Tuesday, January 10, 2006

100 years ago

Three streams of lava were pouring down Vesuvius on the side upon which was situated Cook's Funicular Railway. The railway was seriously damaged, and the lava had reached the lower station. The eruption was increasing in violence. Apparently it was not connected with the activity of Mount Etna, which was vomiting a great amount of ashes, presenting a magnificent spectacle against the shining snow. A slight earthquake shock had also occurred in Vienna the previous evening although no damage was done.

50 years ago

Most of the worthwhile things in life could usually only be obtained by doing without something else. With the high cost of living many could only pay for a holiday, a house, furniture, a car or a television set by giving up or cutting down on such "luxuries" as smoking, drinking or visits to the cinema. In addition to these sacrifices people often had to save something extra to help build up that nest-egg for future needs and emergencies. For this purpose, various - and often ingenious - methods had been adopted. The champion collector of threepenny bits was surely a 63-year-old widow who found that over 30 years she had banked 32,000 of them, worth £400. With this substantial sum she was able to fly to the USA to spend six months with her four sisters. The "do it yourself" principle had also enabled many people to put away what they saved by growing their own vegetables, decorating their own homes, repairing their own cycles or radio sets, and making their own clothes and such household articles as lampshades, curtains, and bookshelves.

25 years ago

The flag came down on part of the chocolate empire of Terry's. After months of resistance, the firm's restaurant in St. Helen's Square, York, finally acknowledged defeat. The manager, Mr Jeffrey Thompson, hauled down the company pennant for the last time. The restaurant, which figured at the birth of Terry's more than 150 years before, had been sold. Its next customers would exchange coffee cups for cheque books. The property now belonged to the people next door -- the Trustee Savings Bank. The doors closed on the public in September, but a reduced staff stayed on to honour party bookings. Now the reservation chart was empty. So was the restaurant. Fixtures and fittings sold earlier in the week raised nearly £30,000. For Mr Thompson, aged 48, it was "an extremely sad moment." He was heralding the end of an era. For thousands it meant the disappearance of an age of grace and sociability. "I've only been here three years but have been treated exceptionally well by the company. Leaving York and Terry's is a great sadness to me," said Mr. Thompson.

Updated: 15:54 Monday, January 09, 2006