Latest articles by Ben Judge
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22 February 1974: riots break out at the “Patty Hearst ransom” food handouts
Features On this day in 1974, people rioted at food distribution centres in San Francisco, set up as part of a ransom payment for kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst.
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The charts that matter: bond investors feel the pain
Charts In a week when Germany had to start paying to borrow money again, we take a look at how the charts that matter most to the global economy have fared.
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17 February 1958: CND – the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – is launched
Features On this day in 1958, as the nuclear arms race hotted up, 5,000 people crammed in to Westminster’s Central Hall to witness the launch of CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
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11 February 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from prison
Features On this day in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 26 years, as South Africa began the process of dismantling apartheid.
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11 February 1826: England gets its third university
Features London University – later University College, London – was founded on this day in 1826, becoming in the process England's third university.
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8 February 1971: Nasdaq begins trading
Features On this day in 1971, America’s “National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations” – or Nasdaq exchange – began trading.
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3 February 1690: America’s first paper money is issued
Features On this day in 1690, the Massachusetts colony began circulating the first paper money on North America, printed to finance England’s war against France.
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3 February 1960: Macmillan’s “wind of change” speech
Features Harold Macmillan gave his famous “wind of change” speech on his visit to Africa on this day in 1960, marking a change in Britain's colonial policy.
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1 February 1884: the first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary is published
Features On this day in 1884, after five years of hard slog, the first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. It contained all the words from A to Ant.
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28 January 1896: The world’s first speeding ticket is issued
Features On this day in 1896, motorist Walter Arnold was caught tearing through Paddock Wood in Kent at a hair-raising 8mph, and so became the first driver in the world to get a speeding ticket.
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27 January 1606: the trial of Guy Fawkes begins
Features On this day in 1606, the trial of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators began, accused of high treason by trying to blow up the king and parliament.
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25 January 1947: the world’s first video game is patented
Features On this day in 1947, Thomas T Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann submitted a patent application for their “Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device” – the world's first video game.
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21 January 1976: Concorde’s first commercial flight
Features Almost seven years after its maiden flight, and at a total cost of £1.3bn, Concorde finally entered commercial service on this day in 1976.
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19 January 1986: the world’s first PC virus infection
Features On this day in 1986, the first IBM personal computer was infected with the “Brain” virus, spread on floppy disks.
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15 January 1892: the rules of basketball are published
Features Canadian PE instructor Dr James Naismith, working at a YMCA training school, published the 13 rules of basketball on this day in 1892.
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14 January 2005: Huygens probe lands on Saturn’s moon, Titan
Features On this day in 2005, the ESA’s Huygens probe landed on the frozen surface of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
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13 January 1942: Henry Ford patents his plastic car
Features On this day in 1948, Henry Ford was granted a patent for his method of making cars with plastic bodywork.
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12 January 1895: the National Trust is founded
Features On this day in 1895, the National Trust was founded to “set aside the best and most beautiful parts of Britain for the public and posterity”.
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8 January 1835: US national debt hits $0
Features By selling land, collecting taxes and cutting public spending, the US national debt was brought down to $0 for the first and only time in the country’s history on this day in 1835.
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8 January 1940: food rationing is introduced in Britain
Features On this day in 1940, the Ministry of Food introduced rationing in the UK to ensure there was enough food to go round during the war.
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7 January 1785: First crossing of the English Channel by air
Features On this day in 1785, French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American doctor John Jeffries became the first people to cross the English Channel by air.
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7 January 1782: America’s first central bank opens for business
Features On this day in 1782, the Bank of North America, created to help pay for the American war of independence, opened for business.
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5 January 1971: The first one-day international cricket match
Features On this day in 1971, Australia beat England by five wickets in the first ever one-day international cricket match.
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2 January 1980: National steelworkers' strike
Features For the first time in over 50 years, Britain’s steelmaking industry saw the start of a national strike on this day in 1980, as unions demanded a 20% pay rise.
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