Interesting Facts

5th May 1215 – Rebel barons in England renounced their allegiance to King John — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta. 1494 – Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Jamaica and claimed it for Spain. I think I'll try that next time I'm in Spain. 1821 – Emperor Napoleon I died in exile on the island of Saint Helena. 1921 - Coco Chanel introduced their famous perfume Chanel No. 5. 1925 – John T. Scopes was served with an arrest warrant for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act. 1949 – The Treaty of London established the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. 1955 – West Germany regained full sovereignty. 1964 – The Council of Europe declared May 5 as Europe Day. 1980 - The siege of the Iranian embassy in London came to an end after a raid by SAS commandos. 1981 - Bobby Sands died in the Maze prison 66 days after first refusing to eat. 2005 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was elected to a third term.

23rd March 1603 - Queen Elizabeth I of England died. 1895 - The first official match played by women took place at Crouch End in London. (Nettie Honeyball had placed an advert in the press and persuaded about 30 young women to join the British Ladies Football Club. It wasn't a resounding success, but during the First World War it became more popular. Unfortunately women's football in England and Scotland suffered a blow in 1921 when the Football Association, in England, banned women from playing the game on Association members' pitches.) 1975 - The beaver became the official symbol of Canada.