In this week: 3rd – 9th May

With Friday (8^th) of this week being the 75^th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe), I thought that I would concentrate on other stories that took place as opposed to WWII memories which will, I am certain, be covered in detail elsewhere.

3^rd May

Macon Bolling Allen

175 years ago: in 1845, the first black lawyer in the USA: Macon Bolling Allen became the first African American admitted to the bar. In 1848 he also became the first African American Justice of the Peace.

20 years ago: in 2000, the Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie) bombing trial opened. The 36-week trial was held at a specially convened Scottish Court on a disused U.S. Air Force base in the Netherlands. At the end of the trial in January 2001, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, while his co-defendant, Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, was found not guilty.

Birthdays

Frankie Valli - American singer and member of the Four Seasons, 86.

Sandi Toksvig – Danish/British comedian, TV and radio host, 62.

4^th May

Tito

40 years ago: in 1980, President/dictator of Yugoslavia (1953–80), Josip Broz Tito died 3 days short of his 88^th birthday.

20 years ago: in 2000, Ken Livingstone was elected as the first mayor of London.

Birthdays

Jay Aston – English singer, member of Bucks Fizz, 59.

Kate Garraway – English journalist and breakfast TV presenter, 53.

5^th May

40 years ago: in 1980, the British SAS stormed the Iranian embassy in London after a six‐day siege. The assault, named Operation Nimrod, lasted 17 minutes and involved approx 35 soldiers. The terrorists killed one hostage and seriously injured two others during the siege, while the SAS killed all but one of the terrorists.

Sir Michael Palin

Birthdays

Sir Michael Palin – English actor, writer and member of the Monty Python team, 77.

Adele – English singer-songwriter, 32.

6^th May

Valentino

125 years ago: in 1895, iconic Italian-born American silent film actor and sex symbol Rudolph Valentino was born. His films include The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle, and The Son of the Sheik. His death from peritonitis at the age of 31 led to mass hysteria among his female fans.

10 years ago: in 2010, the UK went to the polls in a General Election. A coalition government was formed (on 11th May) by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, with Conservative Party leader David Cameron as Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister.

Birthdays

Bob Seger – US singer-songwriter, guitarist, 75.

Tony Blair – former UK Prime Minister, 67.

7^th May

Brezhnev

60 years ago: in 1960, Leonid Brezhnev became Leader of the Soviet Union.

20 years ago: in 2000, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, American film actor (The Mark of Zorro, The Three Musketeers, The Thief of Bagdad), television producer, and highly decorated WWII naval officer died of heart failure at the grand age of 90.

Birthdays

Norman Whiteside - former Northern Ireland footballer, 55.

Eagle-Eye Cherry - Swedish singer-songwriter, 51

8^th May

4th Duke of Devonshire

300 years ago: in 1720, William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire and British Prime Minister was born. In office between 16^th November 1756 and 29^th June 1757, he remains the shortest-lived British Prime Minister.

50 years ago: in 1970, the Beatles released their 12th and final studio album, Let it Be.

Birthdays

Philip Bailey – US R&B singer – songwriter, percussionist, best known as a member of Earth, Wind and Fire, 69.

Roddy Doyle – Irish novelist and playwright, 62.

9^th May

Richard Adams

100 years ago: in 1920, British novelist Richard Adams was born. He was best known for Watership Down, Shardik, The Plague Dogs and The Girl in a Swing. He died in 2016 aged 96 from complications of a blood disorder.

60 years ago: in 1960, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first birth-control pill.

Birthdays

Glenda Jackson – English actress and politician, 84.

Billy Joel – US singer-songwriter, 71.