From our archives:

85 years ago

Crowds had gathered in Thirsk, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the greatest riders of his time, Mr Gordon Richards, who hoped to make turf history by smashing the record for the number of winners ridden in one season. So far, he had been successful 245 times against a record of 246 established by Fred Archer in 1885. Richards popularity and ability had definitely brought in a large audience, as hundreds flocked to the racing grounds. In Filey, gales which had hit the Yorkshire coast were fast becoming a concern for the fishing fleet, after one man had fallen overboard from a coble and then been rescued by his companions. Better weather however, had favoured the second day of the Prince of Wales’s visit to Edinburgh, with his Royal Highness enjoying a round of golf at the Royal Burgess course in Barnton. Wearing a black beret, the Prince played in brown fours and a green pullover.

50 years ago

York began a major mop-up, as the level of the River Ouse fell and dozens of house-holders bailed out of their flooded properties. Using flat bottomed boats police ferried residents from their homes so they could get to work, and GPO engineers worked tirelessly dealing with almost 900 telephone faults from Scarborough to Goole. A tribute to the man who wrote the first history of Scarborough, Thomas Hinderwell, was on show in the resort’s public library. Hinderwell, who had died in 1825 at the age of 81, printed the first edition of History and Antiques of Scarborough in 1798. And Malton and Norton Amateur Operatic Society’s third musical, Oklahoma! was off to a fine start in the Milton Rooms, Malton, before a very appreciative audience.

20 years ago

Singing legend Peggy Lee had been admitted to hospital in the US after suffering a stroke. Miss Lee, best known for her sultry rendition of Fever had suffered with several health problems down the years including undergoing double heart by-pass surgery. Staff at the National Trust-owned Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, was in the process of tucking it away for winter, marking the official end of the 1998 visitor season. And Health Minister Alan Milburn had revealed that hospital operations carried out in York were amongst the cheapest in the country.