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 19th

1889 ..... U.K ..... the game of ping-pong was FIRST invented by the engineer James Gibb and his family when they began hitting champagne corks across a table with cigar-box lids. It was first named as Gossima but this was dropped in favour of Ping-Pong and the game caught on. In 1902 a ping-pong enthusiast went to his local chemist to buy aspirin when the cashier’s pimpled rubber change-mat caught his eye. His name was E.C.Goode and he bought the mat and stuck it to the side of his ping-pong bat. The FIRST table tennis club was formed in the City of London in 1901 and met in Moorgate Street  ( see also Dec.14th) 

1953 ..... U.K ..... Europeans took their FIRST look at Cinemascope when the film The Robe premiered at The Odeon, Leicester Square, London

1959 ….. U.K ..... the £10 note was FIRST introduced 

2003 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST State visit by an American President to Britain began when President George Bush arrived in London at the start of a three day visit

2007 ….. U.K ..... Queen Elizabeth 11 became the FIRST British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary

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