From our archives:

85 years ago

Entertainment at the Thirsk Constitutional Club Carnival Ball came in the form of Peter, the sand snake.

Making his debut as part of a fancy dress costume his master, Mr Hutchinson, portrayed an Oriental snake charmer with the presence of Peter to complete the effect.

During a voyage of discovery round the ballroom he made friends with the men and the more daring of the ladies present.

It was another full house at the Theatre Royal to see the York Amateurs in “The Arcadians.”

The occasion being Military night, many officers of the Northern Command had taken the opportunity of bringing along their wives to see the Amateurs in their latest success.

Never slow in realising the needs of the York County Hospital, the York Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society had surpassed all their previous productions by securing a huge amount of donations for the Hospital.

And the Yorkshire Law Society’s dinner was held at the Royal Station Hotel, with chief guests Mr Justice Mackinnon, the Lord Mayor and Sir John Hunt.

50 years ago

Home Oil of Canada, had struck again with another exciting natural gas find on the North Riding moors.

The strike, at Home Oil’s Lockton No 7 well, was one mile east of their big gas find of 1966 at the Lockton No 2A well, in between Pickering and Whitby.

According Mr Fong, exploration manager for Home Oil, it now looked as though the Lockton area was quite rich in gas.

Nearly 70 residents of picturesque Haxby, near York, found the route to forming a village trust fought with pitfalls, after angry voices were raised against hints that bingo might be used to raise funds for the new organisation at its annual parish meeting.

And Glasgow’s John McCluskey had received a visit from the Duke of Edinburgh before his fight with Zambia’s Lid Miller at the Anglo-American Sporting Club in London.

20 years ago

The Prince of Wales was expected to carry out several official engagements just 24 hours after undergoing laser keyhole surgery on his right knee.

The Prince, 49, was due to visit the Princess of Wales Hospital, South Wales, just before launching a new training centre for Prince’s Trust Volunteers at the town’s privately-run Parc Prison.

And British au pair Louise Woodward awaited her fate as she entered the Suffolk County Courthouse after appealing to the Supreme Judicial Court over her conviction in the death of Matthew Eappen.