Monday, June 21, 2004

100 years ago: York Station staff shift 2 members and their friends held their annual excursion to Edinburgh. The party, about 30 in number, left York by the 1.14am express in a saloon kindly lent for the occasion, arriving in Edinburgh about 6am. The party visited Arthur's Seat, after which they adjoined to Buchanan's Temperance Hotel, where they had breakfast. They then visited most places of interest including a steamer trip to Forth Bridge and Aberdour, embarking and disembarking at Leith Pier. Tea was also served at Buchanan's, and the party left Waverley Station at 1.45pm, arriving back in York at 1.15am, having spent a most enjoyable day.

50 years ago: Jonah, the giant 69 ton whale which had toured the continent on the world's largest motor trailer, was coming to York at the beginning of next month. This unusual showpiece was making a two day visit to the city as an added attraction at the City of York Ideal Homes Exhibition, which was being held on St George's Field. Jonah was captured off the Norwegian coast, and instead of being cut up, 2,200 gallons of formalin preservative was pumped into him to harden the flesh and prevent decomposition, and to help preserve him, Jonah's intestines were also removed. The liver was found to weigh seven tons, his tongue turned the scale at 2,575lb, but his brain weighed only 15lb.

Because of his weight, he was carried on a 100ft lorry and to overcome traffic difficulties, Jonah would arrive in York at about 3am on July 3.

25 years ago: A television programme on Britain's boozers, researched by York University professor Laurie Taylor ,looked set to shatter a few myths. The programme pointed out that four pints a day or the equivalent in other drinks was classed as "heavy drinking," a surprise to even the researcher. On New Year's Day five million people spent the day in bed trying not to remember the night before, and the highest ratio of pubs to person of any British city, at 156 to 100,000 head of population, an average of one alehouse for every 640 people, was York.

Updated: 11:19 Monday, June 21, 2004