1951 – Zebra crossings came into use for the first time in Britain.

1955 – Princess Margaret called off her plans to marry divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend.

1956 – Britain and France bombed Egypt in retaliation for the barring of their ships from the Suez Canal.

1964 – The Windmill Theatre off London’s Piccadilly Circus finally closed after 32 years. Their slogan ‘We Never Closed’ was a tribute to them staying open to troops during the war.

1971 – A terrorist bomb exploded at the top of the Post Office Tower in London. The building has been closed to the public ever since.

1973 – Three Provisional IRA members escaped from Mountjoy Prison, Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that briefly landed in the prison’s exercise yard. As the helicopter took off, one officer, in the confusion shouted ‘Close the gates, close the ******* gates.’ The escape resulted in all IRA prisoners held at Mountjoy Prison being transferred to the maximum security Portlaoise Prison.

1982 – The Thames barrier, part of London’s flood defences, was raised for the first time.

1988 – Coventry became Britain’s first city to introduce a by-law banning the drinking of alcohol in public places. Coventry was made famous much earlier by Lady Godiva who, in July 1040, clothed only in her long hair, rode through the city after her husband agreed to repeal the taxes if she would strip naked and ride through the streets.

1997 – A 19 year old British au pair Louise Woodward, was found guilty by a court in America of murdering 8 month old Matthew Eappen.

2003 – A shark bit off an arm of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton in Hawaiian waters.

2008 – Officials asked for the Welsh translation of a bilingual road sign which in English read – “No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only.” When the automatic e-mail came back from Swansea council it read “Nid wyf yn y swyddfa ar hyn o bryd. Anfonwch unrhyw waith i’w gyfieithu” and this was duly printed on the road sign. Only later was it discovered that the Welsh part of the sign said “I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated.”

2013 – TV cameras were allowed to record proceedings at the Court of Appeal in England and Wales for the first time. Senior judges and major broadcasters welcomed the move, which the head of BBC News said was a “landmark moment”.

2019 – Brexit did not happen… again! The first extension of Article 50 was agreed on 21st March and provided for an extension until 22nd May if the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement had been approved by the House of Commons by the original Brexit date of 29th March.