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On this day in history

on this day in 2005 Brazilian commuter Jean Charles de Menezes was killed by armed London police at Stockwell tube station. Despite being restrained, he was shot seven times in the head and once in the torso. No officers faced charges related to his death.Police initially lied about the events claiming that he had ran & jumped over the barriers when in fact he had paid for the journey with his Oyster card.
The wikipedia page lists the lies , misdirection and cover ups that followed .
 
On this day in 1839 British-led military forces captured the fortress of Ghazni in Afghanistan. The British East India Company had invaded the Emirate of Afghanistan in order to replace its ruler, Dost Muhammad, with a pro-British ruler, Shah Shuja.
British India at this time was a proprietary colony run by the East India Company , which had been granted the right to rule India by the British Crown. India was only one of several proprietary colonies in the British Empire around the world, where various corporations or individuals had been granted the right to rule by the Crown, with for instance Ruperts Land , which was a vast tract covering most of what is now Canada being ruled by the Hudson's Bay Company , but India was easily the most wealthy and profitable of all the proprietary colonies. By the 19th century, the East India Company ruled 90 million Indians and controlled 70m acres (243,000 square kilometres) of land under its own flag while issuing its own currency, making it into the most powerful corporation in the world. The East India Company had been granted monopolies on trade by the Crown, but it was not owned by the Crown, though the shares in the East India Company were owned by numerous MPs and aristocrats, creating a powerful Company lobby in Parliament while the Company regularly gave "gifts" to influential people in Britain.
 
On this day July 24th 1980 Peter Sellers 1925-1980, sadly left us 41years ago.
Much missed, highly regarded, his influence can still be felt today
 
On this day July 24th the BBC introduced TIM the speaking clock.
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TIM.jpg
introduced TIM the speaking clock.
 
On this day in 1985 Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was launched at a meeting at Conway Hall in London, UK. Its dedication to "physical and ideological opposition" to fascism would see it drive numerous far-right groups off the streets.
 
On this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London began at a bakery in Pudding Lane... and destroyed much of the old walled City of London over the next three days and nights!
The quick-thinking authorities at the Tower of London managed to save the fortress from the flames by demolishing surrounding buildings to create a firebreak. They had good reason to do so: at the time, the Tower was being used to store hundreds of tons of gunpowder!
Although not the first nor the last fire to strike the capital, it was certainly one of the most famous (and devastating!) disasters in London’s history!
 
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On this day Sept. 5, 1946: Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury) was born.

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in 1946 on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, were Parsi and practiced Zoroastrianism, the world’s oldest monotheistic religion.
I think one of my favourite songs of his was These Are The Days Of Our Lives. But it makes me sad to realise he was very ill then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB4K0scMysc

Also on this day Douglas Bader died showing off his flying ability, also he took off from Kenley airfield (but didn't crash there) that was the airfield I did my glider flying from.
 
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On this day in 1936 Buddy Holly was born, Today would have been Buddy's 85th birthday. It will forever be one of the greatest tragedies in music that the world was robbed of the greatest writer, performer and innovator at such a young age and with still so much to share. Today we can look back and see movies, musicals, a lifetime of countless other artists interpreting his songs, hologram tours, The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, the wonderful work of The Buddy Holly Center and The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation promoting his legacy and benefitting the new generation. Sadly what we don't have is decades more of his creativity, but we can at least give thanks for the music he did produce that has enriched all our lives ever since.
Rock On Buddy. Happy 85th Birthday and thank you for the music you made and inspired.
 
On this day . . . . I read somewhere they brought back two, dropped the other one in the Thames. Said to be still there.
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I think I read somewhere they brought back two dropped the other one in the Thames. Said to be...jpg
 
Mr John Dixon and Mr R Baker Engineers Mr John Dixon Contractor
Words and Titles you don't see much of these days spose back then people wanted their names up there and were not afraid of liability
Just need a Contractor to drain the Thames where the other Needle fell off the boat and that would be a feat of Engineering to overcome the flow of the river remove the mud silt bodies and whatever else is likely to be down there
And it would have to be filmed in black and white because it went in in black and white
Sandwiches from Sundays left overs some wellies flat cap pack of Woodbines fag in gob job done
 
On this day in 1890 Agatha Christie was born, so today would of been her 131st birthday, you don't have to be a detective to work that out
 

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On this day in 1971 the Old Grey Whistle Test aired for the first time on BBC2 with presenter Richard Williams at the helm and the iconic "Whispering" Bob Harris taking over a year later. Some fond memories of staying up late to watch this. :thumbup:

the OGWT
 
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I loved that programme, I used to know the chap who did the lighting for it I've still got somewhere the OGWT badge he gave me
 
You had the out and out weird and some Classic Rock Bands on that show about the only thing the beeb did not bugger unless someone knows different
 
Today is the 50th anniversary of Don McLean's seminal classic American Pie, and also Don's birthday.
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