On this day

60 years ago today, 14 April 1950, Dan Dare made his first appearance in the Eagle comic.
Just seen the local lunch time news. There is an Dan Dare/Eagle comic exhibition on in Southport at present.

1755 - Dr Samuel Johnson's dictionary was first published. It contained explanations and meanings for 40,000 different words and had taken him almost 9 years to compile.

1912 - The British built Titanic luxury ocean liner that had collided earlier with an iceberg about 400 miles from Newfoundland sank at 2:20 a.m. More than 1,500 people drowned or froze to death in the icy waters. Most of the 700 survivors were women and children.

1802-William Wordsworth and sister Dorothy see the daffodils that inspire the poem,I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.

Birthdays.

Emma Thompson-51
Samantha Fox-44
Emma Watson-20

1705 - Queen Anne knighted the scientist Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge.

1746 - Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) was defeated at the Battle of Culloden Moor by an English Army under the the command of William, Duke of Cumberland. The bloody battle earned the Duke the name ‘Butcher Cumberland’. The Young Pretender Charles Stuart escaped and was later helped by Flora Macdonald to flee the country.

1953 - Queen Elizabeth II launched the Royal Yacht Britannia at Clydeside. It was used by the British Royal Family for state visits and diplomatic missions for the next 45 years.

1964 - Twelve members of the Great Train Robbery gang were sentenced, to a total of 307 years.

Some notable Birthdays

1867 Wilbur Wright, one of the Wright Brothers was born.

1889 (Sir) Charles Chaplin was born

1918 Spike Milligan was born

1921 (Sir)Peter Ustinov was born

1492 - Christopher Columbus received a commission from Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.

1860 - The first world title boxing match took place near Farnborough, Hampshire, when Briton Tom Sayers took on American John Heenan. Despite being 46 lb lighter, Sayers forced a draw after 42 rounds of bare-knuckle fighting.

1961 - About 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.

1964 - The Ford Motor Co. unveiled the Mustang.

Other events of today.

1875 - "Snooker" (variation of pool) invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain

1920 - American Professional Football Association forms (NFL)

1956 - Premium Savings Bonds introduced in Great Britain

1970 - Paul McCartney's 1st solo album "McCartney" is released

Birthdays.

Victoria Beckham-36
Jennifer Garner-38
Nikita Khrushcheu-116

Black Knight-41

1775 - At the start of the War of American Independence, US patriot Paul Revere rode from Charleston to Lexington, warning people that British troops were advancing.

1906 - A major earthquake struck San Francisco and set off raging fires. More than 3,000 people died.

1968 - London Bridge was sold for £1m to American oil tycoon Robert McCullough. He decided to knock it down, brick by brick, and have it re-built at Lake Havasu in the United States.