30th September

The Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, flew into Croydon airport today in 1938 with a scrap of paper. It contained Adolf Hitler's promise to invade no more countries after Czechoslovakia. He called it, optimistically, 'peace with honour', echoing Benjamin Disraeli's phrase after the Congress of Berlin in 1878. Unfortunately, Hitler was not of the calibre of the statesmen Disraeli sparred with and the scrap of paper was worthless.
Was Chamberlain aware of that? Almost certainly, but years of Appeasement had made Britain unwilling to face up to Europe's bully-boys.

In other news ...
Today in 1630, John Billington was executed for murder in New Plymouth, beginning a fine tradition that Americans still continue to this day.

29th September

The first automatic telephone answering machine was tested today in 1950 by the Bell Company. The recorded message went like this:-

'Hello Caller, You have reached the Bell Company. I'm afraid no one is here to take your call at the moment so if you'd like to leave a message after the Bell stops ringing, someone will get back to you. If you have a query about other Bell Company services, Press Button A. If you have a query about your bill, Press Button B. If you need to talk to a person ... er ... oh, dear, I'm afraid all our buttons are busy right now. Please try later (about 1985).

In other news ...
George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright, raconteur and general smartarse, turned down a peerage today in 1930; not on any socialist principles, but because he realized how silly the title Lord Shaw of Ayot St Lawrence would sound.

The Maxwells are not known for their socialising and giddy gadding about, but we did manage to get down to Kent last weekend to stay with some friends and whilst there, went to see a band I had heard of but never seen, the fabulous Coal Porters. Their new CD - apparently known as an 'album' by you youngsters out there, called Find the One is newly out and I have to say that my foot was tapping throughout. Buy it - you'll love it, I promise, especially Hush You, Babe.

28th September

The First International met today in London in 1864. Its leader was the indefatigable Karl Marx (whose brother, Harpo, by coincidence died on this day in 1964). Among Marx's best known lines -

• Religion is the opium of the people.
• You have nothing to lose but your chains; you have a world to win.
• Friedrich, can you lend me ten bob 'til week Thursday.

In other news ...
Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick died today in 1891. The story, about a man's obsession to get revenge on a great, white whale, is an allegory on any number of levels and is quite brilliant. It would be unpublishable today because:

1. Greenpeace would object to whaling.
2. Captain Ahab has only one leg - health and safety implications.
3. The book has too many silly names for modern readers - Queequeg, Nantucket, Pequod.
4. The title is obscene and would have to be changed to Moby Male Member - mind you, the alliteration works!

27th September

One of the most famous letters in history landed on the desk of the Central News Agency today in 1888. It began 'Dear Boss' and ended 'Yours truly, Jack the Ripper'. It sparked the greatest and longest-running murder industry in the world.

In other news ...
Some books will tell you that Engelbert Humperdinck died on this day in 1921. Please go to your local library TODAY and alter this in any relevant book. Engelbert Humperdinck sang Britain's entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Mind you, he didn't look well ....

26th September

Dan'l Boone, the famous American frontiersman, died today in 1820. He was buried with his favourite span'l.

In other news...
The Holy Alliance was formed today in 1815 between the powers that had defeated Napoleon. Russia, Austria and Prussia all put pen to paper and agreed to come to each other's aid even if it meant putting down democratic risings. Britain, who had done more than anybody else to beat the French, refused, our man at the Congress of Vienna, Lord Castlereagh, calling the whole thing a 'piece of sublime mysticism and nonsense'.

What would he made of the EU?

25th September

In a scene reminiscent of dear old Leighford High any day of the week, 1000 men of the 101st Airborne Division with fixed bayonets marched into Little Rock High School today in 1957 so that nine black children could take their rightful places in class. Outside the school, a mini-riot ensued. Where did all this happen?

That would be America, the land of the free.

In other news ...
The first blood transfusion took place today in 1818 at Guy's Hospital in London, but everybody was rather ... oh, negative about it.

24th September

Today in 1877 a rebellion of Japan's samurai was put down by the government. You've probably seen the story filmed as The Last samurai with Tom Cruise. It's not bad historically, except that the country offering military advice to the Japanese government was Germany, not America. The idea was that the samurai were an armour-wearing anachronism, whose code of Bushido ( the way of the warrior) was hopelessly out of date. Why was it then that Bushido was still there in the 1940s which explains the appalling brutality meted out by the Japanese to British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war? And why has Japan's 'enlightened' government never apologized for that?

In other news ...
Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian Chancellor, came out with one of his great bon mots today in 1862. 'The great questions of the age,' he said, 'are not settled by speeches and majority votes, but by iron and blood.'

Right on, Otto. The result? Germany 0; Rest of the world 2.