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(22-04-2012 14:17 )skully Wrote: [ -> ]1943 - Britain discontinued printing £1,000 notes.

After the Bank of England stopped printing them they were withdrawn from circulation and by 1968 the Bank knew that there were only 63 of these £1,000 notes unaccounted for and in private hands. They were therefore rather surprised when in 2007 they started receiving enquiries from an Australian financial institution asking if they could confirm the provenance not only of £28 billion worth of these notes that they were being offered but also £180 million of some "special issue" notes with a face value of £500,000.

The notes belonged to the families of several former Chinese leaders from the pre-communist regime who had traded gold and Bearer Bonds with the UK and US governments during WW2 when the Allies were desperate for gold and currency, and as the owners were now all over 100 years of age it was a matter of urgency that they realised their value before it was too late. They could not do it openly themselves as they feared a claim on the assets from the communist authorities which is why they had appointed a lawyer to act on their behalf and the agent was authorised to pay a commission on the deal.

As no £500,000 note had ever been issued and the £1,000 notes clearly couldn't be genuine, the bank set up a meeting with the lawyer, accompanied by undercover police. The British lawyer and five Chinese people were arrested and put on trial for fraud.

You've probably thinking that if you substitute the words "Nigerian Prince" for "pre-communist Chinese leader" this sounds rather familiar, and the audacity of trying to scam a major institution as opposed to Joe Public, and for such a vast amount of money, was breathtaking.

However, when the case came to court there was a twist in the tail. The lawyer had made extensive enquiries before taking on the case, and had found that the Allies had indeed routinely entered into such agreements with Asian countries. A university professor testified that there was good evidence that both Britain and the US were knee-deep in printing anything they could that would transfer Asian gold into the West (and not necessarily with any intention of paying it back!).

The defence claimed that even if this was an elaborate fraud, they were themselves innocent victims. The alleged mastermind was still on the run having successfully fought extradition proceedings.

After just five days the case collapsed and all six were acquitted. The alleged mastermind was never put on trial and the matter was quietly swept under the carpet.



The alleged "£500,000 note"

1951 - American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested by the Czechoslovakian government on espionage charges.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_N._Oatis

1967 - The Soviet Union launches the first in their series of Soyuz Spacecraft - Soyuz 1. Cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov was at the controls.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Mi...ch_Komarov

1968 - The first decimal coins (5p and 10p) began making their way in to circulation, in preparation for the end of the Pounds, shillings and pence system which was to be replaced in 1971.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...523895.stm

1982 - The ZX Spectrum home computer is released by Sinclair Research Limited. It is has an 8 bit memory and has colour graphics, replacing its black and white predecessor - the ZX81. A ZX Spectrum was my first computer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum

1984 - American scientists hail a significant breakthrough in medical science as a virus which may cause AIDS is discovered and identified. Billions of dollars have been spent since to find a vaccine for the AIDS virus, without success.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...524039.stm

1998 - James Earl Ray, the convicted killer of Martin Luther King, dies in prison of terminal liver disease. He still protested his innocence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...914267.stm

(23-04-2012 12:05 )Regenerated Wrote: [ -> ]1967 - The Soviet Union launches the first in their series of Soyuz Spacecraft - Soyuz 1. Cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov was at the controls.

Soyuz was the American equivalent of Apollo, and was designed in anticipation of flights to the moon. The Apollo 1 disaster three months earlier had stopped the American space programme in its tracks and the Soviets were desperate to hang on to their diminishing lead in the space race. Despite warnings that the craft wasn't ready, the Soviets went ahead with the launch anyway (Yuri Gagarin, no less, had tried to get to see Brezhnev to warn him of possible catastrophe but was blocked). The idea was that Soyuz 2 would be launched a few days later and the two craft would fly over Moscow together during the Mayday parade.

The flight was plagued with problems from the outset. One of the solar panels failed to deploy once in orbit and the guidance system failed. Attempts to correct the problems failed and when the spacecraft started to tumble the mission was aborted.

Komarov had to guide the craft down manually and did it perfectly, only for the mission to end in tragedy. The parachutes failed to deploy properly and the emergency parachute tangled in the original. The craft hit the ground at almost 400 mph, bursting into flames and killing Komarov on impact. Like the Americans, the Soviet programme was grounded for 18 months.

These two pictures show Komarov and the crash site:



I haven't posted this third picture as it is rather gruesome, but it shows what was left of Komarov in his casket. It was not released by the authorities until after the fall of communism. I will leave you to decide whether or not you wish to view it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_public_d...904123015/

Soyuz Spacecraft

Thank you mr williams. As you say, it was a tragic end to a mission which Komarov had handled with such dignity, despite the problems.

The legacy of the Soyuz 1 disaster is such that the eighteen month gap until Soyuz 2 and 3 arrived produced far more improved Soviet space program. The Soyuz program eventually became the foundations for the Zond Lunar Program, the Mir Space Station and the International Space Station.

Its frightening how closely related to the American's Apollo program the Soyuz was. So many similarities in improvements made after Soyuz 1 with the changes brought about by the Apollo 1 disaster.

Soyuz was to suffer more tragedy before its legacy came to pass, with the Soyuz 11 craft in 1971, when cosmonauts Vladisav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski and Viktor Patsayev died during preparations for re-entry. Their capsule depressurized. This was even more tragic since they had successfully reached the Salyut 1 Space Station, and had become the first manned mission to arrive at there.

A Soviet Union stamp was released commemorating the Soyuz 11 mission -



Despite the tragedies suffered in Soyuz spacecraft, it would eventually become one of the longest lived programs and dependable spacecraft ever designed.

Vladimir Komarov was also commemorated on a stamp (pictured below) and the Apollo crafts 11 and 15 laid two memorials of him on the Moon. One is at the Tranquility Base and the other is at the Fallen Astronaut plaque at Hadley Rille (also pictured below).

(23-04-2012 22:15 )Regenerated Wrote: [ -> ]Its frightening how closely related to the American's Apollo program the Soyuz was. So many similarities in improvements made after Soyuz 1 with the changes brought about by the Apollo 1 disaster.

Soyuz was to suffer more tragedy before its legacy came to pass, with the Soyuz 11 craft in 1971, when cosmonauts Vladisav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski and Viktor Patsayev died during preparations for re-entry. Their capsule depressurized.

There was also a similarity between Soyuz 11 and the near fatal Apollo 13. As those of you who have seen the film will know, Ken Mattingly was stood down just a few days before the mission as he had been exposed to measles.

The original prime crew for Soyuz 11 consisted of Alexei Leonov, Valeri Kubasov and Pyotr Kolodin. A medical X-ray examination four days before launch suggested that Kubasov might have tuberculosis, and according to the mission rules, the entire prime crew was replaced with the back-up crew.

I remember this so well i was working as a delivery driver on my way to Liverpool Street Station,for weeks after it was a nightmare as the police would stop me about 10 times a day to search my van.





1993: IRA bomb devastates City of London
A massive bomb has ripped through the heart of the City of London, killing one and injuring more than 40.
The explosion shook buildings and shattered hundreds of windows, sending glass showering down into the streets below. A mediaeval church, St Ethelburga's, collapsed; another church and Liverpool Street underground station were also wrecked.

The cost of repairing the damage has been estimated at more than £1bn.


We didn't expect them to do it again in the same area

Security guard Raymond Fayers

Police had received coded warnings, but were still evacuating the area when the bomb went off. Most of those injured were security guards, builders and maintenance staff, and those who had come into their offices to work at the weekend.

Police said the bomb was hidden in the back of a dark blue tipper truck, parked in Bishopsgate.

It was home-made, with about a ton of fertiliser - similar to the bomb which devastated the Baltic Exchange a year ago, killing three people.

Repairs to the Exchange had just been completed, and the building re-opened, when the same banks were damaged again by today's blast.

One of those injured, security guard Raymond Fayers, said, "We were all surprised that they picked the same hotspot again. Every night, virtually, we get some sort of scare, but we didn't expect them to do it again in the same area."

The dead man was found under rubble during a five-hour search of debris near where the bomb went off. He has not yet been identified.

Back in business

Police say they are in no doubt that the bomb was planted by the IRA, although the organisation has not said it carried out the attack.

The explosion comes just over a month after the Warrington bomb, which killed two children. The IRA expressed its regret after the outcry that followed.

Commander David Tucker, of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, said, "We had hoped after the deaths in Warrington that there would be some sort of turning point, but that seems to be not the case."

The area around the site of today's blast remains sealed off, but the Lord Mayor of London has promised that the City will be back in business on Monday.



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The explosion shattered hundreds of windows


Images of City bomb devastation







In Context
The dead man was later identified as 34-year-old Ed Henty, a freelance photographer working for the News of the World. He was married with two children.
Directly after the explosion the government threw what it called a "ring of steel" around the City, with roadblocks in and out of the financial district. Security in the area remains high.

The damage caused by the Bishopsgate bomb cost £350m to repair. The huge payouts by insurance companies contributed to a crisis in the industry, including the near-collapse of the world's leading insurance market, Lloyd's of London.

The IRA carried out one more major attack on London's financial centre. In 1996, after a year-long ceasefire, it planted a bomb in Canary Wharf in the Docklands area. Two died and many more were injured.

A second ceasefire has held since 1997 and opened the way for the IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein, to join multi-party talks on the future of Northern Ireland.


Stories From 24 Apr
1993: IRA bomb devastates City of London
1967: Russian cosmonaut dies in space crash
1982: First Briton dies in Falklands campaign
1975: Baader-Meinhof blow up embassy
1954: British crackdown on Kenya rebels
1990: Hubble telescope takes off for space

1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.

1885 – American sharpshooter Annie Oakley was hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West.

1918 – First tank-to-tank combat, at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs.

1953 - Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

1970 – The first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched.

1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.

2003 - Britain's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest failed to score a single point, a fact later blamed on the UK's stance during the Iraq conflict.

2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.

2005 – Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog, is born in South Korea.

1719 - Robinson Crusoe first appeared in paperback. Written by Daniel Defoe it was based partly on the story of Alexander Selkirk who was marooned on a Pacific island for four years.

1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.

1859 - British and French engineers broke ground for the creation of the Suez Canal. The excavation took some 10 years and altogether more than 1.5 million people from various countries were employed.

1915 - World War I - 90,000 Australian, New Zealand, British and French forces began landing on the Gallipoli Peninsular to attack Turkish positions.

1953 - Two Cambridge University scientists published their answer to how living things reproduced. In an article published in Nature magazine, James D Watson and Francis Crick described the structure of a chemical called deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. Their achievement was recognized in 1962 when they received the Nobel Prize for Physiology.

1966 – The city of Tashkent is destroyed by a huge earthquake.

1983 – Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto's orbit.

2003 – The Human Genome Project comes to an end two and a half years earlier than expected.

2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.

1607 - Captain John Smith landed at Cape Henry, in Virginia with the first group of colonists who established a permanent English settlement in America.

1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L'Aigle, France; the event convinces European science that meteors exist.

1895 - The start of the trial of playwright Oscar Wilde who was charged with homosexuality.

1923 - The marriage of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the Queen Mother) to the Duke of York (King George VI) at Westminster Abbey in London. It was the first royal wedding at the abbey since 1383.

1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.

1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.

1965 – A Rolling Stones concert in London, Ontario is shut down by police after 15 minutes due to rioting.

1968 - The largest underground nuclear device ever to be tested in the U.S. was exploded in Nevada.

1986 - The worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred when an explosion and fire at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union killed 32 people and sent radioactivity into the atmosphere.

1994 - More than 22 million South Africans turned out to cast ballots in the country's first multiracial parliamentary elections, choosing anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela to head a new coalition government.

(26-04-2012 13:42 )skully Wrote: [ -> ]1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.

The Ranger program was a series of unmanned space missions by the United States in the 1960s whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon. The Ranger spacecraft were designed to take images of the lunar surface, returning those images until they were destroyed upon impact. A series of mishaps, however, led to the failure of the first six flights. At one point, the program was called "shoot and hope". Congress launched an investigation into “problems of management” at NASA Headquarters and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Rangers 1 & 2 failed to get out of earth orbit, 3 & 5 missed the moon entirely, Ranger 4 did indeed crash into the moon but only because it was close enough for the moon's gravity to pull it down after the navigation system failed (but it crashed on the far side meaning nothing could be transmitted to earth). Ranger 6 got there as planned but a complete instrument failure meant no data was sent back.

After reorganizing the organization twice, Ranger 7 successfully returned images in July 1964, followed by two more successful missions. The total cost of the nine missions was around $170 million (about $3 billion in today's money).



The last photo from Ranger 7 taken less than 500m above the surface

(photo is copyright NASA but may be freely used under their public domain policy if acknowledged)