British History – Page 24

On this day in history….29th November 1963

On this day in history : 29th November 1963 – The Beatles release ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ – which goes on to reach No.1 in the charts….knocking another of their own singles from the top position….

United Press International (UPI Telephoto) – Public domain

By knocking ‘She Loves You’ from the top spot, this gave the Beatles reign of the charts with both the No.1 and No.2 positions…. Very few acts have managed to do this…. The Beatles did it again in December 1967 when ‘Hello, Goodbye’ reached top with ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ at No.2….

The Beatles arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964 – United Press International, photographer unknown – Public domain

In 1978, following the huge success of the film ‘Grease’, two songs from the soundtrack album achieved it…. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John made No.1 with ‘Summer Nights’ with a solo John Travolta taking the No.2 position with ‘Sandy’….

John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ shot to No.1 after his death in December 1980 and was joined by ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’ at No.2…. Three weeks later ‘Imagine’ still held top position and ‘Woman’ rose to No.2….

Others have followed since…. Frankie Goes to Hollywood with ‘Two Tribes’ and ‘Relax’ and Madonna with ‘Into The Groove’ and her re-released debut single ‘Holiday’…. In January 2016 Justin Bieber went one better by holding the top 3 positions….but a year later this was equalled by Ed Sheehan with ‘Shape of You’, ‘Castle on the Hill’ and ‘Galway Girl’….

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On this day in history….28th November 1582

On this day in history : 28th November 1582 – William Shakespeare, at the age of 18, marries Anne Hathaway, aged 26…. Six months later Anne gives birth to their first child – a daughter whom they name Susanna….

The Chandos Portrait – National Portrait Gallery, London – John Taylor – Public domain

Shakespeare was still a minor in the eyes of the law – so he would have had to seek the permission of Anne’s father to marry…. An early marriage meant he would have been unable to legally complete an apprenticeship….

To avoid scandal over Anne’s pregnancy Shakespeare applied to the Bishop’s Court, in Worcester, for a special marriage licence….allowing them to marry outside of the parish of normal residency (in this case Stratford-upon-Avon)….

In 1585 Anne gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Hamnet and Judith…. (Hamnet died later, at the age of 11)…. Some time after the birth of his children Shakespeare went to London to become an actor…. By 1592 he was well established in London’s theatrical world, both as an actor and playwright….

Anne and Shakespeare remained married until his death in April 1616….

A 19th-Century German engraving depicting Shakespeare surrounded by his family – Unknown engraver – Public domain

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On this day in history….27th November 1703

On this day in history : 27th November 1703 – The Great Storm of 1703 wreaks havoc across Southern Britain…. Hurricane strength winds and flooding kill between 10,000 and 30,000 people – hundreds of ships are lost….

Unusual weather had begun a couple of weeks before with strong winds from the Atlantic battering Wales and the South of England…. But the really serious damage began to occur on the 26th of November, with winds reaching over 80mph….

Coastal towns such as Bristol, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cowes were devastated…. The Eddystone lighthouse, off of Plymouth, was felled and all those inside killed…. 300 Royal Navy ships anchored off the South Coast were lost, with 8,000 crew on board them…. 1,000 seamen died on the Goodwin Sands alone….

Destruction of the first Eddystone lighthouse in the Great Storm – Robert Chambers – Public domain

5,000 homes along the River Thames were destroyed as huge waves were sent up the river…. 2,000 chimney stacks were lost in London – the lead roofing blown from Westminster Abbey…. 400 windmills were destroyed when wind blew their sails so fast that their wooden gears burst into flames…. 4,000 oak trees were lost in the New Forest…. Hundreds drowned in floods on the Somerset Levels – a ship was found 15 miles inland….

The storm of 1703 inspired Daniel Defoe’s first published book ‘The Storm’ – as he had witnessed it….describing it as an “Army of Terror in its furious march”….

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On this day in history….26th November 1805

On this day in history : 26th November 1805 – The official opening of Thomas Telford’s Pontcysyllte Aqueduct – carrying the Llangollen Canal over the valley of the River Dee at the Welsh/English border….

The 18 arched stone and cast iron structure, designed to take narrow boats, is the highest aqueduct in the World, standing at 38m above the water…. At 307m long it is the longest aqueduct in Britain; it is Grade 1 listed and a World Heritage Site….

1823 engraving – Finden, Edward Francis – Artist : Robert Batty – Public domain

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On this day in history….25th November 1952

On this day in history : 25th November 1952 – Agatha Christie’s murder mystery play ‘The Mousetrap’ opens at the Ambassadors Theatre, London….

With its original cast, including Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim, it is to become the longest continuously-running play in history…. Agatha Christie herself thought it would only run for about 8 months….

A radio play entitled ‘Three Blind Mice’ was broadcast on the 30th of May 1947 – from this came a short story – on which The Mousetrap was based…. Agatha Christie asked that the story not be published until after the play had finished its West End run…. To this day the story has still not been published in the UK – (although it has been in the United States)….

Agatha was always very particular in trying to ensure her plots were not revealed…. In true tradition at the end of each plot twisting performance of The Mousetrap the audience is asked not to reveal the identity of the murderer outside of the theatre – so as not to spoil it for future audiences….