NOW & THEN
29 MARCH
1461: England’s bloodiest battle raged for ten hours around the village of Towton in Yorkshire
– it was fought in a blinding snowstorm, and 28,000 soldiers were said to have died. Henry VI was deposed, and Edward became Edward IV.
1783: The Royal Society of Edinburgh incorporated by charter.
1792: Sweden’s King Gustavus III was assassinated.
1849: Britain annexed Punjab in India by treaty with Maharajah of Lahore.
1864: Ionian Islands were ceded by Britain to Greece.
1867: Independence of Canada began when parliament created the Dominion of Canada.
1871: The Royal Albert Hall, London, built in memory of Prince Albert, was opened by Queen Victoria. One of the prince’s own compositions was played at the opening.
1886: The first batch of Coca-cola was brewed over a wood fire by graduate chemist John S Pemberton. Launched as an “Esteemed Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage” it was recommended for headaches, hangovers and as an all-round pick-me-up.
1903: Regular news service between London and New York began using Marconi’s wireless.
1920: After 42 years’ service, Sir William Robertson attained the rank of field marshal – the only British soldier to rise to that rank from private.
1928: The House of Commons overwhelmingly passed the Equal Franchise Bill, giving the vote to all women 21 or over.
1939: The Spanish Civil War was declared to have ended. Franco was named Caudillo, or leader of the nation.
1940: Metal strips were introduced into Bank of England £1 notes as an anti-forgery device.
1946: New constitution in Gold Coast, which became first British African colony with majority of Africans in legislature.
1967: France launched its first nuclear submarine.
1973: Last US troops left South Vietnam, ending direct military role of United States in Vietnam war.
1981: The first London Marathon was run. It was won by American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen.
1986: World’s first test-tube quins were born in London. 1989: Two Czechoslovak teenagers hijacked Hungarian airliner from Prague to Frankfurt in attempt to reach US.
1990: Prime minister Bob Hawke claimed victory in Australian election, becoming first Labour winner of four consecutive terms.
1993: The president of Hoover Europe was dismissed after a free-travel sales promotion, heavily over-subscribed, ended in chaos.
2004: The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.
2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joined Nato as full members.
2008: Thirty-five countries and over 370 cities joined Earth Hour for the first time.