Today in History

[Bretrick]

9th March

1837 - Governor Bourke named the flourishing Australian settlement ‘Melbourne’ after the British Prime Minister of the day.

1932 - Test trams first crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 10 days before the official opening.

1945 - At 5.34pm, 334 United States Superfortress B-29 bombers took off from Saipan and Tinian. They arrived at Tokyo at 12:15am on March 10 and dropped approximately 1,500 metric tons of bombs, destroying around 41 km² of Tokyo. Between 80,000 and 130,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the worst single firestorm in recorded history.

1961 - The Beatles make their first appearance as The Beatles at The Cavern Club. They previously played there as The Quarry Men.

2000 - Dockland Stadium opens in Melbourne making it the second largest stadium in Victoria

2011 - The space shuttle Discovery completes its final mission. The shuttle touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after its journey to the International Space Station.

 

[Furryanimal]

March 9th

….In the early 15th century, England was torn apart by a series of civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. These wars were fought between the houses of Lancaster and York, two factions vying for control of the English throne.
The Battle of Barnet was one of the pivotal conflicts in this series of wars
.On March 9, 1471, during the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Barnet took place. This battle saw the Yorkist forces, led by Edward IV, clash with the Lancastrians, commanded by the Earl of Warwick. Warwick, once an ally of Edward IV, had turned against him, supporting the Lancaster cause.

The battle occurred near Barnet, in Hertfordshire. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Edward IV’s forces defeated Warwick’s army, and Warwick himself was killed in the battle. This victory allowed Edward IV to regain the throne and effectively ended the Lancastrian challenge to his rule.
The Battle of Barnet is considered one of the turning points in the Wars of the Roses, as it solidified Edward IV’s power and ultimately led to the downfall of the Lancastrian faction.

The consequences of the battle were far-reaching. With Warwick’s death, the Lancastrians were deprived of one of their most skilled commanders. The defeat further weakened the Lancastrian cause, and by the end of the year, Edward IV was firmly in control of England, despite brief challenges from the remaining Lancastrian forces.



….1562Naples, Italy, banned kissing in public.If authorities caught couples kissing in public, the act was punishable by death.
….



1566 David Rizzio, private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, is murdered in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh by a group of the conspirators accompanied by the Queen's husband Lord Darnley.
Darnley had accused Rizzio of having an adulterous affair with his wife and making her pregnant. Despite trying to protect her secretary, Rizzio is stabbed multiple times in the presence of the Queen and dies soon afterwards.



…
This daguerreotype of Margam Castle taken on 9th March 1841 by Calvert Jones is credited with being the first photograph taken in Wales.

Calvert Jones, who was born in Swansea, was a mathematician, painter and photographer. When he became rector of Loughor, he took up photography as a hobby and took many photographs of the Swansea area, as well as in France and Italy. He also developed his own technique of overlapping photographs to give panoramic images.

….



2011: Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights, more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. It was Discovery that launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990.


Music

1964 – The Four Preps released a song called ‘A Letter to the Beatles’ whose lyrics describe a boy losing his girlfriend to the Fab Four. The single was a commercial success but it had to be removed from the charts because it contained lyrics from ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ without permission.

1970,Black Sabbath – formally known as Earth – make their concert debut under the new name at The Roundhouse in London.




1997
The cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered; created by Joss Whedon, the show centred on Buffy Summers, “an alternative feminist icon” who battles vampires, demons, and other assorted supernatural forces of evil.

 

[Pam]

9th March

1956 The British authorities ordered the deportation of the Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios, in the hope of restoring law and order to the crown colony. The archbishop was arrested when he arrived at Nicosia airport to board an airliner for Athens after refusing to denounce the use of violence. Britain accused him of "actively fostering terrorism".

1967 The daughter of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin requested political asylum at the United States Embassy in India. Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva, later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only daughter of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva. In 1978 she became a naturalized American citizen.

1973 The people of Northern Ireland voted overwhelmingly to remain within the United Kingdom. In a referendum on the future of the province, 591,280 people or 57% of the electorate voted to retain links with the UK. A boycott by the Roman Catholic population meant only 6,463 voted in favour of a united Ireland.

1995 The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh made a symbolic visit to Northern Ireland - their first since the IRA and Loyalist ceasefires came into effect the previous year

 

[moviequeen1]

March 10th:
1862
U.S. issues 1st paper money in forms of $5,10,20,50,100 500,1,000 notes. In 1969 the $500,& $1,000 were discontinued.The notes still in circulation $1,5,10,20,50,100
1937
Benny Goodman unofficially becomes the'King of Swing' as his band plays to sell out performance at NYC's Paramount Theatre,crowd was filled with teenagers who couldn't attend nightclub shows
1969
James Earl Ray pleads guilty in killing civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr
1981
Kim Carne's single' Bette Davis Eyes' is released,song was #1 on music charts for 9 weeks. it would win Grammys for Record&Song of the Year
2015
Marvin Gaye's estate wins $7.3 mil lawsuit for music copyright infringment against Robin Thicke &Pharrell Williams. The judge ruled their song' Blurred Lines' was too similar to Gaye's Got To Give It Up'
2023
Calif Silicon Valley Bank, main bank for tech startups collapses due to bank runs& credit crisis. Its the largest U.S. bank to fall since 2008

 

[Furryanimal]

March 11th

…
At the Treaty of Worcester on 11th March 1218, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn Fawr - Llywelyn the Great) paid homage to Henry III of England in exchange for him being confirmed in possession of all his recent conquests and Henry recognising Llywelyn as the dominant prince in Wales.

Despite intermittent outbreaks of hostilities with marcher lords, this agreement remained in place until Llywelyn's death in 1240. Llywelyn is regarded as one of Wales' greatest rulers, combining the use of necessary force with diplomacy. He united Wales without oppression, and without provoking an English invasion.



….
1682The Chelsea Hospital, a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who were unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, was founded by Charles II.….


1702The Daily Courant, the first successful English newspaper, was first published. It consisted of only 1 sheet but lasted until 1735 when it was merged with the Daily Gazetteer.
….

1864The Great Sheffield Flood: The largest man-made disaster ever to befall England destroyed 800 houses and killed 270 people in Sheffield when the Low Bradfield Reservoir bursts its banks while it was being filled for the first time. The claims for damages formed one of the largest insurance claims of the Victorian period.
…..
On 11th March 1953 the motto Y Ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn ('The red dragon gives impetus') was added to the Royal Badge of Wales. It became the basis of a flag of Wales in which the motto was placed on a horizontal white and green bicolour. In 1959, this design was replaced by the current flag.



….

11 Mar 1964
The Beatles spent the day filming at Twickenham Studios for A Hard Day's Night. Filming on a stage set made to look like a train guard's cage, where the Beatles played cards and mimed to 'I Should Have Known Better'.


1971 Jim Morrison leaves for Paris to re-orient himself emotionally and creatively, and to avoid the jail sentence given to him in Miami, Florida. He never returns to the US.

 

[Furryanimal]

March 12th


1470 War of the Roses - The Battle of Losecoat Field (also known as the Battle of Empingham). The outcome was a victory for Yorkists Forces over Lancastrian Forces.


1664New Jersey became a British colony as King Charles II of England granted New Jersey to his brother James, Duke of York.


On March 12, 1807, the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act came into effect in the United Kingdom. This momentous piece of legislation made it illegal to engage in the slave trade within the British Empire.
The act, which had passed through Parliament earlier in the year, was a significant victory for the abolitionist movement, which had been growing throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The push for the abolition of the slave trade had gained momentum, largely due to the tireless work of key figures like William Wilberforce, a Member of Parliament, and activists like Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp.





The WRU was founded on this day in 1881. It was originally called the WFU Welsh Football Union.

Rugby was first introduced to Wales at Lampeter College in the middle of the nineteenth century, and in September 1875 the South Wales Football Club was created in Brecon, to be superseded in 1878 by the South Wales Football Union.

Following Wales's first international match, against England on 19th February 1881, eleven clubs met in the Castle Hotel, Neath on 12th March 1881 to form the WFU (Welsh Football Union), which changed its name to the Welsh Rugby Union in 1934. The eleven founder clubs were Lampeter, Swansea, Llandeilo, Newport, Cardiff, Llanelli, Llandovery, Merthyr, Pontypool, Brecon and Bangor.





On March 12, 1912, The Girl Guides movement was founded by Robert Baden-Powell's sister, Agnes Baden-Powell, in the United Kingdom. This marked a turning point in the history of girls' organizations and was a response to the growing need for structured activities for girls, especially in the context of increasing social and educational opportunities for women.




12 Mar 1968
The Rolling Stones started recording their next single 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' with new producer Jimmy Miller at Olympic studios in London. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awakened one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded, "Oh, that's Jack - that's jumpin' Jack."




1974: John Lennon is in trouble again after an incident at the Troubadour Club, LA. After an evening of heavy drinking with Harry Nilsson, Lennon loudly heckles the performing Smothers Brothers and assaults their manager before he and Nilsson are forcibly removed.



On 12th March 2012, Roath Lock, the new BBC Wales Drama Village in Cardiff Bay, was officially opened. The studio is used by the BBC for programmes such as Doctor Who, Casualty and Pobol y Cwm.

 

[Furryanimal]

March 13th



….
On 13th March 1601, Sir Gelli Meyrick was executed for his part in the Essex Rebellion, which was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex against Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court.

Born c.1556, Meyrick was the eldest son of Rowland Meyrick, bishop of Bangor. At an early age, he became a soldier and became acquainted with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, who owned property in Wales. He joined in the campaigns under Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester in the Low Countries and went with Essex on the expedition to Portugal in 1589. Two years later he fought in Normandy, and also participated in the Capture of Cádiz in 1596, after which he was knighted and presented with the manor and castle of Wigmore, Herefordshire, which he made his chief country residence.

When in January 1601 Essex had decided on raising an insurrection in the city, Meyrick armed many of his country friends with muskets and defended Essex House. The rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful and Meyrick was arrested and held in the Tower of London. He was sentenced to death on 5th March 1601. He declared himself willing to die, and explained that he merely acted under his master's orders. He was hanged at Tyburn on 13 March.




….The Execution of Lady Jane Grey (1554)

Background: Lady Jane Grey, a young and short-lived monarch, was executed on March 13, 1554. Known as the “Nine-Day Queen,” her reign was one of the most dramatic and tragic episodes in British history.

Rise to the Throne: Lady Jane Grey’s ascension to the throne was the result of a complex political situation following the death of King Edward VI. Edward’s death left the throne in a precarious position, and to secure Protestant succession, some members of the nobility arranged for Jane to marry Lord Guildford Dudley and succeed Edward.

However, Jane’s reign was short-lived. Mary I, Edward’s half-sister, raised an army and declared herself queen. The support for Jane quickly evaporated, and she was imprisoned and eventually executed for treason.

Execution: On March 13, 1554, Jane was executed by beheading. She was only 16 or 17 years old at the time of her death. Jane’s execution remains one of the most tragic events in British history, symbolizing the intense political struggles of the time.
….

1781: German-born British Astronomer William Herschel discovers Uranus. It is the first planet to be discovered since antiquity and the first using a telescope. In recognition of his achievement, King George III gives the astronomer an annual stipend of £200 on condition that he move to Windsor so that the Royal Family could use his telescope.





1927The lance ceased to be an official weapon in the British Army.



1935Voluntary driving tests were introduced in Britain and became compulsory in June of the same year.





1965, Eric Clapton quit The Yardbirds due to musical differences with the other band members. Clapton wanted to continue in a blues type vein, while the rest of the band preferred the more commercial style of their first hit, ‘For Your Love’.


1965, Tom Jones made his first major TV appearance on BBC TVs ‘Billy Cotton Band Show.’


1966, Rod Stewart left Steampacket to work as a solo artist.


1966, Pink Floyd, billed as Pink Floyd Sound with AMM. A Spontaneous Underground Event, perform at The Marquee, on Wardour Street in London. Although the fourth “Spontaneous Event,” it was the first to feature the Floyd, and they became a regular fixture thereafter.

 

[Bretrick]

14th March

1923 - US President, Warren Harding, becomes the first president to pay taxes.

1958 - Perry Como's "Catch A Falling Star" becomes the first recipient of a gold record awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America.

1964 - For the first time in British recording history, all Top Ten singles in the UK are by British acts.

1964 - Jack Ruby, the killer of John F Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, is sentenced to the electric chair.

1966 - British film, "Born Free" is released. Based on the book, "Born Free" by Naturalist Joy Adamson. It stars Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers

1967 - John F Kennedy's body is moved from a temporary to a permanent memorial at Dallas, Texas.

2013 - Xi Jinping is named president of the People's Republic of China.

2017 - The worlds' oldest golf club - Muirfield in Scotland, votes to admit women as members for the first time in 273 years.

 

[Furryanimal]

March 14th


1805Master Betty (William Betty) played Hamlet on the London stage, aged just 14. He was such a success that the House of Commons was adjourned to enable members to watch his performance. His success was short-lived and, not long afterwards, he was hissed off the stage.


1864English explorer Samuel Baker was the first European to see the lake he named Lake Albert after the recently deceased Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria.


1873The Insurance Institute of Manchester was born, the first insurance institute in the world.1885The Mikado, a light opera by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, had its first public performance in London.


1891HMTS Monarch laid a telephone cable along the English Channel bed to prepare for the first telephone links across the Channel. Monarch was launched




Winston Churchill’s career took a significant turn on March 14, 1912, when he was appointed as the First Lord of the Admiralty. This position placed Churchill at the head of the British Royal Navy, a powerful institution with considerable influence on global affairs.





One of the most crucial legislative changes in British history occurred on March 14, 1918, with the Introduction of the Education Act of 1918, also known as the Fisher Act. The act raised the school-leaving age from 12 to 14 and required all children to attend school. The act was a critical step in the expansion of education in Britain, making education more accessible and standardized.








On March 14th 1966, St Teilo's Church at Llandeilo Tal-y-Bont, near Pontarddulais, was designated as a Cadw listed building.
The church is thought to date to the late 12th century on the site of a 6th-century Christian church.

It was almost certainly a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to St David’s, before they made the difficult crossing of the River Loughor to continue their journey. It is dedicated to Teilo (born c.500), an evangelising Christian who may well have been active in the area in the period following the Roman's withdrawal from Britain. Teilo was reputed to be a cousin, friend and disciple of Saint David.





1964: The Beatles became the first act to occupy the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” at #1, “She Loves You” at #2, and “Please Please Me” at #3. They also had four additional songs on the chart and Billboard magazine reported that sales of Beatles records make up 60% of the entire singles market. Three weeks later, the band held each of the top five spots on the chart and had an additional ten songs on the Hot 100.


1966: “Eight Miles High” by The Byrds was released. The single was banned in several US states due to allegations that the lyrics advocated drug use, but it nonetheless reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Influenced by the music of sitar player Ravi Shankar and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, the song was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelia and raga rock, and many critics cite “Eight Miles High” as the first psychedelic rock song.

 

[moviequeen1]

1794
Eli Whitney patents cotton gin which revolutionizes cotton industry esp in southern U. S. states
1885
Gilbert &Sullivan's comic opera' The Mikado' makes its debut at Savoy Theatre in London
1927
Pan American Airlines starts as a mail delivery& passenger service.It ceased operations on Dec 4,1991
1950
FBI begins public list of "10 Most Wanted Fugitives'
1973
John MC Clain was released after almost 5 yrs from a N. Vietnam prisoner of war camp. He later became a U.S. Senator{R,Arizona},ran for President in 2008 lost to Barack Obama
2006
journalist/ reporter Mike Wallace retires from CBS news magazine' 60 Min' after 37yrs
2025
on NY Merchantile Exchange the price of gold hits $3,0000 an ounce for the 1st time

 

[Furryanimal]

March 15th



44 BC: Julius Caesar, the dictator of Rome, was assassinated by a group of senators, marking the infamous Ides of March.



1824Building work started on the London Bridge designed by John Rennie.



1877The first cricket test between Australia and England was played in Melbourne. Australia won by 45 runs.



1906Rolls-Royce Limited, the British car and aero-engine manufacturing company was founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls





1917: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated the throne, ending over 300 years of Romanov rule.




1939: Adolf Hitler marched into Czechoslovakia, signaling the end of appeasement in Europe.








On this day in 1964 Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor married for the first time in Montreal,
It was while working on the movie Cleopatra that Elizabeth and Richard, both married to others at the time, fell in love. Their subsequent affair caused something of a scandal. They were married in a low-key ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Montreal, with only nine people in attendance.


1969: Marc Bolan, then part of the acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex, publishes his first and only book of poetry The Warlock Of Love – priced at 12s/6d in old money. It sold remarkably well given that at the time Bolan was not well known with sales of some 40,000 copies.

Here is something from it-

Yon ravelling Mage,
crisp sunseanian Sage
deep acrest a mass,
a hillock of woven ash.
Tarragon seed whim is a coin
in the swim of your skin.
One pleasant fin,
O for such rippled skin,
akin to a far star,
deep abreasted like a raft,
a lantern beam cathedral
in the dungeons of my cask.
And a ship from Paladinya
yes, a pavilion of Pallacian mind,
a tower awned with lighting,
a swans wing and a dipped ring
and you swimming like my mountain,
the delved crescents of your breast
of true julip of Dodona
a league skimmed proper above the rest.
O, Our nest could hold silk stars
a taffetian nation, an elven rope,
a scarlet kerchief wept and laiden
like the galley of dead uncles’ boat.
And a brace of shining finches,
sleek necks climbing towards our sky,
four driving jewelled rivers and unmapped
oceans,
just Dodona,
a whole zinc of finches,
you and I.
….


2002: Yoko Ono unveils a seven foot bronze statue of John Lennon overlooking the check-in hall of Liverpool Airport, renamed the year before to John Lennon Airport. The airport's airport's motto is "Above us, only sky", a line from Lennon's song "Imagine".