ON THIS DAY

MARCH 29

1886: A new fizzy drink was launched by graduate chemist John S Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. Described as an ‘Esteemed Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage’, it is now better known as Coca-Cola.

1912: Captain Robert Falcon Scott died in Antarctica returning from his expedition to the South Pole.

1940: Metal security strips were introduced into the Bank of England £1 notes. 2004: The Republic of Ireland became thefirstcountryintheworldtoban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.

MARCH 30

1867: Alaska was bought by America from Russia for 7.2 million dollars – less than two cents an acre.

1945: Advancing Russian forces captured the Baltic Sea port of Danzig, also known as Gdansk.

1964: The seaside resort of Clacton was the scene of pitched battles by gangs of mods and rockers.

1979: The people of Iran voted overwhelmingly in favour of establishing an Islamic Republic.

MARCH 31

1889: The 985ft-high Eiffel Tower, costing #260,000, was officially opened by French premier Pierre Tirard.

1959: The Dalai Lama (centre) was granted political asylum in India, having arrived in the country fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet. 1980: Jesse Owens, winner of four Olympic golds in Berlin in 1936, died.

1991: The Warsaw Pact formally ceased to exist as a military force as Soviet commanders surrendered their powers. 1993: The United Nations Security Council authorised military intervention in Yugoslavia, allowing planes violating a no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina to be shot down.

APRIL 1

April Fool’s Day in England, Gowk’s (Cuckoo’s) Day in Scotland, Poisson d’Avril

(April Fish) Day in France.

1918: The Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps merged to become the Royal Air Force.

1924: The first gramophone to change records automatically went on sale. 1973: Value Added Tax was introduced in Britain.

APRIL 2

1805: Hans Christian Andersen, master of the fairy tale, was born in Odense, Denmark.

1877: The first human cannonball act was performed at London’s Amphitheatre, when acrobatic Lady Zazal was shot by elastic springs into a safety net.

1954: Britain’s first TV soap opera, The Grove Family (named after Lime Grove Studios), was transmitted.

1977: Charlotte Brew on Barony Fort became the first woman to ride in a Grand National. Her mount refused at the 27th fence. The winner was Red Rum, the only horse ever to win three times.