On this day: Concorde’s last commercial flight

By The Newsroom
Published 24th Oct 2014, 01:00 BST
On this day in 2003, Concorde made its last commercial flight, landing at Heathrow from New York after 27 years in service. Picture: GettyOn this day in 2003, Concorde made its last commercial flight, landing at Heathrow from New York after 27 years in service. Picture: Getty
On this day in 2003, Concorde made its last commercial flight, landing at Heathrow from New York after 27 years in service. Picture: Getty
Events, birthdays and anniversaries for 24 October

United Nations day.

National day of Zambia.

1604: King James VI of Scotland was proclaimed James I, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland.

1795: Poland was partitioned by Prussia, Austria and Russia.

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1929: Black Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, when confidence in American companies collapsed.

1934: Mahatma Gandhi withdrew from Indian National Congress.

1937: Jean Batten flew from Australia to Britain in a record five days, 18 hours, 18 minutes.

1945: United Nations charter went into effect as Soviet Union became 29th nation to ratify it.

1945: Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian premier and Nazi collaborator, executed by firing squad in Oslo.

1947: Twenty-one people were killed in Croydon train crash.

1961: Malta gained independence.

1961: Protests were made at United Nations after Soviet Union exploded largest nuclear bomb ever tested.

1962: United States began blockade of Cuba.

1964: Northern Rhodesia became Republic of Zambia.

1986: Britain broke diplomatic relations with Syria after jury convicted Arab man of trying to blow up an Israeli airliner.

1988: Lester Piggott was freed from Highpoint Prison, Suffolk after serving 12 months of three-year sentence for tax offences.

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1989: Ambulancemen resumed emergency cover in London as ACAS talks began.

1989: Soviet legislature voted overwhelmingly to deny Communist Party its guaranteed majority in Congress of People’s Deputies.

1998: Deep Space 1 comet/asteroid mission was launched.

2003: Concorde made its last commercial flight.

2007: A report into the Scottish Parliament elections chaos when 146,000 Holyrood ballot papers and 38,532 papers for the local council elections were spoilt by puzzled voters criticised Labour ministers in London and Edinburgh for treating the electorate as an “afterthought”. It said responsibility for both elections should pass to the Scottish Executive.

2008: “Bloody Friday” saw many of the world’s stock exchanges experience the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10 per cent in most indices.

BIRTHDAYS

Wayne Rooney, footballer, 29; Sarah Greene, television presenter, 57; Roman Abramovich, oil magnate and owner of Chelsea FC, 48; Ian Baker-Finch, golfer, 54; Barry Davies MBE, television sports commentator, 77; Frank Delaney, Irish writer and broadcaster, 72; Dervla Kirwan, actress, 43; Kevin Kline, actor, 67; Sir Mark Tully KBE, journalist and broadcaster, 79; Bill Wyman, guitarist (formerly Rolling Stones), 78; Charlie White, Olympic champion ice dancer, 27; Jackie McNamara, Scottish football manager and former player, 41; John Hendrie, retired Scottish footballer, 51; Jacques Lafitte, F1 racing driver, 71.

ANNIVERSARIES

Births: 1378 David Stewart, first Earl of Rothesay, Earl of Atholl, Earl of Carrick and heir to throne of Scotland; 1923 Sir Robin Day, broadcaster; 1930 J P Richardson (the “Big Bopper”).

Deaths: 1537 Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII; 1893 Peter Tchaikovsky, composer; 1935 Dutch Schultz, New York mobster; 1957 Christian Dior, fashion designer; 1991 Gene Roddenberry, TV producer, creator of Star Trek; 1993 Lord Grimond, Liberal elder statesman; 2005 Rosa Parks, US civil rights activist.

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