Saturday, August 27, 2005

100 years ago

President Theodore Roosevelt had gone out in the submarine Plunger, remaining in the vessel during several submersions, one of which had lasted 50 minutes. While the submarine was resting on the bottom of Long Island Sound, a storm raged, unnoticed by the crew, 40 feet above. The mechanism was fully explained to the President, after which the Plunger was put through her paces at porpoise diving. She ascended repeatedly to the surface long enough to get her bearings, and immediately disappeared again 20 ft below the surface. The engines were stopped and reversed, and the vessel ascended backwards. She also remained motionless 20 ft below the surface, thus demonstrating her ability to be in wait for hours for the passing of a vessel of a blockading squadron. When the lights were ordered to be extinguished the crew worked perfectly in the inky darkness.

50 years ago

Training at the Three Graces School, York, and experience in local shows in the city had brought success to two young ballet dancers - one of them male. Miss Dawn Tudor, daughter of Mr DF Tudor, headmaster of Park Grove School, who lived on Tadcaster Road, York, had passed the advanced professional examination of the Association of Russian Ballet. Anton Dolin was the examiner. She had also won the silver medal of the Federation Internationale de Danse (Paris). Miss Tudor had been the principal dancer at the York Repertory Theatre pantomime for the previous four years, and also attended the Legat School. During his period of National Service, John Raven, stationed at RAF Rufforth, took lessons in ballet at the Three Graces School, and danced the role of Siegfried in "Swan Lake" at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in the April of 1955. He had just won a scholarship to the Legat Ballet School in Tunbridge Wells.

25 years ago

Top comedy stars like Morecambe and Wise, Benny Hill and Tommy Cooper were in Yorkshire Television's line-up of autumn programmes, which had just been announced. In light entertainment there would be two YTV specials from Frankie Howerd and Harry Secombe as well as a return of the comedy programme, In Loving Memory. Larry Grayson would be back on BBC-1 with the Generation Game. Top shows like Blankety Blank, with Terry Wogan, and Terry and June with Terry Scott and June Whitfield would also be back. Other old favourites returning included To the Manor Born, with Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, Shoestring, Parkinson, Not the Nine O'Clock News and Film 80.

Updated: 11:48 Saturday, August 27, 2005