Historic anniversaries in May 2012

You might like to write about the following historic anniversaries. Dates are given 6 months in advance to allow you time for research and writing.

The list presented here is just a fraction of that available in The Date-A-Base Book 2012. For example, there are 60 anniversaries listed below, but 216 anniversaries for the same month in the book, which covers the whole of 2012. (See the end of this list for more details.)

We have painstakingly cross-checked every entry, but you are advised to check all facts again as part of your research. Please let us know of any errors you find.

1000 years ago (12 May 1012)
Death of Pope Sergius IV

250 years ago (5 May 1762)
Seven Years’ War: Russia and Prussia signed the Treaty of Saint Petersburg, and on 22nd Sweden and Prussia signed the Treaty of Hamburg, ending the war

200 years ago (7 May 1812)
Birth of Robert Browning, British poet

200 years ago (11 May 1812)
Death of Spencer Perceval, British Prime Minister (1809-12), the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated

200 years ago (12 May 1812)
Birth of Edward Lear, British landscape artist and illustrator, best known as a writer of nonsense verse and limericks

150 years ago (6 May 1862)
Death of Henry David Thoreau, American writer, poet, philosopher and transcendentalist, known for his book ‘Walden’ which discusses simple living in natural surroundings, and for his essay ‘Civil Disobedience’

150 years ago (15 May 1862)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture was established

150 years ago (20 May 1862)
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law. It granted 160 acres of unoccupied public land free of charge to heads of families who agreed to settle there and cultivate it. This accelerated the settlement of the western territories

100 years ago (2 May 1912)
Birth of Axel Springer, German publisher, founder of Axel Springer Verlag AG, one of the largest publishing companies in Europe

100 years ago (11 May 1912)
Birth of Phil Silvers, American actor and comedian, best known for playing Sergeant Bilko in ‘The Phil Silvers Show’

100 years ago (13 May 1912)
The Royal Flying Corps (now the Royal Air Force) was founded in Britain

100 years ago (14 May 1912)
Death of King Frederick VIII of Denmark

100 years ago (16 May 1912)
Birth of Studs Terkel, American writer, historian, broadcaster and actor

100 years ago (18 May 1912)
Birth of Walter Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist

100 years ago (18 May 1912)
Birth of Perry Como, popular American singer and television entertainer

100 years ago (26 May 1912)
Birth of Jay Silverheels, Canadian Mohawk Indian actor (played Tonto in the television series ‘The Lone Ranger’)

100 years ago (28 May 1912)
Birth of Patrick White, British-born Australian novelist and playwright, winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature

100 years ago (30 May 1912)
Death of Wilbur Wright, American aviation pioneer (Wright brothers)

90 years ago (30 May 1922)
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., USA was dedicated

80 years ago (7 May 1932)
Death of Paul Doumer, President of France (1931-32). (Assassinated)

80 years ago (12 May 1932)
The kidnapping of American aviator Charles Lindbergh’s young son became a murder investigation when his decomposed body was found a few miles from his home in New Jersey

80 years ago (15 May 1932)
Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated during a coup

80 years ago (19 May 1932)
Birth of Alma Cogan, British pop singer. (Died 1966)

80 years ago (21 May 1932)
American aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

75 years ago (6 May 1937)
The German airship Hindenburg burst into flames as it docked at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey, USA. 36 people were killed

75 years ago (12 May 1937)
Coronation of King George VI of the United Kingdom

75 years ago (23 May 1937)
Death of John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist, founder of Standard Oil

75 years ago (27 May 1937)
The Golden Gate Bridge was opened. It links San Francisco and Marin County, California, USA

75 years ago (28 May 1937)
Neville Chamberlain became British Prime Minister

70 years ago (4 May 1942)
World War II: Germany bombed Exeter, UK, destroying the city centre

70 years ago (6 May 1942)
World War II: all American forces in the Philippines surrendered unconditionally to the Japanese

70 years ago (15 May 1942)
The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was established in the USA

60 years ago (2 May 1952)
BOAC (now British Airways) launched the world’s first jet passenger service (from London to Johannesburg) as the de Havilland Comet went into commercial service

50 years ago (19 May 1962)
American actress Marilyn Monroe famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy during a birthday party/fundraiser at Madison Square Garden, New York City

50 years ago (31 May 1962)
Death of Adolf Eichmann, German Nazi leader who organised the identification and transportation of Jews from occupied Europe to extermination camps. (Executed)

40 years ago (2 May 1972)
Death of J. Edgar Hoover, American director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and its predecessor the Bureau of Investigation

40 years ago (4 May 1972)
The Canadian-founded Don’t Make A Wave Committee changed its name to Greenpeace – the global environmental organisation

40 years ago (8 May 1972)
Vietnam War – Operation Linebacker. U.S. President Richard Nixon announced an intensive and continuous bombing campaign against North Vietnam to disrupt the flow of weapons and supplies. (The operation commenced on 9th May and lasted until October, leading to international condemnation and anti-war protests)

40 years ago (22 May 1972)
Ceylon adopted a new constitution and became the Republic of Sri Lanka

40 years ago (26 May 1972)
The USA and the Soviet Union signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow. (Effective from 3rd October 1972)

40 years ago (28 May 1972)
Death of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

40 years ago (30 May 1972)
The Official IRA in Northern Ireland announced a ceasefire against the British Army and sectarian groups (except in self-defence). It would instead pursue its aims through parliament. The Provisional IRA said it would continue its campaign of terrorism

30 years ago (2 May 1982)
Falklands War: the British submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano. Over 300 Argentine sailors were killed

30 years ago (27 May 1982 to 28th)
Falklands War: the Battle of Goose Green. British forces recaptured Goose Green from the Argentines

25 years ago (8 May 1987)
Elite soldiers from the British SAS and the Royal Ulster Constabulary ambushed and killed 8 of the IRA’s top terrorists, who became known as the Loughgall Martyrs

25 years ago (8 May 1987)
Death of Doris Stokes, British psychic medium

25 years ago (11 May 1987)
Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie (‘the Butcher of Lyon’) went on trial in Lyon, France. (On 3rd July he was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity)

25 years ago (14 May 1987)
Death of Rita Hayworth, American film actress and dancer, one of the most successful and glamorous stars of her era

25 years ago (24 May 1987)
Death of Hermione Gingold, British stage, film and television actress

20 years ago (6 May 1992)
Death of Marlene Dietrich, German-born American stage and film actress and singer

15 years ago (1 May 1997)
The Labour Party won the UK general election in a landslide victory, ending 18 years of Conservative rule. Tony Blair became Prime Minister

15 years ago (6 May 1997)
The Bank of England was granted operational independence by the government, including sole responsibility for setting interest rates

15 years ago (11 May 1997)
The IBM computer ‘Deep Blue’ defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match. (Kasparov: 1, Deep Blue: 2, drawn: 3)

15 years ago (19 May 1997)
The British government announced that the sponsorship of sporting events by tobacco companies would be banned. (Came into effect July 2003)

10 years ago (1 May 2002)
Death of John Nathan-Turner, British TV producer, best known as the producer of the BBC science fiction series ‘Doctor Who’

10 years ago (3 May 2002)
Death of Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, British politician who played a prominent role in Labour governments of the 1960s and 70s

10 years ago (6 May 2002)
Death of Wilhelmus (‘Pim’) Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist and politician. (Assassinated)

10 years ago (20 May 2002)
East Timor became an independent nation – the first of the 21st century

10 years ago (20 May 2002)
Death of Stephen Jay Gould, American palaeontologist, evolutionary biologist, science historian and science writer

10 years ago (23 May 2002)
Death of Sam Snead, American golfer

——————–

You’ll find lots more anniversaries in The Date-A-Base Book 2012, which covers the whole of 2012 and lists over 2,250 forthcoming newsworthy and notable anniversaries – more than three times as many entries each month than our standard list above. You’ll find out about  hundreds of fascinating anniversaries that other writers don’t even know about – giving you a huge advantage!

The Date-A-Base Book 2012 is a terrific source of ideas for writers, journalists, film-makers, editors, researchers, producers, teachers, students, speakers and event planners.

Click here for more details (You’ll also be able to see the complete chapter for January 2012)

——————–

Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers today for just £49.95 and you’ll receive The Date-A-Base Book 2012 (plus all future editions) as well as The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, our complete 5,000+ collection of writing ideas, unlimited use of our forums and writing software, and much more (total value: over £150!)
Click here for full details

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk

Writers’ Village Story Contest

£500 Prizes in Writers’ Village Story Contest Winter 2011

Prizes totalling £500 can be won for short fiction in any genre in the winter 2011 round of the Writers’ Village ‘Best Writing’ award. The top award is £250, with a £100 second prize and third prize of £50 plus five runner-up prizes of £20.

All entrants, winners or not, gain a helpful critique of their story – a feature thought to be unique among low-fee writing contests.

Winners will be awarded the title ‘Winner, the Writers’ Village Best Writing winter 2011 Award’ and see their work showcased online.

Any genre of prose fiction may be submitted up to 3000 words, except playscripts and poetry. Entries are welcomed world-wide. The fee is £10 for two entries and multiple entries are permitted. Deadline is 31st December 2011.

Entry rules plus all winning stories since 2009 can be found at:
http://www.writers-village.org

What If…? Essential writing prompts (Nov 2011)

Here’s another selection of What If writing prompts to inspire you – see what you can do with these!

What if . . .

1. you got shot by a taser?

2. someone started a rumour that you had killed someone?

3. time flew?

4. you failed an exam or test?

5. you changed your sleeping pattern?

6. punishments and sentences for crimes were made much harsher?

7. you were a nomad?

8. everyone hated the name you had given your child?

9. you decided to quit a lifelong addiction?

10. beings living elsewhere in the universe assumed the earth was uninhabitable?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Do you like What Ifs? Here are 4,400 more!

The Fastest Way to Get Ideas – 4,400 Essential What Ifs for Writers.

Instant inspiration for your short stories, novels, articles, characters, plots, settings and more! Fully categorised and alphabetical for easy reference. e-book (PDF). 256 pages.

Just £6.99!

Click here for full details

——————–

Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers today for just £49.95 and you’ll receive The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Date-A-Base Books for 2011 & 2012 (plus all future editions), our complete 5,000+ writing ideas collection, unlimited use of our exclusive writing engines and forums, and much more
(total value: more than £150)
Click here for full details

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk

Writers Bureau Poetry Competition

The Writers Bureau, Britain’s leading creative writing correspondence college, is once again sponsoring a Poetry Competition for 2011.

Prize money totalling more than £1,000 can be won for poems of up to 40 lines, on any theme.

The judge will be Alison Chisholm, a prolific and widely published poet. She is a popular speaker and workshop leader, and contributes regularly to Writers News and Writing Magazine.

First Prize is £500, second prize £300, third prize £200 and fourth prize £100. All winners will be published on the Writers Bureau website and the First Prize poem will appear in print in Freelance Market News.

The entry fee for each poem is £5.00 and the closing date for entries is 31st December 2011.

For further details, to download an entry form or to enter online visit:
www.wbcompetition.com

If you require an entry form by post or have any queries, please contact:

The Competition Secretary
The Writers Bureau
8-10 Dutton Street
Manchester
M3 1LE

Tel: 0161 819 9922

Historic anniversaries in April 2012

You might like to write about the following historic anniversaries. Dates are given 6 months in advance to allow you time for research and writing.

The list presented here is just a fraction of that available in The Date-A-Base Book 2012. For example, there are 60 anniversaries listed below, but 216 anniversaries for the same month in the book, which covers the whole of 2012. (See the end of this list for more details.)

We have painstakingly cross-checked every entry, but you are advised to check all facts again as part of your research. Please let us know of any errors you find.

500 years ago (10 Apr 1512)
Birth of King James V of Scotland

400 years ago (11 Apr 1612)
Death of Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher, the last person in England to be burned at the stake for heresy

200 years ago (20 Apr 1812)
Death of George Clinton, Vice President of the United States (1805–12), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States

200 years ago (30 Apr 1812)
Louisiana became the 18th U.S. state

150 years ago (16 Apr 1862)
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the District of Columbia

100 years ago (5 Apr 1912)
Birth of John Le Mesurier, award-winning British film and television actor, best known as Sergeant Wilson in the comedy series ‘Dad’s Army’

100 years ago (12 Apr 1912)
Death of Clara Barton, American teacher, nurse and humanitarian who founded the American Red Cross

100 years ago (15 Apr 1912)
The British liner ‘RMS Titanic’ sank in the Atlantic after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage to New York. More than 1,500 people were killed

100 years ago (15 Apr 1912)
Birth of Kim Il-sung, communist leader of North Korea (1948–94)

100 years ago (16 Apr 1912)
American aviator Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly a plane across the English Channel

100 years ago (20 Apr 1912)
Two notable U.S. baseball stadiums opened on this day: Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, and Navin Field (later Tiger Stadium) in Detroit, Michigan (demolished 2008-9)

100 years ago (20 Apr 1912)
Death of Bram Stoker, Irish novelist and short story writer, best known for his novel ‘Dracula’

100 years ago (21 Apr 1912)
Birth of Marcel Camus, award-winning French film director

100 years ago (22 Apr 1912)
‘Pravda’, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was first published. (Ceased publication 1996)

90 years ago (3 Apr 1922)
Joseph Stalin was elected as the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

80 years ago (10 Apr 1932)
In the German presidential election Paul von Hindenburg was elected for a second term, defeating Adolf Hitler. Hindenburg had intended retiring, but was persuaded to stand as the only person who could defeat Hitler

75 years ago (17 Apr 1937)
Daffy Duck made his debut appearance in the Warner Brothers’ cartoon ‘Porky’s Duck Hunt’

75 years ago (26 Apr 1937)
Spanish Civil War: German planes bombed the Basque town of Guernica

75 years ago (28 Apr 1937)
Birth of Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq (1979-2003). (Executed 2006)

70 years ago (9 Apr 1942)
World War II: the Bataan Death March. The Japanese forced 75,000 captured Philippines and American troops to march for 6 days without food or water to a prisoner of war camp. Thousands died

70 years ago (15 Apr 1942)
World War II: Britain awarded the George Cross to the island of Malta in recognition of the bravery of its people

60 years ago (21 Apr 1952)
Death of Sir (Richard) Stafford Cripps, British politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (1947-50), known for his harsh policies which rescued the country from economic crisis

60 years ago (28 Apr 1952)
World War II: the war between the Allied Powers and Japan officially ended as the Treaty of Peace with Japan (also known as the Treaty of San Francisco) went into effect. The Republic of China signed a separate treaty with Japan (the Treaty of Taipei) on this day

60 years ago (30 Apr 1952)
The diary of Anne Frank – a Jewish girl who died during the Holocaust – was published in English as ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’

50 years ago (10 Apr 1962)
Death of Stuart Sutcliffe, British bass guitarist (The Beatles)

50 years ago (21 Apr 1962)
The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opened in Seattle, Washington, USA. (The Space Needle tower was constructed for this fair)

50 years ago (26 Apr 1962)
Ranger 4 became the first U.S. space probe to land on the Moon, crashing on the far side

40 years ago (4 Apr 1972)
U.S. President Richard Nixon authorised the bombing of North Vietnam in response to the Easter Offensive, sparking protests across the USA

40 years ago (10 Apr 1972)
The Biological Weapons Convention was signed in London, Washington, D.C. and Moscow. It banned the use, development, manufacture, sale or transfer, and stockpiling of biological weapons. (Effective from Mar 1975)

40 years ago (16 Apr 1972)
NASA launched Apollo 16 to the Moon. This was the first manned landing in the lunar highlands, though the landing was nearly aborted after an engine crisis

40 years ago (22 Apr 1972)
British rowers John Fairfax and Sylvia Cook became the first people to row across the Pacific Ocean. (They took 361 days)

30 years ago (2 Apr 1982)
The Falklands War began. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands

30 years ago (15 Apr 1982)
Death of Arthur Lowe, award-winning British actor, best known as Captain Mainwaring in the popular comedy series ‘Dad’s Army’

30 years ago (17 Apr 1982)
Queen Elizabeth II signed the Canada Act into law, severing Canada’s last ties with Britain and making it wholly independent

30 years ago (25 Apr 1982)
Israel withdrew its troops from the Sinai Peninsula, as agreed under the Camp David Accords of 1978

30 years ago (25 Apr 1982)
Death of Celia Johnson, British stage, film and television actress (‘Brief Encounter’, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’, and many other roles)

25 years ago (1 Apr 1987)
U.S. President Ronald Reagan declared AIDS ‘public health enemy No. 1’

25 years ago (2 Apr 1987)
Death of Buddy Rich, American jazz drummer and bandleader, considered the greatest jazz drummer of all time

25 years ago (3 Apr 1987)
The late Duchess of Windsor’s jewellery was sold at an auction in Geneva, Switzerland for £31 million ($50m) – six times the expected figure

25 years ago (5 Apr 1987)
Fox Broadcasting Company launched its first prime-time TV schedule

25 years ago (19 Apr 1987)
‘The Simpsons’ was first broadcast as a cartoon short on ‘The Tracey Ullman Show’ in the USA

20 years ago (2 Apr 1992)
American Mafia boss John Gotti was convicted of 13 counts of murder, racketeering and obstruction of justice. (On 23rd June he was sentenced to life imprisonment)

20 years ago (5 Apr 1992)
Balkan conflict – the Siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia began. (Ended Feb 1996)

20 years ago (5 Apr 1992)
Death of Sam Walton, American retail executive, founder of Wal-Mart – the biggest retail sales chain in the USA

20 years ago (6 Apr 1992)
Death of Isaac Asimov, prolific Russian-born American writer and biochemist, known for his hugely successful science fiction stories and popular science books

20 years ago (9 Apr 1992)
Former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega was convicted of drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering at a court in Miami, Florida, USA. (Sentenced to 40 years in prison – later reduced to 30)

20 years ago (12 Apr 1992)
Disneyland Paris (also known as Euro Disney) opened in France

20 years ago (16 Apr 1992)
The President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Najibullah, was forced to resign as his regime collapsed. (He was briefly replaced by acting president Abdul Rahim Hatef until 28th when Islamic rebels seized power)

20 years ago (23 Apr 1992)
The world’s largest McDonald’s fast-food restaurant opened in Beijing, China

20 years ago (27 Apr 1992)
Betty Boothroyd became the first woman Speaker of Britain’s House of Commons

20 years ago (29 Apr 1992)
Los Angeles riots, USA. A jury acquitted four police officers of the (videotaped) beating of African-American motorist Rodney King, sparking six days of riots in which 53 people were killed

10 years ago (1 Apr 2002)
The Netherlands legalised euthanasia

10 years ago (11 Apr 2002)
American congressman James Traficant was convicted of bribery, racketeering and corruption

10 years ago (15 Apr 2002)
Death of Damon Knight, American science fiction writer, editor and critic, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)

10 years ago (16 Apr 2002)
Death of Robert Urich, American actor, best known for his starring roles in the TV series ‘Vega$’ and ‘Spenser: For Hire’

10 years ago (16 Apr 2002)
Death of Ruth Fertel, American entrepreneur, founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses

10 years ago (18 Apr 2002)
American actor Robert Blake was arrested for the murder of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley in May 2001. (He was acquitted in March 2005 but found liable in a civil case in November 2005)

10 years ago (18 Apr 2002)
Death of Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian explorer and adventurer, best known for the ‘Kon-Tiki’ and ‘Ra’ expeditions which were intended to prove that earlier civilisations could have crossed the oceans

10 years ago (25 Apr 2002)
Death of Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, American rapper, singer and songwriter, member of TLC

10 years ago (27 Apr 2002)
Death of Ruth Handler, American businesswoman, co-founder of the Mattel toy company, creator of the Barbie doll

——————–

You’ll find lots more anniversaries in The Date-A-Base Book 2012, which covers the whole of 2012 and lists over 2,250 forthcoming newsworthy and notable anniversaries – more than three times as many entries each month than our standard list above. You’ll find out about  hundreds of fascinating anniversaries that other writers don’t even know about – giving you a huge advantage!

The Date-A-Base Book 2012 is a terrific source of ideas for writers, journalists, film-makers, editors, researchers, producers, teachers, students, speakers and event planners.

ebook version (PDF): £6.99 (approx $11)
printed version : £8.99 (approx $14) + delivery

Click here for more details (You’ll also be able to see the complete chapter for January 2012 – all 207 entries!)

——————–

Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers today for just £49.95 and you’ll receive The Date-A-Base Book 2012 (plus all future editions) as well as The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, our complete 5,000+ collection of writing ideas, unlimited use of our forums and writing software, and much more (total value: over £150!)
Click here for full details

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk

What If…? Essential writing prompts (Oct 2011)

Here’s another selection of What If writing prompts to inspire you – see what you can do with these!

What if . . .

1. you carefully worded a job advertisement so that you would be the only person suitable for it?

2. the wedding ring broke as it was placed on your finger (or on the bride’s finger)?

3. you woke up after being in a coma for several years?

4. you couldn’t have the one thing you wanted more than anything else?

5. it was a victimless crime?

6. you could cure blindness?

7. the secret was out?

8. there was a type of weapon that suddenly increased gravity in the target’s vicinity?

9. you could store time?

10. humans had evolved from insects and had six legs?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Do you like What Ifs? Here are 4,400 more!

The Fastest Way to Get Ideas – 4,400 Essential What Ifs for Writers.

Instant inspiration for your short stories, novels, articles, characters, plots, settings and more! Fully categorised and alphabetical for easy reference. e-book (PDF). 256 pages.

Just £6.99!

Click here for full details

——————–

Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers today for just £49.95 and you’ll receive The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Date-A-Base Books for 2011 & 2012 (plus all future editions), our complete 5,000+ writing ideas collection, unlimited use of our exclusive writing engines and forums, and much more
(total value: more than £150)
Click here for full details

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk

Historic anniversaries in March 2012

You might like to write about the following historic anniversaries. Dates are given 6 months in advance to allow you time for research and writing.

The list presented here is just a fraction of that available in The Date-A-Base Book 2012. For example, there are 60 anniversaries listed below, but 201 anniversaries for the same month in the book, which also covers the whole of 2012.

We have painstakingly cross-checked every entry, but you are advised to check all facts again as part of your research. Please let us know of any errors you find.

500 years ago (5 Mar 1512)
Birth of Gerardus Mercator, Flemish cartographer, best known for the Mercator projection world map

250 years ago (17 Mar 1762)
New York City held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade

200 years ago (1 Mar 1812)
Birth of Augustus Pugin, British architect, designer, design theorist and writer, best remembered for his use of the Gothic Revival style in the Palace of Westminster and many churches

200 years ago (6 Mar 1812)
Birth of Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American watchmaker whose innovative use of interchangeable parts led to the mass-production of watches

200 years ago (16 Mar 1812 to 6th Apr)
Peninsular War – Battle of Badajoz, Spain. British and Portuguese forces defeated the French in one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars

150 years ago (10 Mar 1862)
The first national paper money was issued in the USA. Known as United States Notes, they replaced the earlier Demand Notes that could be exchanged for coins at Treasury offices

150 years ago (28 Mar 1862)
Birth of Aristide Briand, Prime Minister of France several times between 1909 and 1929, joint winner of the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize

100 years ago (7 Mar 1912)
French aviator Henri Seimet made the first non-stop flight from Paris to London

100 years ago (12 Mar 1912)
The first Girl Guides (now Girl Scouts) troop in the USA was founded in Savannah, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low

100 years ago (16 Mar 1912?)
Death of Lawrence Oates, British Antarctic explorer, a member of Scott’s ill-fated expedition, who famously said ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ as he walked into a blizzard where he faced certain death

100 years ago (22 Mar 1912)
Birth of Karl Malden, American film and TV actor (‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘On the Waterfront’, ‘One-Eyed Jacks’. Also played Lieutenant Mike Stone in ‘The Streets of San Francisco’ – his best-known TV role)

100 years ago (22 Mar 1912)
Birth of Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor (played Albert Steptoe in ‘Steptoe and Son’)

100 years ago (23 Mar 1912)
Birth of Wernher von Braun, German-born American rocket scientist and engineer

100 years ago (27 Mar 1912)
Birth of James Callaghan, British Prime Minister (1976-79)

100 years ago (29 Mar 1912)
Death of Robert Falcon Scott, British Antarctic explorer. He and his team perished while returning from his second Antarctic expedition

100 years ago (30 Mar 1912)
In Britain’s University Boat Race the Oxford and the Cambridge boats both sank. The race was re-run on Monday 1st April (won by Oxford)

80 years ago (1 Mar 1932)
American aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh’s infant son was kidnapped from his home in Hopewell, New Jersey. (Found dead 12th May)

80 years ago (19 Mar 1932)
Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia was opened

75 years ago (11 Mar 1937)
Death of Joseph S. Cullinan, American oil industrialist, founder of Texaco

75 years ago (15 Mar 1937)
Death of H. P. Lovecraft, influential American horror, fantasy and science fiction writer

65 years ago (1 Mar 1947)
The International Monetary Fund began operating

60 years ago (4 Mar 1952)
American actor and future U.S. President Ronald Reagan married Nancy Davis in Los Angeles, California

60 years ago (10 Mar 1952)
Fulgencio Batista deposed Cuban president Carlos Prío Socarrás and returned to power in a bloodless military coup

60 years ago (11 Mar 1952)
Birth of Douglas Adams, British comedy writer and dramatist, best known for ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. (Died 2001)

60 years ago (21 Mar 1952)
The Moondog Coronation Ball was held in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It is generally regarded as the first ever rock and roll concert

50 years ago (18 Mar 1962)
The Évian Accords were signed by France and Algeria, ending the Algerian War of Independence. (Algeria became independent in July)

50 years ago (24 Mar 1962)
Death of Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist who explored the upper atmosphere by balloon and the depths of the sea by bathyscaphe, both of which he designed himself

40 years ago (2 Mar 1972)
NASA launched the Pioneer 10 space probe to explore the outer solar system. It famously carries a gold plaque that describes what humans look like and where we are. (It became the first space probe to fly through the Asteroid Belt and the first to fly past Jupiter)

40 years ago (24 Mar 1972)
The government of Northern Ireland resigned and parliament was dissolved. On 30th the UK established direct rule from London (until 1999)

40 years ago (27 Mar 1972)
Death of M.C. Escher, Dutch graphic artist, known for his detailed prints of bizarre optical effects, metamorphoses of one object into another, and impossible constructions

40 years ago (29 Mar 1972)
Death of J. Arthur Rank, British industrialist, film producer and distributor, founder of the Rank Organisation, co-founder of Pinewood Film Studios

40 years ago (30 Mar 1972)
Vietnam War – the Easter Offensive (Nguyen Hue Offensive). North Vietnamese forces launched an all-out invasion of the South

30 years ago (2 Mar 1982)
Death of Philip K. Dick, American science fiction writer. Several of his stories became popular movies, including ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Total Recall’ and ‘Minority Report’

30 years ago (3 Mar 1982)
The Barbican Centre in London was opened by the Queen. It is the largest arts and conference venue in Europe

30 years ago (5 Mar 1982)
Death of John Belushi, American comedy actor and musician, best known for his appearances on the U.S. TV series ‘Saturday Night Live’, and for the films ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ and ‘The Blues Brothers’

30 years ago (6 Mar 1982)
Death of Ayn Rand, Russian-born American philosopher and writer, best known for the novels ‘The Fountainhead’ and ‘Atlas Shrugged’ and for developing the philosophy of Objectivism

30 years ago (19 Mar 1982)
Falklands War: a group of Argentine marines posing as salvage workers landed on South Georgia and raised the Argentine flag. (Argentina invaded the Falklands two weeks later on 2nd April)

30 years ago (29 Mar 1982)
Death of Carl Orff, German composer, best known for ‘Carmina Burana’. He also developed a system of music education for children which was widely adopted

25 years ago (3 Mar 1987)
Death of Danny Kaye, American actor, comedian, singer and humanitarian (‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’, ‘Hans Christian Andersen’, ‘White Christmas’, and many others)

25 years ago (4 Mar 1987)
U.S. President Ronald Reagan accepted full responsibility for the Iran-Contra scandal and admitted making mistakes, saying his heart and best intentions told him he did not trade arms for hostages, but the facts and evidence said he did

25 years ago (6 Mar 1987)
The British ferry ‘Herald of Free Enterprise’ capsized off Zeebrugge, Belgium after leaving its bow doors open. 193 people were killed

25 years ago (10 Mar 1987)
The Vatican condemned artificial insemination, genetic engineering, surrogate motherhood, test-tube babies, cloning, and pre-determining a foetus’s sex or other qualities, saying it was ‘morally illicit’

25 years ago (19 Mar 1987)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved AZT, a drug used in the treatment of AIDS and found to prolong the lives of patients

25 years ago (19 Mar 1987)
American televangelist Jim Bakker resigned from his PTL organisation in a sex scandal. (He was subsequently jailed for fraud and conspiracy)

25 years ago (28 Mar 1987)
Death of Maria von Trapp, Austrian singer and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers, whose story inspired the Rogers and Hammerstein musical ‘The Sound of Music’

25 years ago (28 Mar 1987)
Death of Patrick Troughton, British actor (played the second Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’ from 1966 to 1969)

20 years ago (17 Mar 1992)
The people of South Africa voted in a referendum to back political reform and end apartheid

20 years ago (19 Mar 1992)
Buckingham Palace announced the separation of the Duke and Duchess of York – Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. (Married July 1986, divorced May 1996)

20 years ago (25 Mar 1992)
Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returned to Earth after spending 10 months on the Mir space station. During this time the Soviet Union was dissolved, and he returned as a citizen of Russia

20 years ago (31 Mar 1992)
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Libya after it failed to accept responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the bombing of a French plane over Niger

15 years ago (6 Mar 1997)
Queen Elizabeth II opened the official Royal website (www.royal.gov.uk)

15 years ago (26 Mar 1997)
Police found the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate religious cult, who had committed suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA

10 years ago (3 Mar 2002)
In a referendum the citizens of Switzerland voted to join the United Nations, ending nearly 200 years of neutrality. (Joined 10th Sept 2002)

10 years ago (12 Mar 2002)
The U.S. Homeland Security Advisory System was launched – a colour-coded warning system that gives the current level of terror/threat alert

10 years ago (21 Mar 2002)
British schoolgirl Amanda (‘Milly’) Dowler vanished while walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. (Body found in Hampshire in September 2002. A man was charged with her murder in March 2010)

10 years ago (23 Mar 2002)
Death of Ben Hollioake, Australian-born British cricketer

10 years ago (25 Mar 2002)
Death of Kenneth Wolstenholme, British football commentator, best remembered for his commentary at the 1966 World Cup Final: ‘Some people are on the pitch. They think it’s all over… It is now!’ as the last goal was scored

10 years ago (27 Mar 2002)
Death of Dudley Moore, British actor, comedian, musician and composer, best remembered for his comedy partnership with Peter Cook, and for his roles in the films ’10’ and ‘Arthur’

10 years ago (27 Mar 2002)
Death of Billy Wilder, Academy Award-winning Austrian-born American film director and producer (‘Double Indemnity’, ‘Sunset Boulevard’, ‘The Lost Weekend’, ‘The Seven Year Itch’, ‘Some Like It Hot’, and others)

10 years ago (30 Mar 2002)
Death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, mother of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

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You’ll find lots more anniversaries in The Date-A-Base Book 2012, which covers the whole of 2012 and lists over 2,250 forthcoming newsworthy and notable anniversaries – more than three times as many entries per month than our standard list above. Over the course of the year you’ll get to hear about hundreds of anniversaries that other writers won’t know about, giving you a huge advantage!

The Date-A-Base Book 2012 is a terrific source of ideas for all writers, journalists, film-makers, editors, researchers, producers, teachers, students, speakers and event planners.
Click here for more details and the complete listing for January 2012

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Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers today for just £49.95 and you’ll receive The Date-A-Base Book 2012 (plus all future editions) as well as The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, our complete 5,000+ collection of writing ideas, unlimited use of our forums and writing engines, and much more (total value: over £150!)
Click here for full details

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk

Nothing to do with writing for a change

Here’s something else I’m involved in – nothing to do with writing. If you aren’t interested, please skip this week’s blog – our usual monthly list of anniversaries will be back next week.

Our little town has been trying to build a swimming pool for many decades, but still doesn’t have one. The committee gave up all hope at the end of August and decided to close the campaign down. So I stepped in to keep it going. Since the entire committee resigned (there were only 3 of them left anyway), I immediately became chairman of the new group.

Fortunately plenty of people felt just as strongly as I did about it, and we now have a brand new committee of 12.

Previous committees have always pursued the sole aim of trying to get the local authority to fund, build and operate the pool. The local authority said it would cost millions to build, and the number of users wouldn’t be large enough to cover the operating costs, so they didn’t want to know.

Being an ideas man (and handy with search engines) I quickly found plenty of non-local-authority pools that were built (and continue to run successfully) by volunteers, operate as charities, and (unlike local authority pools) cover their operating costs despite being in areas with tiny populations.

We can keep building costs down by using volunteer labour and donated/surplus materials as much as possible. It doesn’t have to be in a multi-million pound sports complex – a greenhouse will do for now. And we can eliminate most of the operating costs by using volunteer staff, solar heating, non-chemical filters, and all sorts of other things.

So that’s what we’re doing. I’ve completely new to all this, only been doing it for about 3 weeks, and I’m having to learn everything as I go along. But we’re an enthusiastic and capable bunch and I’m sure we’ll get there this time.

Why am I doing this? Mostly because I want to walk to my local swimming pool, not make a 45-minute round trip car journey with a daughter who gets really badly car sick.

You can read more about our progress so far in this article from the Culm Valley Gazette. (Remind me to never allow myself to be photographed from above again.) And here’s our Facebook page.

If you have any ideas, innovations, or outside-the-box fundraising tips I’d love to hear from you – please post a comment on the  blog.

OK … back to writing! (Thanks for listening if you made it this far.)

What If…? Essential writing prompts (Sept 2011)

Here’s another selection of What If writing prompts to inspire you – see what you can do with these!

What if . . .

1. the tide didn’t go out today?

2. you couldn’t – and wouldn’t – stand other people’s faults?

3. it wasn’t the time you thought it was?

4. you were not allowed to be famous if you were too attractive as it gave people false ideals?

5. there was a cannibal district in most towns and cities?

6. someone else was sending emails from your account?

7. all meals came from vending machines?

8. you tried to prevent something really embarrassing from happening?

9. you missed the beginning and couldn’t work out what was happening?

10. fate wanted you to get together with someone you didn’t really like?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Do you like What Ifs? Here are 4,400 more!

The Fastest Way to Get Ideas – 4,400 Essential What Ifs for Writers.

Instant inspiration for your short stories, novels, articles, characters, plots, settings and more! Fully categorised and alphabetical for easy reference. e-book (PDF). 256 pages.

Just £6.99!

Click here for full details

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Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers today for just £49.95 and you’ll receive The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Date-A-Base Books for 2011 & 2012 (plus all future editions), our complete 5,000+ writing ideas collection, unlimited use of our exclusive writing engines and forums, and much more
(total value: more than £150)
Click here for full details

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk

Writing ideas collection Vol 4 now available

We have just released 8 new e-books in our ideas collection. These books are all part of our Writing, Editing and Publishing collection. See below for more details.

You do not need to be a member of ideas4writers to buy these books – they are available to everyone (for the first time ever!)

You can buy any of the categories individually, or you can buy the complete collection in a single volume.

(Lifetime members: please note that you do not need to buy these ebooks – they are included in your membership and you can download them from the members’ section at our main website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk)

All books are PDF format.

Editing
117 ideas, 49 pages, £4.99
Full details + sample idea
*
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*

Getting Ideas
218 ideas, 95 pages, £6.99
Full details + sample idea
*
*
*

Getting Published
128 ideas, 65 pages, £4.99
Full details + sample idea
*
*
*

Overcoming Rejection
30 ideas, 13 pages, £1.99
Full details + sample idea
*
*
*

Self-publishing
75 ideas, 41 pages, £3.99
Full details + sample idea
*
*
*

Writer’s Block
143 ideas, 67 pages, £4.99
Full details + sample idea
*
*
*

Writing
159 ideas, 70 pages, £5.99
Full details + sample idea
*
*
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The Complete “Writing, Editing & Publishing” Collection

870 ideas, 400 pages, £17.99
(you save £15.94 by buying the complete volume)
Full details

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Become a lifetime member of ideas4writers for just £49.95 and you’ll get The Date-A-Base Books for 2011 & 2012 (plus all future editions) as well as The Fastest Way to Write Your Book, The Fastest Way to Get Ideas, our complete 5,000+ writing ideas collection, unlimited use of our forums and writing engines, and much more (total value over £150)
Find out more here

——————–

Visit the ideas4writers website: www.ideas4writers.co.uk
Join our Facebook group
Follow us on Twitter: @ideas4writers
Email us: enquiries@ideas4writers.co.uk