this is the week that was

Share
+More
5 February:

1924: First radio broadcast of the Greenwich time signal pips.

1948: Residents of Scarborough are fooled by Mr Hezekiah Johnson into thinking they have heard the first cuckoo. "I wait until a crowd gathers at a bus-stop," Mr Johnson confessed, "then go into the park and do the cuckoo. I used to do the nightingale when I had my teeth in."

6 February:

1665: Queen Anne born.

1685: Charles II dies.

1952: George VI dies.

1961: Danny Blanchflower becomes the first to say "No" when Eamonn Andrews greets him with "This is your Life".

7 February:

1938: Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is given an "A" certificate in Britain because the censors consider the wicked witch to be too frightening for unattended children to see.

1989: Sardines fall in a rainstorn over Ipswich, Australia. They had been sucked from the sea in an up-draught.

8 February:

1924: First execution by gas chamber in the United States.

1939: The House of Lords passes the "Bastardy Bill", making blood tests compulsory in paternity suits.

9 February:

1893: An artist's model named Mona performs the first (amateur) strip- tease at the Four Arts Ball at the Moulin Rouge.

10 February:

1354: Start of a three-day street battle between students and townsfolk in Oxford which leaves several dead.

1905: The State of Wisconsin imposes a tax on bachelors over the age of 30.

11 February:

1765: Wig-makers petition George III for compensation as wigs go out of fashion.

1852: Britain's first ladies' public lavatory opens in Bedford Street, London.

1899: First fatal motorcycle accident in Britain.

React Now

Day In a Page

Read Next
 

Resident's view: Racial conflict has come to Woolwich for the first time

Emily Jupp
 

The long recession has one silver lining; EU leaders are finally tackling 'tax shopping' head on

Peter Popham
James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again