Today in history

On Monday 12th January 1903 the new mining and terchnical college was officially opened by the Countess of Crawford and the name 'College' was substituted for 'School'. The Ceremony was arranged for 7-00pm so that prizes could be distributed after the opening.

https://www.wiganlocalhistory.org/articles/history-of-wigan-mining-technical-college-1887-1975

Winter of 1962–1963 in the United Kingdom

The winter of 1962–1963, known as the Big Freeze of 1963, was one of the coldest winters (defined as the months of December, January and February) on record in the United Kingdom. Temperatures plummeted and lakes and rivers began to freeze over.

In the Central England Temperature (CET) record extending back to 1659, only the winters of 1683–1684 and 1739–1740 were colder than 1962–1963. The winter of 1962–1963 remains the coldest since at least 1895 in all meteorological districts of the United Kingdom, although in Scotland North the winter of 2009–2010 was equally cold. The winter of 1894–1895 was colder than that of 1962–1963 in Scotland North and Scotland East, whilst, although instrumental temperature data for Scotland and Northern Ireland do not extend back to 1740, station data from subsequent years suggest that the winters of 1813–1814 and 1878–1879 were almost certainly colder than 1962–1963 over Scotland and Northern Ireland, and that the winter of 1779–1780 may also have been colder over Scotland.

53 years ago today, on the 15th of February 1971, was Decimal Day, also known as D-Day, when the UK switched from 'old money' to a decimal system of 100p in the £. Previously, 240d made a £. It was first proposed to Parliament in 1824 after the French franc went decimal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_Day

Remember it well.
At the time my mum worked for the Co-op, and had the job of teaching the staff in her store how to use the new 'decimal' tills.
She said it was then that she realised how stupid folk can be.

I remember it well too.
I was working at Walmsley’s (Walker Bros)in Wigan.
I went to the chippy for my dinner, gave them a £1 note and then checked the change I’d been given, a totally new experience.

I always tried to work out how much something had cost me in old money. Futile I know.
Can I do it in reverse now?

I remember it, when D became Pee and the words 'New Pence' summed it all up, and they had 'Half Pences' those horrid useless little things, but the Decimal Currency, was a damn site easier than Pounds , Shillings and Pence.

Lolly wrote:I always tried to work out how much something had cost me in old money. Futile I know.
Can I do it in reverse now?

Did they give everyone a 'Currency Converter' I seem to remember something like that.

a little blue plastic thing i remember

Tommy Two Stroke wrote:I remember it, when D became Pee and the words 'New Pence' summed it all up, and they had 'Half Pences' those horrid useless little things, but the Decimal Currency, was a damn site easier than Pounds , Shillings and Pence.

But do you know what the d (short for pence) was based on?

Them there Romans knew a thing or two

They certainly did Lolly
The abbreviation L s d from £ s d originates from the Latin currency denominations librae, solidi, and denarii.
So there LOL

March 11th, 1947
Haigh Hall and Plantations bought by Wigan Corporation for £18,000.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haigh_Hall

Naughty Mitten wrote:

Tommy Two Stroke wrote:I remember it, when D became Pee and the words 'New Pence' summed it all up, and they had 'Half Pences' those horrid useless little things, but the Decimal Currency, was a damn site easier than Pounds , Shillings and Pence.

But do you know what the d (short for pence) was based on?

I have only just seen this (sorry) and according to google, it is something to do with the Latin language

Roman Denarius

1891 March 14th HMTS Monarch laid a telephone cable along the English Channel bed to prepare for the first telephone links across the Channel. Monarch was launched in 1884, was the first cable ship designed specifically for the GPO and was fitted with three cable tanks, two forward and one aft.

https://atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/Monarch(4)/

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit. 'the Day of the Festival of Patrick'), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

Cacamas

If you say so.

I don't like Guinness either

Buddy Holly played in Wigan? On Tuesday 18th March 1958 he appeared at the Ritz, in what was to be his only UK tour

19th March 2003 Airstrikes by an American and British-led coalition signal the beginning of the Invasion of Iraq, without United Nations support and in defiance of world opinion

March 21, 1963. Alcatraz prison closes.

Alcatraz served as a federal prison for some of the most dangerous convicts in the American penitentiary system. Among its famous denizens were Al Capone, George (“Machine Gun”) Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alcatraz

The Beatles’ debut studio album, “Please Please Me”, was rush-released by Parlophone on 22nd March, 1963. This album capitalized on the enormous success of the title track, which had been the group’s second single and their first No. 1 in the majority of UK charts12. It marked the beginning of their legendary musical journey and remains a significant milestone in rock history.

On March 24, 1958, Elvis was inducted into the United States Army at the Memphis Draft Board and assigned serial number 53310761. On March 25, at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, he received his indoctrination exam and traditional, military, G.I. haircut in front of 55 media photographers. Elvis received basic training at Fort Hood, Texas. Private Presley was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood and was stationed there for six months before being sent to West Germany in September 1958. He was honorably discharged on March 5, 1960. Elvis served his country just like any other G.I., with none of the special privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him. He was, by all accounts, a model soldier, earning the lasting respect of his fellow soldiers and the public at large.