On this day in history

[Brian S]

Good man,
1 Dec 1942
The Beveridge Report, written by Sir William Beveridge, proposed a welfare state for Britain, offering care to all from the cradle to the grave. It revolved around a compulsory National Insurance scheme to provide all adults with free medical treatment, unemployment benefit and old age pensions.

 

[Brian S]

And what was I driving, not a Landcruiser that's for sure

1 Dec 2010
Large parts of the UK were brought to a standstill by the early freeze. Temperatures plunged again overnight to -16C (3F) in the Scottish Highland after one of the coldest starts to December in more than 20 years. Some 4,000 schools were closed, the Forth Road Bridge was closed for the first time since it opened in 1964 and Edinburgh and Gatwick airports were shut. The Met Office issued heavy snow warnings for Scotland and north-east, eastern and south-east England.

 

[Chas]

The start of the NHS
1942 UK - - Care from the cradle to the grave The British Coalition Government accepts The Beveridge report which propose a series of changes designed to provide plans for a welfare state offering care to all from the cradle to the grave.


1955 - United States - - Rosa Parks Rosa Parks sets off a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama when she refuses to give up her seat in the "colored" section of a bus to make room for a white passenger. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., the boycott lasted for over a year and resulted in the desegregation of the buses. This is often thought of as the event that started the Civil Rights Movement nationwide.

1990 - Britain / France - - Tunnel links UK to Europe Construction workers drill through the final wall of rock to join the two halves of the Channel Tunnel and link Britain to France.

 

[Brian S]

3 Dec 1984
Hundreds die in Bhopal chemical accident

Hundreds of people have died from the effects of toxic gases which leaked from a chemical factory near the central Indian city of Bhopal.

The accident happened in the early hours of this morning at the American-owned Union Carbide Pesticide Plant three miles (4.8 km) from Bhopal.

Mr Y P Gokhale, managing director of Union Carbide in India, said that methyl isocyanate gas (MIC) had escaped when a valve in the plant's underground storage tank broke under pressure.

 

[Brian S]

3 Dec 1988
Egg industry fury over salmonella claim
Health minister Edwina Currie has provoked outrage by saying most of Britain's egg production is infected with the salmonella bacteria.
Mrs Currie, MP for south Derbyshire, made her remarks during a television interview.
She has angered farmers, politicians and egg producers, some of whom have been calling for her resignation and are threatening to sue.
"Most of the egg production in this country, sadly, is now affected with salmonella," she told reporters.
Ministry of Agriculture ministers are reported to be extremely "angry" at her comments.
A spokesman said more than 30 million eggs were consumed every day last year.
'Highly irresponsible'
This is compared to 26 outbreaks of salmonella reported during that time.
Mrs Currie's officials in the Department of Health have been unable to provide evidence that most chickens are infected with salmonella.
Her comments have incensed the farming industry and egg producers who are expecting a sharp fall in egg consumption as a result.
The British Egg Industry Council said it was seeking legal advice on whether it could sue Mrs Currie over "factually incorrect and highly irresponsible" remarks.
A spokesman said the risk of an egg being infected with salmonella was less than 200 million to one.
The National Farmers' Union said it might seek legal damages.
Legal action
Mrs Currie has been unavailable for comment since her remarks were made.
She has represented her constituency since 1983 and was made junior health minister in 1986.
During her short time at the Department of Health, Mrs Currie has courted controversy with her outspoken opinions.
She upset northerners when she claimed they were dying of "ignorance and chips".
And she was branded patronising and callous for advising the elderly to broach the winter months with a pair of long-johns.
One of her most controversial remarks was on the subject of Aids.
She said: "Good Christian people who would not dream of misbehaving will not catch Aids."

 

[Brian S]

Greasy Chips arrive on our shores , I thought it was Raleigh that brought them back here?

3 Dec 1586
Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England from Colombia

 

[Brian S]

3 Dec 1967
1st human heart transplant performed by Dr Christian Barnard in South Africa

 

[Brian S]

3 Dec 1976

An assassination attempt is made on Bob Marley. He is shot twice, but will play a concert only two days later.

 

[Brian S]

Now we know who to blame for people walking along with their heads down, texting everybody

3 Dec 1992
A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.

 

[Chas]

3rd December 1989 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush, declare the Cold War over

3rd December 1927 Putting Pants on Philip, the first Laurel and Hardy film, is released.

3rd December 1894 Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist (Treasure Island), dies at 45

 

[Brian S]

3 Dec 1948
The birth of John Michael 'Ozzy' Osbourne, English heavy metal vocalist and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. He rose to prominence as lead singer of the band Black Sabbath and became known as the 'Prince of Darkness'.

 

[Brian S]

Any Sparks on here, @Chas was it you

3 Dec 1961
The whole of south East England was plunged into darkness for two hours, due to an error by an electrician.

 

[Brian S]

"They didn't like it up em Mr Maiwaring"

3 Dec 1944
Britain 'stood down' the Home Guard - formed in 1939 to defend Britain from invasion by Germany. They were officially disbanded in December 1945.

 

[Chas]

Any Sparks on here, @Chas was it you

3 Dec 1961
The whole of south East England was plunged into darkness for two hours, due to an error by an electrician.

Not guilty M'lud

 

[Brian S]

4 Dec 1971
Montreux Casino burns down, started by a flare pistol at a Frank Zappa concert, as sung about by Deep Purple in the song Smoke on the Water

 

[Brian S]

4 Dec 1981
Led Zeppelin officially disbands following the death of Jon Bonham on September 25

 

[Brian S]

We get everywhere

4 Dec 1154
The only Englishman to become a pope, Nicholas Breakspear, became Adrian IV.

 

[Brian S]

We must still be fighting the Frogs

4 Dec 1798
British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger announced the introduction of Income Tax to help finance the war against France.

 

[Brian S]

I liked the Beano (as well)

4 Dec 1937
The first issue of the Dandy comic. With a fan club of over 350,000, Desperate Dan proved a durable character. A copy of this first edition is worth between £850 and £1,000. The closure, on 4th December 2012, coincided with its 75th anniversary and the final print edition included a pullout reprint of the very first edition of the comic.

 

[Brian S]

There’s one or two politicians who’s parents should of used this

4 Dec
1961 Birth control pills became available on the NHS.