Swindon

1950: Mrs W G Kinsman, of Purton Stoke, won first prize in the open dog class at the Ladies Kennet Association Championships Dog Show in London. Miskin Marinella gained third prize in the open class of Welsh Terrier bitches.

1950: Dorothy Maskell, of the Duke of Edinburgh, Cricklade Road, Swindon, the daughter of former Swindon Town footballer Jack Johnson, was appointed secretary of the North Ward Women’s Branch of the Swindon Conservative Association.

1961: An inquiry was to be held to discover why, despite the strict precautions taken at the Atomic Energy Research establishment at Harwell, radio activity was able to be passed from one Swindon man to another without being detected for several weeks. Two employees were contaminated by radio active fission productions and checks were then made on the bus one of the men used daily.

1961: The first giant radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, and the second largest in the world, was being built under the direction of an ex-Swindon grammar school boy, Michael Jeffery, son of Mr H Jeffery the ironmonger, of Newport Street. Michael was the chief engineer of the project in New South Wales, Australia.

1971: Members of the Swindon Floral Society were practising in readiness for the arranging and decorating of the foyer of the Wyvern Theatre for the Queen’s visit to the town. The chairman, Mrs P Teale, announced that they had been chosen to arrange the floral decorations for the royal visit. at the society’s meeting where Mrs Bolt gave a demonstration entitled Christmas Decorations and Arrangements.

1971: Cpl Tony Ockwell, 29, a former Commonweal Grammar School pupil and member of the RAF Strike Command team, was chosen to fly out to Florida to take part in the 1971 Strategic Air Command Combat Competition. Crews from three RAF Vulcans were set to compete against American crews for the Fairchild Trophy.

The world

1734: American frontiersman Daniel Boone was born in Philadelphia.

1755: Marie Antoinette, Queen Consort of Louis XVI of France, was born in Vienna. Of the poor, she said: ‘’If they have no bread, let them eat cake.’’ 1899: The Siege of Ladysmith in Natal began, with the Boers encircling the town.

1903: The Daily Mirror was first published in Britain, devised as a daily paper for women.

1930: Ras Safari was crowned Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia.

1950: Irish writer George Bernard Shaw died, aged 94. His hobby was tree-pruning, which he was doing when he fell and fractured his thigh. He died shortly afterwards.

1954: The classic comedy series Hancock’s Half Hour began on BBC Radio.

1959: The first stretch of the M1 was opened.

1960: The Lady Chatterley trial ended with publisher Penguin cleared of obscenity.

1982: Channel 4 began transmitting.

2016: Theresa May condemned world football’s ruling body over the ‘’utterly outrageous’’ ban on international players wearing poppies.

BIRTHDAYS Bruce Welch, guitarist (The Shadows), 76; Stefanie Powers, actress, 75; kd Lang, singer, 56; David Schwimmer, actor, 51; Samantha Janus, actress/singer, 45; Marisol Nichols, actress, 44; Chris Walla, musician, 42.