On This Day: March 12, 2010
Birthdays:| 1710 | Thomas Arne, Composer of operas and 'Rule Brittania' | | 1908 | Max Wall, English comedian and actor | | 1925 | Gordon McRae, American film actor; 'Oklahoma' and 'Carousel' | | 1942 | Brian O'Hara, Lead singer with the 'Fourmost' group | | 1946 | Liza Minnelli, Singer, and actress daughter of Judy Garland | | 1948 | Virginia Bottomley, Conservative politician | | 1950 | Willie Duggan, Irish rugby international |
Events:| 1917 | Izvestia, the official Soviet newspaper, was founded | | 1935 | A speed limit of 30mph was introduced in British towns and built up areas | | 1941 | Hebrides islanders hid from government officials, thousands of bottles of Whiskey from a shipwreck | | 1955 | American jazzman Charlie 'Bird' Parker died, aged 35 | | 1968 | Mauritius, in the Indian ocean island, was granted independence after 158 years of British rule | | 1969 | Paul McCartney married the photographer Linda Eastman | | 1988 | The use of Bank of England pound notes ended, having been replaced by pound coins | | 1992 | A statue of Stan Laurel was erected near his former home in Dockway Square, North Shields | | 1994 | The first women Anglican priests were ordained in Britain | | 1996 | Archbishop Benson Andrew Idahosa, founder of the Church of God Mission, dies at the age of 59. |
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