LOSE YOURSELF IN 1960

RECORD BREAKING SATELLITE LAUNCHED

NASA launched its Pioneer 5 probe in March 1960 to investigate space between Earth and Venus. British involvement in the flight came from data being transmitted back to the Manchester MkI (now the Lovell) radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, at least until 30 April when the signal became too weak. That said, Jodrell Bank did briefly pick up a signal again on 26

June, by which time the spacecraft was 22.5 million miles away – a record-breaking distance for communication between two man-made objects.

SHIVER DOWN YOUR SPINE…

Horror as a genre was gaining ground fast. The big splash was made by Psycho and Peeping Tom but The Fall of the House of Usher, The Village of the Damned and Black Sunday all have the power to chill. Psycho in particular, which received mixed reviews from the critics, saw huge box office returns. Starring Anthony Perkins as motel owner, Norman Bates, and Janet Leigh as troubled secretary, Marion Crane, it’s considered to be the first American ‘slasher’ film.

NOT SO LUCKY SEVERN

The Severn Railway Bridge was built between 1875 and 1879 between Sharpness and Lydney in Gloucestershire and later became a popular venue for RAF pilots showing off by flying underneath. Then two barges collided with it in October 1960, causing a pair of spans to partially collapse, killing five people. Repairs were planned, but then a capsized tanker also hit it. British Railways had seen enough and demolished it.