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On this day, May 6th 1840, the 'Penny Black' postage stamp went into service. It was the first postal stamp service, for pre-paid mail. The self-adhesive stamp, carrying a portrait of Queen Victoria, would enable postage of a letter anywhere in the country for the cost of the stamp - simplifying the pricing of postage across Victorian Britain. May 6th, is also the birthday of former UK Prime MInister Tony Blair, born 1953. Tony Blair became the youngest Prime Minister sibnce 1812, as his rebranded Labour Party, New Labour, swept to a landslide victory in the General Election - ending eighteen years of Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. His victory came after having moved the Labour Party to the right, into the cehtre ground of British Politics, removing Labour's constitutional commitment to nationalistion, 'Clause iV', and embracing the Middle Class and business, and Conservative spending plans for the first term. Blair won two more elections in 2001, and 2005, before resigning from office in 2007, to be replaced as Labour Party leader and Prime Minister, by his Chancellor, Gordon Brown. From 1997 to 2006 Blair didn't suffer a defeat in the House of Commons, with a range of significant achievements were racked up, Devolution of Scotland and Wales, creating the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly; a London Assembly and Mayor; reform of the House of Lords, by removing most of the Hereditary Peers giving it greater legitimacy, the Human Rights Act, bringing the European Convention on Human Rights into UK Law, and the Supreme Court, giving the judiciary greater independence; signing the EU's Social Chapter, guaranteeing Workers' Rights into law. the Minimum Wage, Sure Start and Children's Centres, as well as the greatest expense ever on Education. However, it was in the field of Foreign Policy that Blair became increasingly controversial and divided his party and the country. There were notable Human Rights successes with military interventions in Sierra Leone and Kosovo, and the UK came to the aid of a stricken USA by joining the invasion of Afghanistan to remove AlQaeda and the Taliban after the 9/11 terror strikes on New York's twin towers and the Pentagon on Washington D.C.. The protracted involvement in Afghanistan, and mounting military deaths for little gain drew criticism. Whilst, during this time Blair drew closer to the US Administration of G.W.Bush, and supported Bush's invasion of Iraq, with a claim to rid it of Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programme. The intelligence for which mislead Parliament, and Blair gained approval for the UK's involvement from the Commons with the support of Conservative MPs, with many in his own party rebelling, as his formerr Foreign Secretary, then Leader of the House Robin Cook resigned. Again the protracted nayure of this conflict and doubts about its premise led to increasing distruct of Blair amongst the Public. May 6th, is also the date of a great sporting occasion, as in 1954 Roger Bannister became the first athlete to break the four minute mile.
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On this day, April 26th 1918, Olympic athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen was born in the Netherlands.
Fanny became the first female athlete to win 4 Olympic Gold medals in a single Olympic Games at the 1948 Olympics in London - being the most successful athlete at the event. Gold - 100m Gold - 200m Gold - 80m Hurdles Gold - 4 X 100m relay Twice she almost failed to start, prior to the 200m final she broke down, homesickness, pressure of competing, and attacks that as a woman and mother that she shouldn't be competing. Whilst, before the relay she had gone to buy a raincoat, only just making the start. At the time she was 30 years old, mother of two, and it was revealed after the event she was also pregnant. She had also participated in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Although, Fanny specialised in track events at the Olympics due to restrictions as to how many events she could enter, she also particpated in the long jump and high jump, setting world records in these as well! The media nicknamed her 'The Flying Housewife', 'The Flying Dutchmam' and 'Amazing Fanny'. In 1999 the IAAF voted her the 'Female Athlete of the Century'. On This Day the Greatest Cricket Batsman ever was born... ...Happy Birthday, Sachin Tendulkar!4/24/2020 On this day, April 24th 1973, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was born.
Tendulkar played as a batsman for India, participating in the side that won the World Cup in 2011, He is the only player to have scored 100 centuries in Internaatsman tional cricket, and has the greatest tally or runs in International cricket of all time. He is arguably the greatest batsman of all time, a view that is debated in comparison to the great Australian batsman, Don Bradman, for Test Cricket and Viv Richards the West Indian batsman in One Day Internationals. In 2013 Wisden's Cricketer Almanack, 250th edition, picked him as the only Indian in its World Test XI. Tendulkar was nicknamed the 'Master Blaster'. A 6 year-old Italian boy will see an Italian football team wear is football kit design next season!
Serie B team Pescara Calcio chose Luigi D'Agostino's rainbow and dolphin tossing a football themed design, from the designs sent in by young fans in a competition aimed at easing the boredom during the Covid-19 lockdown in Italy. The design is indpired by the club's mascot of a dolphin, and Itaian sportswear firm Errea will make the kit for next season. See Luigi's bright and positive design and the new Pescara Calcio kit via the BBC at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52368010 |
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