It happened today in British history – 13th July 1955: Last woman to be hanged – 28-year-old Ruth Ellis became the last woman to be hanged on this day in 1955, when she met her end in Holloway Prison. She was sentenced to death for shooting her boyfriend David Blakely four times outside the Magdala pub in London. A crowd of 500 chanted slogans and songs outside the prison gates, and the governor had to call in police reinforcements. Depsite widespread appeals for clemency, the Home Secretary Major Lloyd George declined to intervene. The death penalty was finally suspended in 1965, and removed from the statute books in 1970. 1984: Maxwell bought the Mirror Group – The controversial media mogul, Robert Maxwell, bought the Mirror Group of newspapers on this day in 1984. 1985: Live Aid – Wembley Stadium hosted the Live Aid concert on this day in 1985. A crowd of 72,000 watched acts like Wham, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Status Quo and Queen, in a global event organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. It was beamed to 1.5 billion people in 160 countries, and helped to raise an estimated £30 million for famine relief in Africa. Today’s anniversaries – 13th July Ruth Ellis – murderer, last woman to be hanged in Britain 1955
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 08:34:50 +0000
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