Thursday 29 April 2021

All our yesterdays 2

 This week we're looking at the week of May 2-8 

On May 2nd, 1980, Pink Floyd's hit single, "Another Brick In The Wall" was banned by the South African government because rebellious black schoolchildren had adopted it as an anthem. The young protesters were chanting the lines: "We don't want no education, we don't want no thought control." Banning the song, however, didn't stop them from singing it!

On May 3rd, 1951, The South Bank of the River Thames was lit up as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth opened the Festival Of Britain. The five-month festival was designed to disperse the grey post-war cloud with a bright vision of Britain's future. Festival entertainments included a large fun-fair, sculptures, a railway and the Festival Pleasure Gardens.


On May 4th, 1970, US National Guardsmen shot and killed four students at Kent State University in Ohio. The dead students, two men and two women were taking part in a massed anti-war protest when the soldiers fired into the unarmed crowd. Nine students were wounded. Two more students were shot dead at Jackson State University, Mississippi. The killings followed three days of student rioting. The demonstrations erupted after President Richard Nixon sent US troops into Cambodia the week previously.

On May 5th, 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on the remote British island of St Helena, He was 51. Apparently, his last word was, "Josephine" his empress who he'd rejected in 1810 because she hadn't given him a male heir.


On May 6th, 1954, Roger Bannister a 25-year-old medical student, broke an invisible barrier when he ran a mile in three-fifths of a second less than four minutes. He was running at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, representing the university against the Amateur Athletics Association, with two fellow students setting the pace. Experts had long held the opinion that it was impossible for a man to run a mile in less than four minutes. In doing so, he'd taken two seconds off the previous record, set by Swede, Gunder Hagg in 1945.

On May 7th, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies and the War in Europe was ended. German Chief of staff, General Alfred Jodl signed the instrument od unconditional surrender at 2.40 am and delivered his nation "into the victor's hands, for better or worse." He was met by Britain's General Montgomery, US Chief of staff, General Bedell Smith and Soviet General, Suslapatov at General Eisenhower's headquarters, a small schoolhouse in Rheims, France.

And on May 8th, 1987, Democratic front-runner Gary Hart withdrew his bid for the presidency of the United States following allegations of marital infidelity. The Miami Herald reported HArt's alleged affair with Donna Rice, a 30-year-old model, with whom he was seen in Washington and onboard a yacht named 'Monkey Business.'

And finally in this week in 1969, The Beatles were having their second week at number one in the UK with, "Get Back." It stayed at number one for six weeks in all.

Thanks for reading. If you like this blog and want to read more, sign up for the weekly newsletter and feel free to invite your friends along to check out and bookmark the blog, because after all, the more, the merrier!

2 comments: