Swindon 1951: Swindon Railway workers had opposed the latest Five-point Railway Executive Plan issued to solve the serious and on-going manpower crisis in the industry. Under the plan, key traffic grades in certain areas were asked to agree, temporarily, to a longer week and surrender of some holidays.

1961: The new Purton school building, which was started 10 months ago to accommodate 400 pupils, was to replace the village school that was built in 1861 to be attended by children of all ages from five to 15-year-olds.

1971: Dave Mackay from Derby County took over from Stan Harland as captain of Swindon Town Football Club. Liverpool-born Harland had a distinguished reign which started in 1968 when John Trollope broke his right arm in a Division 3 game at Hartlepool.

The world 1789: The Bastille, the state prison in Paris, was stormed by the citizens of Paris at the start of the French Revolution.

1858: Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst was born in Manchester.

1867: Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel first demonstrated the use of dynamite.

1902: The Campanile of St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice collapsed during a safety inspection.

1946: Dr Benjamin Spock’s famous baby bible - Baby And Child Care - was published, and became a bestseller. Twenty-eight years later he said he no longer supported his own theories.

1967: Parliament voted to legalise abortion.

BIRTHDAYS Susan Howatch, novelist, 77; Sue Lawley, TV presenter, 71; Julia Somerville, former newsreader, 70; Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer, 67; Nick McCabe, guitarist (the Verve), 46; Lee Mead, musical theatre actor, 36.