THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

Dundee’s meat rationing scheme will come into force on Monday. The city’s butchers will be, however, allocated supplies on the basis of the existing emergency scheme for the first week. The Meat Prices Committee came to this decision last night, and with regard to the relationship of pies and potted meats to the ration Mr D. Latto, the executive officer, said the request by the Food Committee to have these excluded had not been acceded to by the Ministry of Food.

50 years ago

Eighteen-year-old Luis Costa of Rio de Janeiro, swallowed 38 marbles for bets. His stomach rattled so much that an alarmed neighbour took him to hospital where doctors said yesterday he was in no danger and did not need an operation. Luis explained that he started by betting a group of children he could swallow all their marbles. Then it became a habit and after winning a series of further bets he ended up with 38 marbles inside him. “I feel fine,” the teenager added.

25 years ago

Scotland coach Andy Roxburgh will be forced to leave Dundee centre half George Stewart out of his World Cup plans after the player was stretchered off. Fortunately for Scotland, George had not played first-time football in almost 10 years and runs the Chesser Inn in Edinburgh. The veteran was taking part in a friendly game at Dens between DFC old boys and their Leeds United counterparts in a rerun of the 1968 Fairs Cup semi-final which Leeds won 2-1 on aggregate.

One year ago

Theresa May shocked the country and her own Cabinet by calling a snap general election in her biggest U-turn as Prime Minister to date. The Conservative leader said she made the decision to push for a June 8 vote “recently and reluctantly” in light of attempts by opposition parties to scupper the Brexit vote. Sources inside No 10 revealed that her ministers, including Scottish secretary David Mundell, were in the dark about the plans until an early-morning meeting at Downing Street.