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1588 ..... U.S.A ..... the FIRST English colony in America, St Johns, Newfoundland, was founded by Sir Humphrey Gilbert 

1839 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST “Hansom“ cab appeared in Manchester with the FIRST cab rank being in Piccadilly 

1856 ..... the FIRST cable across the Atlantic Ocean was completed 

1891 ..... the FIRST American Express travellers cheque was cashed at the Hotel Hauffe in Leipzig, Germany

1901 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST proper cinema to open in Britain was the Mohawk in Islington. Admission was from 6d to 3s and films were accompanied by the 16-piece Fonobian Orchestra. The manager was Henry N Phillips. Picture palaces began to flourish in spite of the prediction of one John Palmer that  ' the limitations of this form of entertainment, already eked out in the larger palaces with music-hall varieties, will soon appear, and the interest of even the three-penny public will be exhausted'. In 1908 the Gem at Great Yarmouth opened. There the audience was segregated according to sex on the orders of the local council. A year later the upmarket Electric Theatre in Kensington started and was soon attracting an elite audience, most of whom arrived in ' motor cars and carriages'. At the height of their popularity in the 1940s, cinemas in Britain had average weekly attendances of 30 million 

1914 ..... U.S.A ..... the FIRST electric traffic lights were installed at Cleveland, Ohio. They were at the junction of Euclid Ave and East 105th Street 

1940 ..... U.S.A ..... Ann Hayward became the FIRST bride to be married during a parachute jump when she wed Arno Rudolphi of N.Y City while both of them were dangling from a parachute at the New York World's Fair

1957 ….. U.K ..... the FIRST Andy Capp cartoon appeared as a single-panel in the Mirror's Northern edition. His creator was Reginald Smyth who was born on July 10th 1917 

1970 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST penalty shoot-out in English football was when Hull City and Manchester United tied 1-1 after extra time. United won 4-3 on penalties

 

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