100 years ago

“In view of the evidence of widespread immorality in our midst, this conference is of the opinion that more definite moral education should be given to young people by parents, and also at suitable times by teachers.”

This resolution had been carried at a conference on the white slave traffic, held at Southport. Mrs Shilton Watkins, referred to the unrest, especially among her own sex. There must, she said, be some meaning in this outburst of womanhood. What was it that had driven women over the border into illogical action? It was the awful depth of immorality rampant in our midst.

The White Slave Bill, passed by men, presented first a commercial aspect – in applying it proof had to be given that money had been drawn from another. Again, when action was taken, the woman was named, but not often the man.

 

50 years ago

The jury had retired in the Frank Sinatra, junior, kidnap case which, the defence contended, was a publicity-seeking hoax. The prosecution said it was “a vicious crime pulled by rank amateurs moved by greed”.

Lawyers for the accused said in closing arguments that the 20-year-old Sinatra “acted like a puppet” during the kidnapping. '”He was on a joy-ride,” they added. Sinatra was taken from a motel at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and released three days later after his father had paid a ransom of 240,000 dollars (about £86,000 sterling).

Federal Judge William East told the jurors, “if, as the defendants contend, you believe the kidnapping was staged for publicity or advertising purposes with the pre-arrangement of Frank Sinatra, junior, or persons on his behalf, then you must acquit on the kidnapping and conspiracy charges. But I must comment there was no direct evidence in this case by Frank Sinatra, junior, or persons on his behalf that pre-arrangements were made for his abduction.”

 

25 years ago

Mrs Thatcher had called on every country to take action to save the world's ozone shield.

She told the Saving The Ozone Layer conference in London: “It’s not a case of some countries asking other countries to act. It is a case of every country taking action, if we are to protect all peoples. Even if all the chemicals which damage the ozone layer were banned tomorrow, ozone depletion would continue for more than a decade and it would take our planet something like 100 years to replenish the ozone already lost. Such is the extent of the damage we have already done.”

Echoing the Prince of Wales’s warning about the need to save the ozone layer, Mrs Thatcher said the problem would not be confined to the South Pole, where scientists had first detected the hole in the ozone layer.