11th

1569 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST state lottery was held in England.  Prizes were £30,000 and £20,000 and tickets were priced at 10s each and the first draw was outside the west door of St Paul's Cathedral. National lotteries continued on until 1826 when it was felt that " the inducement to gambling held out by lotteries was a great moral evil, helping to impoverish many and diverting attention from the more legitimate industrial modes of moneymaking"

1770..... U.K ..... the FIRST shipment of rhubarb was sent to the U.S.A from London

1878..... U.S.A ..... in New York milk was delivered in glass bottles for the FIRST time by Alexander Campbell

1918 ..... U.K ..... the Representation of the People’s Act granted the vote to women in Britain for the FIRST time. It came into effect on February 6th and enfranchised about six million women over the age of 30 years. The vote was subject to certain economic and educational qualifications. Seventeen women stood in the General Election but only one was elected, Constance Markiewicz. She did not take her seat. In 1928 the voting age for women was reduced to 21 years, the same as for men and three years later fifteen women became Members of Parliament 

1921 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST women were sworn in as jurors at the Old Bailey and the FIRST to take the oath was Miss Mary Constance Burnett

1922 ..... CANADA ..... insulin was FIRST used successfully in the treatment of diabetes.  The patient was a 14 year old  Canadian boy, Leonard Thompson and the drug was administered by Dr Walter A Campbell and Dr Alma A Fletcher

1927..... U.S.A ..... the FIRST meeting of the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (International was later dropped) was attended by 36 people who represented all the creative branches of the industry and are now hallowed as the Academy's founder members. Frank Woods, former film critic for the New York Dramatic Mirror was its first secretary. On May 4th the Academy was granted its charter as a legal corporation and a week later an inaugural banquet was held at the Biltmore Hotel which was attended by 300 people

1954 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST ever televised weather forecast by the BBC

1973 ..... U.K ..... the Open University awarded its FIRST degrees to 867 students in the UK 

1974 ..... SOUTH AFRICA ..... the world’s FIRST surviving sextuplets were born to Mrs Susan Rosenkowitz who had emigrated to South Africa from Britain in 1966. There were three girls - Elizabeth, Emma and Nicolette and three boys - Grant, David and Jason. Before they were a month old advertising and publicity rights earned them an estimated £750,000 

1994 ..... U.K ..... the Duchess of Kent announced that she was converting to Catholicism, the FIRST member of the Royal Family to become a Roman Catholic since James 11 in the 17th century 

1997 ..... U.K ..... women priests were ordained in Wales for the FIRST time

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