swindon

1952: A senior local National Farmers’ Union official said Swindon’s continued expansion risked endangering food supplies. Mr MJ Scott, chairman of the organisation’s Swindon and District branch, made the comment during a speech to the town’s Rotary Club. He added: “If the standard of living of the people is to be maintained, the food produced by the land must be secured, presumably from abroad, if it is there to buy and we have the money to pay for it.”

1952: A Clyffe Pypard lorry driver had motoring charges against him dismissed after a police officer who visited the scene reported having hardly being able to stand because the road was so icy. The driver had been charged with careless driving following a head-on collision with a car on the Wootton Bassett-Purton Road, but said he had swerved to avoid a man walking a dog in the road. The driver of the car agreed that the accident would not have happened had it not been for the man with the dog.

1962: Vintage car enthusiast Peter Emmans,who worked at the Pressed Steel Fisher car body plant in Stratton St Margaret, won a prize in a competition held at Woburn Abbey with his restored 1921 Model T Ford. The car had rotted for 21 years in a field in Ontario, Canada, before being spotted by Mr Emmans during a visit to the country. He bought it for the equivalent of £15 and shipped it back to England.

1962: Five postcards marking the Titanic disaster, and printed only a few days after the ship sank, were brought to the Adver by Mr A Young of Somerset Road, Swindon. He had bought them many years earlier, and they remained in a drawer until he read an article about the tragedy in the newspaper and remembered them.

1972: Technicians were working overtime at British Leyland’s Pressed Steel Fisher plant on what was rumoured to be an update of one of the huge company’s most prestigious models, the Jaguar XJ6.

1972: Engineering firm Vickers in South Marston landed a big order from Coatbridge Borough Council in Scotland. Worth £70,000, the order was for a refuse processing facility known as a wet rotation pulverising plant.

THE WORLD

1633: Bananas were displayed in a London shop window - the first time the fruit had been seen in Britain.

1710: The Copyright Act came into effect, allowing authors to hold exclusive rights to their work for up to 50 years after death.

1820: The first British settlers arrived at Algoa Bay in the eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

1829: William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was born in Nottingham.

1849: The safety pin was patented by Walter Hunt of New York - he made it in only three hours and later sold the rights for $400 to pay debts.

1868: Actor George Arliss was born. He was the first British star to win an Oscar - in 1929 for his role as Disraeli.

1917: Canadian troops captured Vimy Ridge.

1924: The first book of crosswords was published in New York.

1955: Ruth Ellis shot dead David Blakely outside a pub in north London - an act for which she was subsequently hanged.

1970: Paul McCartney announced that he was leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.

1971: In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, the People’s Republic of China hosted the US table tennis team for a week-long visit.

1998: The Northern Ireland peace deal was reached, called the Good Friday Agreement.

2017: A new £16.25 million rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach would be named Icon.

BIRTHDAYS

Max von Sydow, actor, 89; Gloria Hunniford, TV and radio presenter, 78; Paul Theroux, author, 77; Steven Seagal, actor and director 66; Lesley Garrett, soprano, 63; Nicky Campbell, TV presenter, 57; Mandy Moore, singer/actress, 34; Haley Joel Osment, actor, 30.