ON THIS DAY

TODAY: Tuesday August 10, 2021

110 years ago (1911)

Our front page described the devastating effects of the Great Transport Workers’ Strike, which saw 97,000 men down tools, leading to shortages of meat, fish, fruit, cheese, eggs and ice. We also reported that it was the hottest day on record in London with temperatures reaching 97 degrees in the shade during the 1911 UK heatwave.

110 years ago (1911)

Herbert Asquith’s Liberal Government passed The Parliament Act giving MPs an annual salary for the first time.

The legislation was intended to help working class MPs to support themselves in a job previously only open to the wealthy.

The salary was set at £400 a year, worth around £45,000 today.

31 years ago (1990)

The US Magellan spacecraft arrived at Venus after a 15-month journey from Earth to begin mapping the surface.

Over more than four years it produced a detailed radar map of the entire planet and found evidence of volcanic activity across 85 per cent of its surface. It was one of NASA’s most successful deep space missions.