31st

1687 ..... FRANCE ..... the FIRST Huguenots set sail from France to South Africa to escape religious persecution 

1919 ..... U.K ..... Mrs Ada Summers became Mayor of Stalybridge in Lancashire, a position which automatically included the position of Justice of the Peace. She therefore became the FIRST woman to sit as a magistrate

1923 ..... U.K ..... the New Year chimes of Big Ben in London were heard for the FIRST time 

1938 ..... U.S.A ..... the FIRST pressurised airliner, the Boeing Stratoliner, made its maiden flight in the U.S.A 

1959 ..... surgeons Norman Shumway and Dick Lower successfully transplanted a heart from one dog to another for the FIRST time

1968 ..... the FIRST supersonic airliner, the Soviet Tupolev TU144, was demonstrated 

1993 ..... U.K ..... the New Years Honours List  was the FIRST one to feature ‘ordinary’ people nominated by the public 

1997 ….. the FIRST Concorde to fly to Cuba carried 100 British business people 

1999 ..... U.K ..... at midnight, it was the FIRST time in the history of the human race that we all got to cross out 19-- on our cheque stubs and insert the number 2000. No doubts there will be many more changes ..... and ….. the FIRST ever fun fair was held in The Mall in London