SWINDON...

1947: A temporary music and dancing licence granted by Swindon Borough Magistrates covered the Light Anti Aircraft (TA) dance which was due to be held at the Drill Hall in Prospect Place, Swindon. Dancing was to the RA Dance Band from Salisbury Plain.

1955: Hundreds of families from Wroughton and the surrounding villages attended the Wroughton Silver Band fete held in the garden of Charles Wilkins’ farm. In the centre of the garden, men from the Royal Army Pay Corp gave a PT demonstration. The fete was to make money to buy band uniforms. There were also stalls, a rifle range and Punch and Judy.

1975: A £100,000 order of equipment for American Express from Emerson Electronics, on Swindon’s Elgin Industrial Estate, was threatened by a strike by 70 workers wanting pay parity with engineers. The contract was for one of the largest and most sophisticated uninterrupted power supply installations ever built in this country.

2013: Swindon Town announced the departure of Paul Bodin as under-18s manager with immediate effect. The Welshman gave 15 years’ service to the Robins – in both playing and coaching capacities – and featured in the Town side which reached the Premier League through the Division One play-offs in 1993.

 

THE WORLD...

1806: British forces take Buenos Aires during the first British invasions of the Río de la Plata.

1898: The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.

1985: US Route 66 is officially removed from the United States Highway System.

2007: Tony Blair resigns as British Prime Minister, a position he had held since 1997.

 

BORN...

1906: Catherine Cookson, English author (d. 1998)
1909: Billy Curtis, American film and television actor (d. 1988)
1924: Bob Appleyard, English cricketer
1930: Ross Perot, American businessman and politician
1938: Tommy Cannon, English comedian, actor and author
1951: Mary McAleese, Irish politician, eighth President of Ireland
1961: Meera Syal, English actress, singer and producer
1962: Michael Ball, English actor and singer
1966: J. J. Abrams, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1985: Nico Rosberg, German race car driver

 

DIED...

1839: Ranjit Singh, Pakistani emperor (b. 1780)
1944: Alf West, English footballer (b. 1881)
1960: Lottie Dod, English tennis player (b. 1871)
2001: Jack Lemmon, American actor and singer (b. 1925)