14th November

Today in 1952 the first 'Top Ten' of what the young people called the Hit Parade was published in NME (Not Musically Exciting). Vera Lynn was No 1 with 'Homing Waltz'. Jo Stafford was at No 2 with 'You Belong to my Heart' and Nat King Cole was third with 'Somewhere Along the Way'. All too soon, it was all going to get much, much worse.

In other news ...
The worst bombing raid to hit Coventry was mounted tonight in 1940. The Cathedral was left a smoking shell, there were 554 deaths and 865 injured. 449 bombers dropped 503 tons of bombs. The phrase 'to coventrate' became part of the English language.

13th November

Mary Phelps Jacob did womankind a great service today in 1914 by patenting the 'backless brassiere', originally made out of two handkerchiefs and a piece of ribbon. The Germans used the far more expressive name Bustenhalter for the new gizmo which has caused generations of fumbling teenagers a great deal of trouble.

In other news ...
An institution met for the first time today in 1920 which holds the record for the most feeble decisions in History. It met in Geneva and was called the League of Nations.

12th November

John Bunyan, the Baptist preached, was gaoled today in 1660 for preaching without a licence. In fact he spent years in gaol from time to time, clashing with the Quakers and the Church of England. His son, Paul - a big lad - emigrated to the States and became a lumberjack where he clashed with Sequoias and Scots Pines.

In other news ...

King Cnut died today in 1035. He was a brilliant ruler, warrior, statesman, law giver and all-round good egg. Yet despite the rather excellent biography written by M J Trow,  Cnut: Emperor of the North people still spell his name Canute and trot out that stupid rubbish about the tide.

11th November

At eleven o'clock this morning in 1918 the War to End Wars ended. The conflict that everybody said would be over by Christmas 1914 had lasted four years and 97 days. The stats are terrifying - 9 million dead, 27 million wounded. The Allies' bill was £68.5 billion; the Central Powers £32.6 billion.

And the world would never be the same again.

In other news ...
I've never really understood Ned Kelly. He was an Australian outlaw hanged today in 1880 after a bank robbing career of just two years. He wore body armour - a breastplate and helmet made of iron. Perhaps he expected a role in The Man in the Iron Mask, then playing in the Melbourne Lyceum. Whatever the reason, the gear must have slowed him up a bit which probably enabled the Oz police to catch him in the first place.

10th November

The Berlin Wall was smashed through in two places today in 1989, an iconic moment which effectively marked the beginning of the end of the 'evil empire' of the Communist Soviet Union. Pieces of the Wall became the new true cross, relics which changed hands for large sums of money. There were so many pieces of the Wall on the market that there was clearly some confusion with the Wall of China. 'All in all,' as Pink Floyd once said, 'We're just another chink in the Wall.'

In other news ...
Dick Jenkins was born today in 1925. Who he? I hear you cry. Well, he was a fine Shakespearean actor and famous drunk who married Liz Taylor sixteen times or thereabouts. Does that give you a clue?

9th November

The Stealth bomber was unveiled today in 1988, a sneaky beast that can't be detected by radar, but can - as we now know - be shot down. I was idling my time during the First Gulf War in a London antique market and I heard a customer ask the stall owner if he had any bits of Stealth aircraft for sale. In those long-gone naive days we all assumed he was a hopeful collector rather than a terrorist. Of course, the stall holder said, 'No, sorry, I'm afraid you're asking for the impossible.' He looked at the customer, winked and said, 'Come back tomorrow and I'll see what I can do.' I've often wondered whose side he was on.

In other news ...

Charles de Gaulle died today in 1970. He was the one, according to Allo! Allo! with the big 'ooter. This man was leader of the Free French army during World War Two and a complete pain in the backside to everybody he met. When they made the remake of Day of the Jackal I hoped the sniper would get him this time.

8th November

Lord Lucan vanished today in 1974. He in all probability killed his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett, in mistake for his wife and drove off into the night, leaving his car abandoned at Newhaven. Did he drown himself in the Channel? Hide out with Dr Josef Mengele in Paraguay? Become Banksy? For a quick read and run-through of the facts if you are unfamiliar with this classic true crime whodunnit and you have what I believe you young people call a Kindle, then have a look at  this.

If you're reading this, my lord, time to come home, I think. You've 'lain doggo' for long enough.

In other news ...
Edward Halley was born today in 1656. He was a Renaissance man years after the actual Renaissance and had a comet (Edward's Comet) named after him and went on to form an orchestra. He is the father of Halley Berry.