Now & Then
◆
17 APRIL
1421: More than 100,000 people drowned when the sea broke through dykes at Dort, in the Netherlands.
1491: Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain signed a contract with Christopher Columbus concerning his proposed voyage of discovery. 1847: The Educational Institute of Scotland was founded “to promote sound learning and advance the interests of education in Scotland”. 1860: The first world title fight took place near Farnborough when Tom Sayers took on the American John Heenan at a time when boxing was still regarded as a breach of the peace. It lasted 37 rounds and both men were seriously hurt. The match was declared a draw.
1888: The first formal meeting of the English Football League took place in the Royal Hotel, Manchester.
1937: A British attendance record at a football match was set when 149,547 watched Scotland play England at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
1953: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?, sung by Lita Roza, reached number one in the charts. 1956: A £1 Premium Bond was introduced by Harold Macmillan, as chancellor of the Exchequer. 1961: An attempt by Cuban rebels and American forces to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs and overthrow the Castro Communist regime, was repulsed.
1963: British businessman Greville Wynne was found guilty in Moscow of spying. He was sentenced to three years in prison and five years in a labour camp.
1969: Everyone in Britain over the age of 18 was allowed to vote, 21 having been the minimum age since 1928.
1975: Communists took over rule of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, as the Cambodian War drew to an end.
1980: Rhodesia became the independent nation of Zimbabwe. 1984: WPC Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead by terrorists outside the Libyan Embassy in London.
1988: Population control group said Earth faced environmental catastrophe unless developing nations stemmed rapid overpopulation.
1989: Nigel Lawson, the chancellor, rejected proposals for economic and monetary union within the European Community. 1991: Graeme Souness quit as manager of Rangers FC to return to Liverpool FC as manager.
1992: Russian politicians refused to approve the arms control pact, setting up another confrontation with Boris Yeltsin.
1995: More than 300 passengers were rescued from a French catamaran ferry which hit a rock and began sinking off Jersey. 1996: The Duke and Duchess of York were granted a decree nisi, ending their ten-year marriage. 2009: Research revealed that being even moderately obese could cut as much as four years off a person’s life.
2014: Scotland’s biggest works of art, the Kelpies, near Falkirk – the creations of Glasgow artist Andy Scott – was launched with a spectacular special effects display including 100 different flames shooting into the air. It was the start of the first festival in Scotland dedicated to the legacy of pioneering conservationist John Muir, who died 100 years earlier.
BIRTHDAYS
Victoria Beckham OBE, singer (Spice Girls) and designer, 50; John Barrett MBE, British tennis commentator, 93; Sean Bean, British actor, 65; Clare Francis MBE, British yachtswoman and novelist, 78; Bella Freud, fashion designer, 63; Jennifer Garner, US actress, 52; Jan Hammer, Czech composer, 76; Nick Hornby, British writer, 67; Olivia Hussey, Argentinian actress, 73; Henry Kelly, broadcaster, 78; Jo-wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player, 39
ANNIVERSARIES
Births: 1894 Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet leader; 1897 Thornton Wilder, US playwright; 1929 James Last, German bandleader; 1955 Pete Shelley, British singer/ guitarist (Buzzcocks).
Deaths: 1790 Benjamin Franklin, scientist and statesman; 1960 Eddie Cochran, US singer; 1998 Lady (Linda) Mccartney, photographer, businesswoman, musician; 2014 Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian novelist, 87; 2016 Doris Roberts, US actress; 2018 Barbara Bush, former United States first lady; 2020 Norman Hunter, footballer.