1755 Smuggler Louis Mandrin considered the French Robin Hood is sentenced to be broken on the wheel, a medieval form of torture and execution that breaks the bones of the subject.
1844 Samuel Morse taps out "What hath God wrought" in the world's first telegraph message
On 24th May 1847, five people were killed in the Dee Bridge Disaster, when Robert Stephenson's railway bridge at Chester collapsed.
An investigation concluded that the design was flawed and a Royal Commission condemned the use of cast iron on railway bridges. Stephenson later rebuilt the bridge using wrought iron.
1862 Westminster Bridge across The Thames in London opens, becoming the second such bridge after an earlier bridge fell into decay
On the 24th May 1901, 81 of the 82 men working at the Universal Colliery, Senghenydd, were killed in a gas and coal dust explosion
A report showed that fire, coal dust and air produced a deadly mixture, and new laws were passed requiring the constant damping down of coal dust.
However, a much bigger disaster occurred in the same mine 12 years later, killing 439 men and boys, the worst mining disaster in UK history. Safety had not been prioritised and regulations had been ignored. Universal Colliery was finally closed on Friday 30 March 1928 with the loss of 2500 jobs.
1930Amy Johnson landed at Darwin, Australia and became the first woman to fly from England to Australia.
The National Botanic Garden of Wales near Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire was opened to the public on 24th May 2000.
It is both a tourist attraction and a centre for botanical research and the conservation of rare and endangered plants. Its 'Great Glasshouse' is the largest of its kind in the world.
Music The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland on 24th May 1956.
2003Britain's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest failed to score a single point, a fact later blamed on the UK's stance during the Iraq conflict.
1965: Tony Blackburn boards the Mi Amigo for his first stint on Radio Caroline South.
1984: Laser 558 officially launches from the radio-ship MV Communicator. First on air is Rick Harris, followed by David Lee Stone, Jessie Brandon and Steve Masters. Finished.
1755 Smuggler Louis Mandrin considered the French Robin Hood is sentenced to be broken on the wheel, a medieval form of torture and execution that breaks the bones of the subject...why not toss em to the lions..faster and kinder
