29th March

[chenrezig]

1461 Over 28,000 people were killed in the battle of Towton, North Yorkshire, during the War of the Roses (Lancaster against York). The Lancastrians, under Henry VI, were crushed and the throne was claimed by Edward IV.

1632 The Treaty of Saint-Germain was signed, returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629.

1788 The death of Charles Wesley, English evangelist and hymn-writer. In the course of his career, he published the words of over six thousand hymns, many of which are still popular today. Charles Wesley was the first Methodist visitor to Heptonstall and his brother John laid the foundation stone to Heptonstall Methodist Chapel in 1764. It is the oldest Methodist Chapel in the world in continuous use.

1867 Queen Victoria gave Royal Assent to the British North America Act which established the Dominion of Canada on 1st July.

1871 Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall in London. The hall was originally supposed to have been called The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the name was changed by Queen Victoria to Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences when laying the foundation stone, as a dedication to her deceased husband and consort Prince Albert.

1912 The last entry in British explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott's diary. He died in Antarctica, along with the rest of his party, whilst returning from the South Pole.

1920 Sir William Robertson, who enlisted in 1877, became a field marshal in the British Army, the first man to rise to this rank from private.

1927 Sir Henry Segrave beat Malcolm Campbell’s land speed record in his 'Mystery' car (a 1,000 hp Sunbeam with a World War I aircraft engine) on the Daytona Beach, clocking 203.79 mph. He became the first driver to exceed 200 mph.

1940 The Bank of England introduced thin metal strips into banknotes as an anti-forgery device.

1942 World War II and the bombing of Lübeck. It was the first major success for the RAF Bomber Command against Germany and a German city.

1943 John Major, former British Prime Minister, was born.

1967 The Torrey Canyon oil tanker 'refused' to sink, despite more than a day of heavy bombing. Tens of thousands of tons of oil formed a slick 35 miles long and up to 20 miles wide around the area.

1981 The first London marathon took place, with around 7,000 entrants.

1988 Lloyd Honeyghan became the first British boxer to regain a world title since Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis, 71 years previously. Honeyghan knocked out Jorgé Vaca of Mexico in the third round at the Wembley Arena, London.

1999 The case of James Hanratty was sent back to the Court of Appeal, 37 years after he was hanged for murder. New DNA evidence emerged and a police inquiry highlighted flaws in the original investigation.

2004 The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants.

2014 Same sex weddings in England and Wales became legal, several months earlier than had been planned.

2015 A memorial to the murdered soldier Lee Rigby was opened at Middleton Memorial Gardens (Greater Manchester). The 25 year old fusilier was killed outside Woolwich Barracks in London on 22nd May 2013 by Islamist extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

[annie]

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[Rosalind]

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