SWINDON

1951: A copy of Universal Magazine for June of 1763 was unearthed during demolition work at the Cricklade home of Mr WH Haskins. We said: “Side by side with reports of domestic issues, such as a West Country agitation against a new duty imposed on cider and perry, are snippets about a method of destroying caterpillars in France and about a remarkable boy in a in a village near Prague who at the age of three began to grow a beard and was so tall and strong that he threshed corn in the barn.

1951:Mr William R Warne of Lowbourne in Melksham announced that he would shortly leave Swindon Town Council to join the staff of Mr Ward Whitfield, chartered surveyor and civil engineer, of Hilperton, Trowbridge. The change followed his recent success in the final examination of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

1961: Books which had accompanied their owners to locations as diverse as Cannes and Clacton were due to be returned to Swindon Central Library over the next few days. The library’s annual fines amnesty for Trip Fortnight, when workers took summer holiday leave en masse, had come to an end.

1961: There was to be no more music at work for the staff of a Regent Street fish shop because somebody had stolen their portable radio. Such devices were expensive in 1961. The staff initially waited to see whether it would be returned but finally called the police.

1971: The police were investigating three fires at an empty shop in Wood Street, Old Town. Firemen found all three blazing simultaneously after a patrolling police officer saw the flames. A force spokesman said: “It could have been a serious business if they had managed to take hold. Now we are trying to establish a cause.” Planning permission to develop a restaurant with licensed bars on the site had recently been given by Swindon Corporation but the plans were later dropped.

1971: We revealed that housewives in Cricklade had changed the name of their social organisation to give it a more up-to-date image. Previously known as the Housewives’ Register, it was to become the After Eight Club because meetings generally took place after 8pm.

THE WORLD

64 AD: The Great Fire of Rome took place during the reign of Nero. He played the lyre and was 50 miles away at his villa in Antium when he heard the news.

1817: Author Jane Austen died at the age of 41. Doctors were unable to diagnose her illness (she had written that her skin had gone ‘’black and blue and every wrong colour’’), but medical authorities now believe she died from Addison’s Disease.

1848: WG Grace, famous English cricketer, was born in Downend, near Bristol. In his 37-year playing career, he hit nearly 51,000 runs and took more than 2,800 wickets.

1870: The Dogma of Papal Infallibility in matters of faith and morals was proclaimed by the Vatican Council.

1872: The Ballot Act, which laid the foundations of our current voting system, was passed.

1919: The Cenotaph in London’s Whitehall was unveiled. The First World War memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and would later do double duty for the Second World War.

1925: Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which Adolf Hitler wrote while in jail, was published.

1934: The Mersey Tunnel was formally opened.

1936: The Spanish Civil War began when the army, led by General Franco, revolted against the Republican government. It lasted three years.

1969: Senator Edward Kennedy crashed his car into the Chappaquiddick River near Martha’s Vineyard on America’s east coast. Kennedy escaped, but his companion Mary Jo Kopechne drowned. He didn’t report the incident for 10 hours and was subsequently found guilty of leaving the scene of the accident and given a two-month suspended sentence.

BIRTHDAYS James Brolin, actor, 77; Martha Reeves, soul singer, 76; James Faulkner, actor, 69; Dennis Lillee, former cricketer, 68; Richard Branson, entrepreneur, 67; Nick Faldo, golfer, 60; Vin Diesel, actor, 50; M.I.A, musician, 44; Chace Crawford, actor, 32.