7th August

[chenrezig]

613 The death of Sir Thomas Fleming, the English judge in the trial of Guy Fawkes following the Gunpowder Plot.

1657 The death of Robert Blake, British naval commander who captured the Spanish treasure fleet off Santa Cruz.

1711 The first race meeting was held at Ascot, established by Queen Anne, thus giving them the status of 'Royal Ascot'.

1840 The employment of climbing boys as chimney sweeps was prohibited by an Act of Parliament.

1879 The opening of the 'Poor Man's Palace' in Openshaw, Manchester, a Salvation Army Citadel specifically for soldiers in the area.

1913 In Britain's first aviation tragedy, US airman 'Colonel' Samuel Cody was killed when his aircraft crashed at Farnborough.

1925 Britain introduced the Daylight Saving Act - bringing in British summer time so the nation changed clocks by one hour twice a year.

1926 The first British motor racing Grand Prix was staged at Brooklands; 110 laps of the track for a total distance of 287 miles. The winner was Robert Senechal in just over 4 hours, at an average speed of almost 72 miles an hour.

1958 The Litter Act came into force in London as part of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. Offenders could be fined up to £10 for dropping litter. In the first year nearly 1000 were prosecuted.

1961 The birth of Brian Conley, English comedian, television presenter, singer and actor. At the peak of his television career, he was the highest-paid male television personality in the UK.

1972 Ugandan leader, Idi Amin ordered 60,000 Asians, mostly British Passport Holders, to leave the country within 90 days or face the consequences. Most were expected to move to the UK.

1993 The public got its first glimpse inside Buckingham Palace as people were given the opportunity to tour the London home of Queen Elizabeth II. Proceeds from ticket sales were earmarked to help repair fire damage at Windsor Castle.

1995 British athlete Jonathan Edwards twice broke his own world triple jump record, becoming the first man to clear 18 metres - whilst winning the gold medal in the World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

2001 The government bought and re-nationalised a private hospital for the first time. The Department of Health paid £27m for the luxury private Heart Hospital just off Harley Street in central London.

2002 The Queen held the first ever garden party at Balmoral Castle in Scotland to end her Jubilee Year. 3000 people were invited to attend.

2011 Rioting began in Tottenham, during which residents attacked people, set fire to shops, and looted the neighbourhood in protest against the shooting of local man Mark Duggan by police. The rioting continued for several days and spread to other major cities, as a sign of unrest. Authorities believed the riots were organized through the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. A total of 3,443 crimes across London alone were linked to the disorder and damage to property was estimated at £200 million.

2012 Fifty year old Jessica Harper, former head of fraud and security at Lloyds Bank admitted carrying out a £2.4m fraud over a period of 4 years.

2012 Pioneering astronomer and physicist Sir Bernard Lovell, the founder of University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory died, aged 98.

[Rosalind]

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[annie]

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