Specs on a bike
June 13
1 year ago… Jo Brand row
The comic is investigated by police after she joked about throwing battery acid over politicians, but the matter is later dropped.
5 years ago… Top gongs
Comedian Lenny Henry, left, receives a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours list as does singer Van Morrison.
15 years ago… Michael Jackson acquitted
The singer is found not guilty of molesting a 13-year-old at his Neverland Ranch in California.
17 years ago… Twenty20 debuts
The first matches in the new short cricket competition, featuring an innings of 20 overs each, are played between English counties.
19 years ago… Football refs turn pro
The FA announces that referees will become professional from the start of the new season.
23 years ago… Terrorist to die
A jury recommends Timothy Mcveigh receive the death penalty for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. He would be executed by lethal injection in 2001.
39 years ago… Queen shooting
Marcus Sarjeant, 17, fires six blank rounds from a replica gun at the Queen as she rides past crowds in London during the annual Trooping the Colour.
42 years ago… Grease hits cinemas
The musical, starring
John Travolta and
Olivia Newton-john, right, opens in the US and would go on to become a box office smash.
64 years ago… European Cup kicks off
Real Madrid become the first winners of the new tournament, beating Stade de Reims 4-3 in Paris.
76 years ago… ‘Doodlebug’ drops
The first of Hitler’s secret weapon, the V-1 flying rocket, is unleashed on Britain. Eight people are killed when one explodes near a London railway bridge.
125 years ago… First motor race
The organised cars contest takes place from Paris to Bordeaux and back in France. The winner travelled at an average speed of 15mph.
178 years ago… Royal ride
Queen Victoria, left, becomes the first monarch to travel by train, taking a trip from Slough to Paddington alongside husband Prince Albert.
TOUGH TALK: Boxing boss Jim Freeman
Jim Freeman, who runs Bare Knuckle Boxing, announced this week that sanctioned fights will restart on September 6.
But he fears the news will not be welcomed by the criminal underworld, who oppose his efforts to bring the sport into the mainstream.
Jim said: “I get death most days.
“There are gangsters out there who put on small underground shows and don’t want all the top fighters coming to us and making decent money.
“They want to keep the sport underground. But the public love
A SPECS maker who supplies the likes of Madonna and Joe Wicks is delivering to customers by bike.
Tom Broughton, founder of Cubitts, has taken inspiration from Deliveroo to get his handmade glasses to customers in London within days while many opticians remain shut.
He said: “When I first started Cubitts, I would cycle all over London delivering orders by hand. Being in lockdown has taken us back to our roots in some respects.” threats
BRUTAL: Bareknuckle boxing has thousands of UK fans
it.” BKB is one of the fastest growing sports in the country with shows at London’s Indigo at The O2 regularly selling out.
Jim said: “We had a few hundred at shows around four years ago – now it’s several thousand.
“Fans love to see two wellmatched guys get in there to prove who’s the toughest and most fights end in a knockout.”
Jim also said he is always being contacted by would-be fighters who would be out of their depth
in the bareknuckle ring. He said: “I get loads of messages from people saying: ‘I’ve never had a boxing match or a competitive fight, but nobody in my local will mess with me.’
“I ask them to send me a video and it’s always: ‘Sorry mate, this isn’t for you.’ This isn’t a sport for pub brawlers.”
He added: “Our guys are trained fighters and their punches really hurt.”