The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
On this day
1791: The optical telegraph (semaphore machine) was unveiled in Paris.
1836: Texas was proclaimed a republic, independent of Mexico.
1882: Robert MacLean tried unsuccessfully to assassinate Queen Victoria at Windsor.
1930: Novelist DH Lawrence died in France of tuberculosis.
1949: The first round-the-world non-stop flight was completed by Captain James Gallagher and his 13-man USAF crew. It took 94 hours, during which the plane, Lucky Lady II, was refuelled four times in flight.
1958: A British team led by Vivian Fuchs completed the first crossing of the Antarctic, covering 2,158 miles in 99 days.
1969: The French-built supersonic airliner Concorde made its maiden flight from Toulouse.
1970: Southern Rhodesia broke away from Britain and became a republic under Ian Smith.
1986: The Queen signed the Australia Bill in Canberra, formally severing any Australian constitutional ties with Britain.
1988: A new political party was born when Liberals merged with the Social Democrats to form the Social and Liberal Democrats.
1995: Financial dealer Nick Leeson, whose multi-million-pound dealings on the high-risk derivatives market in Singapore bankrupted Barings Bank, was arrested at Frankfurt Airport.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: An ultra-massive white dwarf star with “unusually high” levels of carbon in its atmosphere was discovered by astronomers.
The FTSE 100 closed 105.1 points, or 1.62%, higher at 6,588.53 yesterday.
Sterling also ended the session higher despite a cool-down in sentiment following strong early trading, driven by the continued progress in Covid-19 vaccinations.
The pound increased by 0.04% versus the US dollar to 1.394 and was up 0.17% against the euro at 1.156.
Housebuilders were among the day’s stock market winners, with Taylor Wimpey,
Persimmon and Berkeley all making strong gains following weekend reports that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will unveil a mortgage guarantee scheme in the Budget.
Halfords shares jumped again after the retailer said soaring sales of bicycles and cycling accessories would likely help it to nearly double profits to as much as £100 million in the current trading year.
Shares closed 21p higher at 310.5p as a result.