Tag Archives: 1955

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On this day: Britain claims an islet.

On the 18th of September, 1955, Britain claimed Rockall. Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, the uninhabited granite islet is 370 kilometres east of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.

Lt. Cdr. Scott RN raises the Union Flag over Rockall on 18th September 1955, with the words, In the name of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, I hereby take posession of this Island

In the image above Lt. Cdr. Scott RN raises the Union Flag with the words:

‘In the name of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, I hereby take possession of this Island of Rockall.’

Royal Marine Commando Cpl. Alexander A. Fraser stands beside him.

Winter wave breaking over the island of Rockall. The wave's height over the steep West side may be estimated at 170 feet. Photographed from an RAF Coastal Command aircraft from RAF Aldergrove during World War II. 11 March 1943.

In March, 1943 a 170-foot wave crashing into the islet was photographed by the Royal Air Force.

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On this day: Reconstruction in London

EPSON scanner image

This image, taken on the 14th of July, 1955, shows reconstruction in the City of London. The scaffolding surrounds what was left of the church of All Hallows-by-the-Tower after extensive German bombing during the Second World War.

The Tower of London can be seen in the background.

The destruction was particularly devastating as a church had stood on the site since the year 675.

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On this day: the opening of Disneyland

Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California on Sunday the 17th of July, 1955.

Disneyland_opening_day_03After years of planning, Walt Disney's very first theme park Disneyland opened its gates at 230PM on Sunday July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California.

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The original press preview event was attended by about 28 000 people, even though only around half of the attendees had legitimate tickets.

The park opened to the public the following day, offering twenty attractions.

Disneyland_Opening_Day_01After years of planning, Walt Disney's very first theme park Disneyland opened its gates at 230PM on Sunday July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California.

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On this day: the bombing of the Kashmir Princess

The Kashmir Princess was a chartered Lockheed L-749A Constellation aircraft owned by Air India. On 11 April 1955, it was damaged in midair by a bomb explosion and crashed into the South China Sea.

The Kashmir Princess, an aircraft operated by Air India, was bombed and sank into the South China Sea on the 11th of April, 1955.

Of the nineteen people on board, sixteen died.

Zhou_Enlai_MeiyuanXincun17_Nanjing_1946Zhou Enlai (Chinese 周恩来; Wade–Giles Chou En-lai 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China

Zhou Enlai in 1946

It emerged that the target of the bombing was China’s first Premier, Zhou Enlai, though he was not on the flight. More recently it has emerged that he might have known about the assassination attempt and so did not board the plane, even though he claimed to have been delayed due to surgery.

The aeroplane was supposed to have travelled from Bombay, India to Hong Kong and then on to Jakarta, Indonesia.

While China accused the United States’ CIA for the bombing, America has always denied the claims. Evidence points to Kremlin-backed Chinese nationalist party Kuomintang as the likely bombers.