Interesting Facts

6th April 1199 – King Richard I of England died from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder. 1320 - The Declaration of Arbroath was signed to declare Scottish independence. 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck established a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town. 1772 - The beard tax was lifted in Russia. 1814 – Napoleon abdicated and was exiled to Elba. 1869 – Celluloid was patented. 1917 – The United States declared war on Germany. 1919 – Gandhi ordered a General Strike. 1930 – Gandhi raised a lump of mud and salt and declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire," and he was right. 1994 – The aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down, beginning one of the most shameful moments in history. 1998 – Tammy Wynette, American country singer died.

Since 2012 all large shops and supermarkets in England had to hide tobacco products from public view, and now all shops will have to do so from 6th April. (The original ban only applied to shops of more than 280 sq m (3,014 sq ft), and small outlets were exempt until 2015, but that is about to end as the ban comes into force across the UK.  The ban will stop cigarettes being visible at the point of sale in any small shops and other premises selling tobacco such as cafes, pubs and clubs. It seems to be working too, with smoking rates for England at their lowest ever levels: the latest figures show only 8% of 15 year olds are now regular smokers, compared with 22% in 2003. Interestingly on a recent trip to France, every other shop seemed to sell e-cigarettes.)