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October 15th 1888: ‘From Hell’ letter received
On this day in 1888, the infamous ‘From Hell’ letter was sent allegedly by serial killer ‘Jack the Ripper’. The letter was sent to George Lusk, the head of Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. The letter told how the killer had supposedly taken a kidney from one of his victims, eaten one half, and another half was sent with the letter. Of all the letters sent claiming to be the murderer, this one is most often considered legitimate, as it did not use the pseudonym ‘Jack the Ripper’ and the most recent victim had had her kidney removed.
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September 2nd 1666: Great Fire of London begins
On this day in 1666 the Great Fire of London broke out in Thomas Farynor’s bakery in Pudding Lane, near London Bridge. Strong winds created a firestorm which burned for 3 days and destroyed thousands of buildings, leaving almost 100,000 without homes. St. Paul’s Cathedral also fell to the flames. There were only 6 recorded deaths, however there may have been more which were not recorded.
“…it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses, and all on fire and flaming at once; and a horrid noise the flames made, and the cracking of houses at their ruins.”
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August 15th 1969: Woodstock opens
On this day in 1969, the Woodstock Festival opened on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. The event consisted of “three days of peace and music”. 32 acts performed to the 500,000 strong crowd, including appearances by Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, the Who and Jimi Hendrix. The festival was a major feature of the hippie movement of the 1960s and a pivotal moment in the history of rock and roll.
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June 4th 1913: Suffragette dies at Epsom Derby
On this day in 1913, suffragette Emily Wilding Davison ran out in front of King George V’s horse Anmer at the Epsom Derby. She was trampled by the horse and died a few days later. Davison had spent years violently campaigning for women’s rights and female suffrage, being subjected to force feeding whilst on a hunger strike in prison. At the Derby, she appears to have been attempting to attach a suffragette flag to the King’s horse. Some believed she had been aiming to commit suicide and become a martyr, but the fact she had purchased a return rail ticket that day could suggest otherwise. Her motivations are still unclear today. However, her injuries from the incident led to her death on 8th June. Herbert Jones, the jockey on the horse was “haunted by that woman’s face” for many years and committed suicide in 1951.“Deeds not words”
- Suffragette slogan on her gravestoneMa nyolcvankilenc éve vetette magát egy ló elé Emily Wilding Davison az epsomi derbyn. Természetesen épp V. György király lova elé, az taposta halálra.
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May 27th 1941: Bismarck sunk
On this day in 1941 during World War Two, the German battleship Bismarck was sunk in the North Atlantic. Of the 2,200-man crew, only 200 survived. The ship was named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the driving force behind German unification in 1871. Despite suffering heavy damage in the previous days, the cause of the ship’s sinking is disputed; some claim it was due to British torpedoes, others claim the crew deliberately sunk it. The wreck of the Bismarck was discovered in 1989 by Robert Ballard who, just four years earlier, had discovered the wreck of the Titanic. -
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April 18th 1930: Nothing happened
On this day in 1930 BBC Radio announced in a 6.30pm news bulletin that there was no news for that day and instead played piano music for the duration of the programme.
“Good evening. Today is Good Friday. There is no news.”
- BBC presenter
