From our archives:

85 years ago

Among the most prized possessions in Princess Elizabeth’s nursery was shortly to be a copy of “Alice in Wonderland” signed “From the original Alice.”

Which was one of her last acts before she left to spend her 80th birthday in the United States.

An official memorial to Lewis Carroll also took place on the children’s ward at St Mary’s Hospital with the book on view for a whole week.

News from across the waters reported that President Hoover, the 57-year-old blacksmith’s son was to stand again for the US Presidency.

Having completed a four year term, Mr Hoover had filed a certificate of candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination, removing any doubt that it was anything but his intention to stand for a second term of office.

The LMS railway began to try out a new advertising scheme in a bid to help the British textile industry.

Linen headrests made in Lancashire and printed with advertisements were now aboard the railway’s fleet.

50 years ago

York received its first yellow coloured fire tender.

The emergency tender which went to road accidents with lighting and cutting equipment had been repainted in a colour officially described as “City of Coventry fire brigade yellow-green.”

The reason for the new coat of paint was to increase the tender’s visibility.

Under sodium and mercury lighting the old red colour appeared black.

The old Tower Cinema in York, was no more, as bulldozers finished demolishing the last of its remains.

Overlooking the project and surveying the plans for the 13-shop arcade and development was General foreman Mr Shelton and Mr Eastwood contract supervisor.

Upper Poppleton parish council refused to allow a chest X-ray unit to use their public car park.

The unit instead had to use the private car park at the Fox Inn.

20 years ago

A man was killed and two people injured when fire tore through flats in Haxby Road, York.

The suspected arson attack started just after 2am at number 149, and was so severe it had gutted the whole ground floor.

A suspected IRA bomb alert had paralysed the country’s roads and railways as an explosion forced a mass evacuation from Leeds train station.

There were also unconfirmed reports of a small explosion near Doncaster railway station and a controlled explosion had been carried out on a package found at Stoke-on-Trent.