THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

It is stated on high authority that photographs taken from the air prove the continued complete blockade at Zeebrugge, and for some reason, which can only be conjectured, Ostend is not being used since the raid. At Zeebrugge the silting has probably been assisted very considerably by the sinking of a destroyer in the neighbourhood of the sunken Thetis. Photographs show this destroyer was unquestionably sunk. A bomb was dropped on her bows, and she was completely wrecked.

50 years ago

A Dundee jute factory was hurriedly evacuated yesterday afternoon when fire broke out among cops and hessian bags in a store in the winding department. Three hundred employees of Fergusson Son Ltd, many of them women, left as thick smoke filled Dudhope Works, Douglas Street. A full turnout of five fire appliances from the Central and Northern Fire Stations raced to the scene. Firemen in breathing apparatus tackled the fire with two lines of hose. Around 40 tons of jute were involved.

25 years ago

The biggest-ever “chieftain of the pudding race” weighed in at the Glasgow Hilton yesterday when hotel chefs unveiled their world record-breaking haggis! The award-winning team worked over the weekend to create the 668.41b beast. The former world record of 6301b was held by Halls of Broxburn. An inspector from Strathclyde Regional Council’s weights and measures department gave his official seal of approval to the colossal Scottish delicacy, which was cooked in a specially-built steamer.

One year ago

One of Scotland’s most famous art museums will feature a bizarre new show – without exhibits. The unusual exhibition by the Dutch artist Marlie Mul, entitled This Exhibition Has Been Cancelled, will leave the massive space empty for months on end. There is no exhibition, and the gallery at the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GoMA) is empty apart from signs made by the artist declaring it to be cancelled. The aim is to make the public question how relevant a new art exhibition is.