12th April

[chenrezig]

1567 The Earl of Bothwell was found not guilty of the murder of Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary Queen of Scots. Bothwell and Mary then married.

1606 The Union Flag became the official flag of Britain. It combined the flags of St. George (England) and St. Andrew (Scotland). As Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality it could not be included on the flag. In 1801 the cross of St. Patrick (Ireland) was incorporated to create the flag that has been flown ever since.

1709 The first edition of the Tatler Magazine was published 'On This Day'.

1831 Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester caused it to collapse, reportedly owing to a mechanical resonance induced by troops marching over the bridge in step. Forty of the soldiers were thrown into the river. As a result of the incident the British Military issued an order that troops should 'break step' when crossing a bridge.

1838 English settlers in South Africa defeated the Zulus at the Battle of Tugela. The settlers had guns whereas the Zulus only had spears.

1902 In South Africa, Boer leaders met the British commander Lord Kitchener to discuss peace proposals to end the Boer War.

1927 The British Cabinet came out in favour of voting rights for women.

1935 The first flight of the Bristol Blenheim, a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. BAC went on to become a founding component of the nationalised British Aerospace, now BAE Systems.

1937 British engineer, Frank Whittle, tested the first jet engine at the Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby. The first jet flight was achieved by the German Heinkel, but it was Whittle’s engine that was used as the prototype.

1939 The birth of Sir Alan Ayckbourn, prolific English playwright. His plays have been translated into over 35 languages and are performed on stage and television throughout the world. Ten of them have been staged on Broadway, attracting two Tony nominations, and one Tony award.

1941 Bobby Moore, English footballer was born. He captained West Ham for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats of world football, and was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender that he had ever played against.

1954 American, Bill Haley recorded 'Rock Around The Clock'. It was first record to sell a million copies in Britain.

1984 Arthur Scargill, leader of the miners' union the NUM, would not allow a national ballot to take place on whether to stop the miners' strike.

1989 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'Cats' was performed for the 3,358th time at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane, making it Britain’s longest running musical. Steven Wain who played one of the cats, was the only member of the original cast still in the show after eight years. Seats were booked to the end of 1999.

2000 The Queen presented the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) with the George Cross, the highest civilian award for bravery.

[annie]

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