Today in History - 26th August 55BC - Julius Caesar crossed the English Channel for his invasion of Britain. 1346 - The English, led by Edward III and his son Edward the Black Prince, won the Battle of Crécy against Philip VI of France. It was at this battle that the English first used the gesture of holding up two fingers as an insult, as this was how they held their new, and far superior weapon, the longbow. 1676 - Sir Robert Walpole was born. He was a Whig politician who became the first Prime Minister. He was also the first Lord of the Treasury and the first Chancellor of the Exchequer. 1819 - Prince Albert, (Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) and consort to Queen Victoria, was born in Bavaria. He persuaded Victoria towards more progressive views in some areas, took a keen interest in the arts, and organized the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the Crystal Palace. 1936 - Over 7,000 people queued to see the first high definition television pictures on sets at the Olympia Radio Show, west London. The pictures were transmitted by the BBC from Alexandra Palace, introduced by Leslie Mitchell, their first announcer. 1942 - World War II: The beginning of the Holocaust in western Ukraine. At 2.30 am the German security police evicted Jews from their houses, divided them into groups of 120, packed them in freight cars and deported 2000 to Belzec death camp. 500 of the sick, along with children, were murdered on the spot. 1959 - British car manufacturers Austin and Morris launched a small family car - the Mini. 1959 - The Radio Show opened at Earls Court in London, with the appearance of some of the first transistor radios. 1967 - The birth of Michael Gove, former Secretary of State for Education and Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also an author and former Times journalist who remains on friendly terms with proprietor Rupert Murdoch. 1981 - Steve Ovett recaptured the mile-run record which had been taken from him just a week earlier by Sebastian Coe. Ovetts new world record time was 3:48.40. 1994 - A man was given the worlds first battery-operated heart in a pioneering operation in Britain. 2001 - It was announced that thousands of patients facing long delays in British hospitals could have the chance to be treated abroad in a Government bid to reduce waiting lists. 2011 - The death of John McAleese, British Army soldier and leader of the SAS team that assaulted the Iranian Embassy in London in May 1980 to end the Iranian Embassy siege.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 07:19:07 +0000
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