From our archives:

85 years ago

One hundred thousand agricultural farmers had now been informed of a change to the potato duty. Imported old potatoes were now £1 per ton and new potatoes 4s 8d, in the hope that the public would stop buying luxury potatoes and only purchase English grown produce. Rescue operations continued throughout the day, as very strong gales and floods, were just some of the features of a very wet weekend. The most serious case of flooding was at Niffany Farm, where farmers had to ride out on horseback through five feet of water, to reach a flock of sheep, cows and poultry, caught by the rising water. And Australia’s oldest actress, Miss Fanny Wiseman, had just celebrated her 86th birthday. The flamboyant Miss Wiseman who made her star debut as a fairy in a pantomime in 1854, also went on to play Lady Macbeth in her teens, before finally taking the role of Topsy in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.

50 years ago

Six girls, wearing hearts on their hats, were out in full force on the streets of York to promote the “pinta” campaign. Driving white Vivas and dressed in white from head to toe, they were calling on homes looking for pinta families and distributing 10s notes. “Drive safely on milk” was also hoped to be the new slogan for the future, with one public house in Harrogate, installing a milk machine after a considerable amount of inquiries since the new breathalyser tests had been introduced. Granada TV was giving Hayley Mills lovers a double treat as viewers got to see her twice in one week. Firstly, in the film Whistle Down The Wind and then in her newest film, Pretty Polly. In cinema’s film goers had the pleasure of the very visual but emotional Doctor Zhivago.

20 years ago

York firework firm Firepower had left 22 injured after one of their organised bonfire displays had ended in chaos due to the explosion of 90 kilos of pyrotechnics. Beware of the siren call of the car boot sale was the message from York trading standards officers after desperate parents were on the hunt for the elusive Teletubbies in the run up to Christmas. And York Early Music Festival announced it would present its first Christmas Festival thanks to the support from local sponsors.