On This Day In History

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by Simon, Mar 6, 2011.

  1. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    On this day in history is a thread for remembering those events from days gone by. Not just major news items, but those news stories from your area that may not be mainstream.

    Who remembers these?

    Zeebrugge Disaster

    In 1987 hundreds of people were trapped after the car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized just outside the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
    Rescuers say more than 400 people have been brought out of the ship alive. Many have been taken to hospitals in Bruges and Blankenburg suffering from cuts and bruises, hypothermia and shock.
    The tragedy happened just before 1900 GMT as the Townsend Thoresen ferry left Zeebrugge bound for Dover with 650 passengers on board.
    It is not clear how the disaster happened. Survivors say the boat went over in seconds and began filling rapidly with water. There was no time to send an SOS.
    The final death toll was 193. The disaster had unfolded in just 90 seconds, in calm conditions and shallow water, only 91 metres from the shore.
    The turnaround time for loading and unloading at Zeebrugge was longer than at most other ports because there was only room for access to a single ramp onto the car deck. Water had to be pumped into the ballast tanks to lower the level of the ferry.
    It appears the ferry then left port with her bow doors open and the extra ballast still in her tanks. Water began flowing onto the car deck and the vessel quickly became unstable.
    A formal investigation blamed company management for failing to give clear instructions about safety procedures.
    New safety measures were finally brought into effect in 1999 following a second ferry disaster. The Estonia sank in 1994 with the loss of 850 lives.

    _245183_enterprise.jpg

    George Formby Dies

    In 1961 one of Britain's most popular entertainers, George Formby, has died after suffering a heart attack.
    Lancashire-born Formby, 56, was one of the UK's best-paid stars during his heyday in the 1930s and 1940s.
    His nationwide fame was unusual in the era before ownership of television sets was widespread.
    For six successive years during the 1940s he headed a popularity poll compiled by British cinema-goers who flocked to see him in films such as "Spare a Copper" and "George in Civvy Street".
    His stage persona was that of a good-natured imbecile but he was a shrewd professional who amassed a fortune, earning up to £35,000 per film.
    But Formby turned down many more lucrative offers, including one from Hollywood, so he could entertain British and American troops during the Second World War.
    His contribution to the war effort earned him an OBE in 1946.
    Born George Hoy Booth in Wigan in 1904, he was the son of Lancashire's most famous music hall star who first adopted the name Formby for the stage.
    At the age of seven Formby junior was apprenticed to a jockey but weight gain ruled racing out as a career.
    Instead he followed his father onto the music hall stage, making his debut as a 17-year-old.
    The young Formby made his name with an act which featured a ukulele, the instrument which was to become his trademark along with his toothy grin.
    From that era stem some of his most famous songs including "When I'm Cleaning Windows" and his catchphrase "Turned out nice again".
    At the height of his career he topped the bill at several Royal Command performances at the London Palladium.
    But a weak heart led to his official retirement in 1952 although he had since occasionally appeared on the stage and in pantomimes.
    His final heart attack occurred at the home of his fiancée, Patricia Howson, 36. The couple were due to marry in May.
    The announcement of their engagement in February was a surprise to many, coming as it did just two months after the death of Beryl, Formby's wife of 36years.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG1W1h5W17Y"]YouTube - When I'm Cleaning Windows - George Formby[/ame]

    Source - http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/default.stm

    1899 - Aspirin was patented by German researchers Felix Hoffman and Hermann Dreser.

    1964 - Tom O’Hara set a new world indoor record when he ran the mile in 3 minutes, 56.4 seconds

    1970. Awareness records released the Charles Manson album 'Lie' in the US. Manson was unable to promote the LP due to the fact he was serving a life sentence for the Sharon Tate murders.

    1985 - Yul Brynner played his his 4,500th performance in the musical "The King and I."

    Birthdays on this day include: -

    Cyrano De Bergerac 1619, Mary Wilson 1944 - Singer (Supremes) and
    Shaquille O'Neal 1972 - Basketball player
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2011
  2. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Can't wait until tomorrow. 12 months since I burnt the house :(
     
  3. Hatamoto

    Hatamoto Beardy Man Kenobi Supporter

    Today last year is when my friend killed himself. Hooray for history :s
     
  4. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Sadly historical dates are not always the bringer of good memories.

    Here though is the place to remember your friend Hatamoto.
     
  5. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Sorry to hear that. He's at peace now though x
     
  6. SpikeD

    SpikeD At the Frankenstein Place

    Re: the Zeebrugge disaster, My brother was on his way home on leave from Germany that night, that was his ferry, only he got 'held up' with his woman and missed the boat.
     
  7. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Exactly what we want from this thread, events and peoples memories of them.
     
  8. John Titchen

    John Titchen Still Learning Supporter

    I can remember one of my 12 yr old mates being in a state over the Zeebrugge disaster. His parents were supposed to be on that ferry, and in those days before widespread mobile phones etc, it was hours after the news had broken that he found out they'd been held up in traffic and just missed it.
     
  9. rivend

    rivend Valued Member

    It is a recognized and remembered date for the fall of the Alamo also. March 6th
     
  10. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    1876 - Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.

    1999 - American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick dies in Hertfordshire, England, at the age of 70.

    1987 - Mike Tyson defeats James "Bonecrusher" Smith to unify the WBA and WBC heavyweight titles. Already the youngest-ever heavyweight champion after winning the title at just 19 years old the year before, Tyson became the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion in boxing history.
     
  11. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    12 months ago my house burnt to a crisp. Glad it did now though
     
  12. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Pheonix from the flames.
     
  13. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Hence my phoenix tattoo on my stomach. Least I've got insurance now :)
     
  14. Blade96

    Blade96 shotokan karateka

    Today March 8th. International Women's Day.

    And the beginning of the 1917 Russian Revolution that overthrew the Tsar.
     
  15. SpikeD

    SpikeD At the Frankenstein Place

    What about the national women? Won't somebody think of the national women? These international types are taking the awards from our nationals.
     
  16. Hatamoto

    Hatamoto Beardy Man Kenobi Supporter

    1978, first episode of the Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy is broadcast on Radio 4 :)
     
  17. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Well today will certainly go down in history for the awful events that are unfolding in Japan.

    Other historical events include: -

    1985 - Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet leader
    He took over following the death of Konstantin Chernenko.

    1955 - Sir Alexander Fleming - the man who first discovered the life-saving drug penicillin has died of a heart attack. He was 73.

    Going back a bit further - 537 The Goths lay siege to Rome
     
  18. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    1993 - The Waco Siege

    At least 70 people died in a fire at the besieged headquarters of the Branch Davidian sect near Waco, Texas.
    Some cult members, including David Koresh, were found to have died of gunshot wounds.

    The FBI was criticised for what were seen as heavy-handed tactics to end the siege and newly-appointed Attorney General Janet Reno was forced to defend her decision to use tanks and tear gas.

    I remember watching and listening to the stand off on television.
     
  19. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    1984 - The AIDS Virus is discovered.

    From the BBC website On This Day in History.

    The discovery of a virus which may cause Aids, the fatal disease sweeping through America, has been hailed as a "monumental breakthrough" in medical research.
    The development was announced in Washington by US Health Secretary Margaret Heckler.

    She said the virus was a variant of a known human cancer virus called HTLV-3. A blood test has also been developed, which, she said, would be available within six months, preventing the tragedy of transfusion patients contracting the disease through tainted blood products.

    The HTLV-3 virus was discovered to be the same as the LAV virus discovered in France. To avoid confusion, it was re-named HIV in 1987.
    An estimated 24 million people, both homosexual and heterosexual, have died of Aids since the disease emerged in the United States. It has now reached pandemic proportions in some parts of southern Africa, where two million died in 2001 alone.
     
  20. John Titchen

    John Titchen Still Learning Supporter

    St George's day.
     

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