Posts Tagged ‘ History ’

7th September 1997: Debate on Devolution for Scotland and Wales

Sep 9th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Political Comment

In the early hours of what was a sunny Sunday morning (how unlike today) I drove from Shropshire to London to appear on a London Weekend Television programme debating the forthcoming referendum on giving Scotland and Wales devolved governments.
It was the morning after the funeral of Princess Diana and all along the route into London [...]



Forth Road Bridge Opened by the Queen

Sep 8th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Business News

At the time the bridge was Europe’s longest suspension bridge and it linked Edinburgh to Perth across the River Forth cutting more than an hour off the journey and opening up Fife to business in the central belt and England.
On the 4th September 1964 day tens of thousands of spectators of whom I was one, [...]



Princess Diana Dies in Paris crash

Sep 5th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Rants & Raves

I’m not going to say too much about this sad anniversary. I met her twice, once when she came to open a new ward at a hospital on the Isle of Skye, and the other time when she attended a concert in Edinburgh.
 
I found her an interesting and interested person. Unlike her husband, Prince Charles, [...]



The Panama Canal Finally Opened on 15th August 1914

Aug 15th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Business News

The concept of a canal goes back almost to the day that European explorers first landed on the narrow land bridge that links North and South America.
They realised that the abundant natural lakes and waterways offered a unique opportunity to create a water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but it wasn’t until technological [...]



Fidel Castro was born on Friday 13th August 1926

Aug 13th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Business News, Political Comment

Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro was born in the Oriente province of eastern Cuba.
He is still alive but it can only be a matter of time before his control is finally broken and Cuba again becomes a member of the international community. When that happens there are going to be massive business opportunities so it’s probably [...]



12th August 1981: The birth of the IBM PC

Aug 12th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Business News

The Personal Computer Era finally arrived.
Machines called “personal computers” were available as early as the mid-1970s. Of these the IBM (International Business Machines) Model 5100 Portable Computer was an early entry appearing in 1975. It weighed in at about 25 kilos with a tiny amount of storage but was limited in use with no general [...]



On 1st August 1800 the Act of Union 1800 passed into law and so United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed

Aug 5th, 2008 | By James Green | Category: Political Comment

The phrase Act of Union 1800 actually refers to two acts: the Union with Ireland Act 1800 (an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain) and the Act of Union (Ireland) 1800 (an Act of the Parliament of Ireland).
 
These two Acts merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the unified Kingdom of Great Britain, (being itself [...]