The Great Train Robbery of 1963 was arguably the most famous heist in British history. Five career criminals, led by antiques dealer Bruce Reynolds, learned through a mysterious informant who has never been identified about the schedule of a Post Office mail train that regularly carried large sums of cash from Glasgow to London's Euston station.
After several months of planning, and the recruitment of accomplices, they carried out their plot in the early hours of 8 August.
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While some of the cash was overlooked, they got away with £2.6m in cash, equivalent to £56m in 2019's money.
The size of the theft and rumours that the crooks had inside help led to huge amounts of press coverage.The breakthrough came when the police discovered the gang's hideout, where they found a Monopoly board and ketchup bottle covered with fingerprints. Eleven gang members were arrested and convicted, with seven being given 30-year sentences, but in most cases these were eventually reduced to ten years or less.
The costs of legal fees, or life on the run, would ensure that most of them would end up penniless. Indeed, Ronnie Biggs returned to Britain in 2001 after escaping from jail in 1965 because he couldn't afford medical care in Brazil.
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31 August 1957: the Federation of Malaya declares independence from the UKFeatures On this day in 1957, after ten years of preparation, the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation.
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13 April 1960: the first satellite navigation system is launchedFeatures On this day in 1960, Nasa sent the Transit 1B satellite into orbit to provide positioning for the US Navy’s fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.
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9 April 1838: National Gallery opens in Trafalgar SquareFeatures On this day in 1838, William Wilkins’ new National Gallery building in Trafalgar Square opened to the public.
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3 March 1962: British Antarctic Territory is createdFeatures On this day in 1962, Britain formed the British Antarctic Territory administered from the Falkland Islands.
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10 March 2000: the dotcom bubble peaks
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9 March 1776: Adam Smith publishes 'The Wealth of Nations'
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8 March 1817: the New York Stock Exchange is formedFeatures On this day in 1817, a group of brokers moved out of a New York coffee house to form what would become the biggest stock exchange in the world.
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7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
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