From our archives:

85 years ago

York Corporation Electricity Generating Station had become part of the Central Electricity Board’s scheme.

York was now able to receive its supplies of electricity through the National Grid at Osbaldwick.

The Foss Islands Station had announced it was to continue to be a producing and distributing centre, but no longer deemed it necessary that the plant should be run day and night seven days a week.

The Prime Minister had issued his New Year message to the nation and then brought in the New Year with a quiet family gathering at “The Hillocks,” his Lossiemouth home.

After receiving a few personal friends at midnight the gathering followed the old Scottish custom of “first footing,” paying several calls.

And rain had fallen on London as the New Year was ushered in, followed by clouds which rolled away to reveal the sun.

The improvement was only temporary, however, as during the afternoon rain fell in nearly all districts.

50 years ago

Today, the first day of the New Year, was the day on which colour television licences had come into force, and at 9am sharp the first two customers for £10 licences arrived at the York Head Post Office, Lendal.

Mr Alan Nixon, licensee of the Golden Lion, St Sampson’s Square, who kept his £345 set in a special room for his customers to watch, paid up cheerfully.

“It’s worth every penny,” he said. "I’ve had the set since December, and it’s proved a big attraction for customers. It’s certainly increased trade.”

Pope Paul called on the big powers to try every possible means of ending the Vietnam War and avert the disaster of a wider conflict.

20 years ago

A Mc-nificent New Year awaited a York company which was set to tap into a massive British expansion announced by the McDonald’s restaurant empire.

Specialist fabrication firm Yorkon Ltd, the independent division of Portakabin, had already built more than 70 of McDonald’s roadside fast food outlets all over Britain over the past three years, assembling modules for them at its 40-acre Huntington site.

Zara Collins was the first new arrival of the year at York Hospital.

The baby girl was born at 4.50am the first of five babies born at the hospital that morning.

And 500 yellow plastic birds had been launched into the Halfpenny Beck at Escrick for its annual duck race.