[otd] 22nd April 2025

[whole diary]

[grahame]

On this day - 22nd April. A lot has happened in the world, see https://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/onthisday/April/e222.htm and
https://www.britannica.com/on-this-day/April-22 but little of it is rail in the South West related.  From this sources:

1833 - The death of Richard Trevithick, Cornish born mining engineer and an early pioneer of steam-powered road and rail transport.

1933 - Sir Frederick Henry Royce, co-founder of the English car company Rolls-Royce, died.

1969 - British yachtsman Robin Knox-Johnston sailed into Falmouth Harbour, completing the first non-stop solo voyage around the world. He was at sea for 312 days. His yacht was named Suhaili which means "good wind".

1972 - Sylvia Cook and John Fairfax became the first people to row across the Pacific Ocean (the world's largest ocean). They arrived in Australia in their boat Britannia after being at sea for 362 days.

2000 - The Big Number Change took place. It was an update of telephone dialling codes in Britain in response to the rapid growth of telecommunications and the impending exhaustion of numbers.

2015 - SouthEastern removed the £10 admin fee from ticket refunds https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/t15662.html

2016 - More than 170 countries signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, a landmark treaty that sought to control and reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere; it took effect in November 2016.

[grahame]

On this day - 22nd April. A lot has happened in the world, ...  but little of it is rail in the South West related. 

We have "On this day" enteries on the Coffee Shop for 321 of the 366 days of the year - and am amazing clump of "zero" days in late April - I have just added the above for 22nd, but am still missing things for 23rd, 24th, 25th and 27th.  Ideas welcome.

[JayMac]

Also on 22nd April 1775, Hatcher & Sons Ltd in Taunton opened. Originally a drapery, now a department store. One of the oldest continuously trading department stores in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). Hatchers are currently celebrating 250 years in business. They remain an independent family owned business.

Several generations of my family, myself included, have worked in Hatchers, right back to my great grandfather and great granduncle who worked there after the first world war.

Hatchers was my first proper job. I worked Saturdays initially, starting in December 1988 when I was 15. Earning the grand sum of £1.21 an hour! I started in the video hire department. I also worked in electrical/technology, warehouse, deliveries, restaurant and furniture. All before I was 18 when I started my catering and hospitality qualifications and training.