The death of Cardinal Basil Hume, Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster.
2013 The 83 year old BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall was sentenced to 15 months in jail for sexually abusing girls, including one aged 9 years old. Hall admitted 14 offences that occurred between 1967 and 1985.
2014 Blackpool sold off its 6,000 deckchairs that had been 'mothballed' since 2011. Quote - "We found that the majority of people would sit on the new benches or the Spanish steps and there was no longer a demand for the deckchairs."
1497 The Battle of Deptford Bridge (also known as the Battle of Blackheath) took place On This Day. Forces under King Henry VII were victorious in what was the culminating event of the Cornish Rebellion. After carefully spreading rumours that he would attack on the following Monday, Henry moved against the Cornish at dawn on his 'lucky day' which was Saturday (17th June). By 2pm, Henry had returned to the City in triumph, knighting deserving parties on the way, and accepted the acclamation of the Mayor followed by a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's.
1579 Francis Drake anchored the Golden Hind just north of what would one day be San Francisco Bay, California and proclaimed England's sovereignty over an area he named New Albion.
1703 The birth of John Wesley, English evangelist who initiated the Methodist societies and brought about an evangelical revival, not only in England, but also in North America.
1775 In the War of American Independence, British troops won a victory at Bunker Hill, north of Boston, Massachusetts.
1823 Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he used to make raincoats, after experimenting with waste rubber products from Glasgow's new gas works.
1867 Pioneer doctor Joseph Lister amputated a cancerous breast from his sister Isabella using carbolic acid as an antiseptic. The operation in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary was the first under antiseptic conditions.
1940 World War II: In a radio broadcast, Winston Churchill urged Britain to conduct herself so that this would be remembered as her finest hour.
1940 World War II: The RMS Lancastria was sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. Over 4,000 lives were lost making it the worst ever loss of life in the sinking of a single British ship, and the bloodiest single engagement for UK forces (in terms of lives lost) in the whole of World War II. The sinking claimed more lives than the combined losses of the Titanic and Lusitania.
1945 The birth of Ken Livingstone, former Labour politician and the first Mayor of London.
1964 The first purpose-built floating trade fair docked at Tilbury in London with 22,000 samples of Japanese goods on board.
1974 An IRA bomb exploded at the Houses of Parliament, causing extensive damage and injuring 11 people.
1980 The locations for the first US nuclear missiles to be stored on British soil (at Greenham Common and Molesworth military bases) were revealed by the government.
1982 Manchester United footballer Norman Whiteside became the youngest player to appear in the World Cup finals - playing for Northern Ireland against Yugoslavia in Spain. He was aged 17 years and 41 days.
1999 The death of Cardinal Basil Hume, Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster.
2013 The 83 year old BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall was sentenced to 15 months in jail for sexually abusing girls, including one aged 9 years old. Hall admitted 14 offences that occurred between 1967 and 1985.
2014 Blackpool sold off its 6,000 deckchairs that had been 'mothballed' since 2011. Quote - "We found that the majority of people would sit on the new benches or the Spanish steps and there was no longer a demand for the deckchairs."