1952 - Tea rationing to end. News of the end of tea rationing means Britons will soon be able to enjoy unlimited "cuppas" for the first time in 12 years. During a speech in Newcastle the Minister of Food, Major Gwilym Lloyd-George, said rationing and price controls on tea would be lifted the following Sunday.

1995 - British rock band Oasis released their second album, “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” The album sold a record 347,000 copies in its first week.

1990 - A large explosion above the Pacific Ocean turned out to be a meteorite. It was originally thought to be a nuclear event; however, analysis concluded that the exploding object had been a stony, 100-ton asteroid.

1840 - The foundation stone for Nelson’s Column (laid by Charles Davidson Scott) was laid in Trafalgar Square and completed in 1843.

2007 - Calder Hall, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, was demolished in a controlled explosion. When it closed on 31st March 2003, the first reactor had been in use for nearly 47 years.

1928 - Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered what later became known as penicillin when he found that a mould had developed on an accidentally contaminated staphylococcus culture plate. His ‘bacteria killer’ discovery changed the world of modern medicine and has saved millions of people around the world.

1825 - The world’s first public railway service began with the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Built by George Stephenson, the track was 27 miles long, and the steam locomotive pulled 32 passenger wagons at ten miles per hour.

1997 - Two earthquakes strike the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi to collapse and damaging priceless artefacts.

1977 - Independent airline owner Freddie Laker took on the main commercial airlines with his first ‘Skytrain’ service between London and New York... Look how comefy those seats look!