Around Swindon

1947: More than 150 hens and pullets valued at about £200 were stolen from two chicken farms at Lambourn and Baydon.

1951: The festive rush hour in Swindon was quieter than expected after most people made it five-day Christmas. Families headed off to their destinations on Friday or Saturday, meaning Christmas Eve on the roads was less congested than ususal.

1967: A last minute shopping rush makes it a record Christmas for traders in Swindon.At Marks and Spencer, Regent Street food sales soared while the manager of BHS said sales in general, even of toys, which usually fall toward the end of the Christmas period, was very high.

2002: Swindon business Bill Gibb was convinced he could get Anne Robinson to hand over some cash for the Arts Centre refurbishment. Bill, who appeared on the Weakest Link, said he thought the acid-tongued presenter would sponsor a seat.

2003: Swindon was chosen as the guinea pig town for a new type of electoral voting. The cutting edge, touch screen technology was shipped over from the states to be used in two by-elections. It was the first time it had been used in this country.

2004: We announced that our Macmillan cancer appeal had reached the £500,000 mark.The money was all raised by Adver readers. We have since banked a cool million to reach our campaign target.

2005: The town's two homeless shelters warned there was no room left at the inn.

Both venues were full to capacity, which mean up to 25 people would be sleeping on the streets over Christmas

2006: Martial Arts maestro Lee Childs gave motorists travelling along the A419 an eyeful as he washed cars during Christmas weekend. Lee was only wearing a thong, bow tie and Santa hat as he washed cars for charity at the side of dual carriageway in Blunsdon.

2008: Former Army officer Captain Pete Norton, who lost an arm and leg in Iraq, was featured in the in the Queen’s Christmas Day message.

2010: Firefighters rescued one person and eight cats from a severe house fire in Cricklade.

 

Around the world

1066: William the Conqueror was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey

1777: Captain Cook discovered Christmas Island

1800: Britain's first recorded Christmas tree was put up by Queen Charlotte, at Queen's Lodge in Windsor

1914: British and German troops fighting in the trenches of the First World War observed an unofficial truce. They played football together on the Western Front's No Man's Land

1932: King George V made the first royal Christmas broadcast to the Empire on the radio

1950: The Coronation Stone - taken from Scone in Scotland by Edward I in was stolen from Westminster Abbey by Scottish Nationalists 1968: Apollo 8 astronauts saw the dark side of the moon 

1991: Unable to maintain control of a disintegrating Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation

1999: Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem were a damp squib after only 10,000 of the 60,000 visitors expected showed up 2000: The Queen's speech was simulcast on the web for the first time

2003: The Beagle 2 spacecraft was due to land on Mars and play a tune composed by Blur. No signal was received and the craft was never found

2007: The Queen's Annual Christmas Address to the nation and the Commonwealth was made available on YouTube.

2009: The 19th century St Mel's Cathedral of Longford, in Ireland, was destroyed by an ongoing fire in the town.