16th

1897 ..... U.K ..... Britain’s FIRST cartoon about the cinema appeared in Scraps, a comic paper 

1908 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST issue of Scouting for Boys, the journal of the Scouting movement , was published in the UK 

1920 ..... FRANCE ..... the League of Nations held its FIRST meeting in the Clock Room of the French Foreign Office in Paris. The league had cone into force on the 1st January 1920 after the First World War. Its final meeting was on 8th April 1946 and it was formally terminated on 31st August 1947. Due to difficulties with Congress, President Wilson of the USA was not present at this first meeting but it was announced that a seat would be kept vacant for America if and when the difficulties were overcome. However a final attempt to make America a member was defeated in the US Senate in March. Their objections were that if another member state was attacked America would automatically have to go to war 

1929 ..... U.K ..... The Listener was FIRST published ..... and ..... Mary Bailey made the FIRST solo return flight between London and South Africa by a woman when she left London on 9th March 1928, flew around Africa and returned to London on this day

1945 ..... U.K ..... Betty Jones was the FIRST female accused to appear at the Old Bailey not wearing a hat. She appeared with Karl Hulten, her partner in the murder of a taxi driver. They were both found guilty and sentenced to death. Two days before the execution day she was reprieved but Hulten was hanged 

1950 ..... U.K ..... Listen With Mother FIRST began on radio with the words " Hello children. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin". Songs for the under-fives were sung by Eileen Browne and George Dixon and stories were told by Julia Lang and Daphne Oxenford. When the series ended on September 10th 1982 there was a national outcry

1958 ….. U.K ..... Mario Lanza sang at the Royal Albert Hall for the FIRST time and ticket sales broke all previous records. His very first concert took place in Sheffield on January 4th and he appeared in Glasgow, Newcastle and Leicester before his Albert Hall engagements

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