Nostalgia - Snapshot of the past

1986 – The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, was laid to rest alongside her husband, the abdicated King Edward VIII, at Frogmore in Windsor. She was buried in an English oak coffin, marked with a silver plate inscribed simply “Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, 1896-1986”.

April 30

1973 – President Richard Nixon took full responsibility for the Watergate scandal but denied any personal involvement. In a speech broadcast to the American people he vowed to get to the bottom of the matter, saying: “There will be no whitewash at the Whitehouse.”

May 1

1973 – About 1.6 million workers joined the Trades Union Congress’ call for a one-day strike in protest at the government’s pay restraint policy and price rises. The worst affected industries were the railways, car manufacturing, newspaper production, mining and docks.

May 2

1982 – Argentina’s only cruiser, the General Belgrano, was sunk by a British nuclear submarine in the South Atlantic. It was the first serious attack on the Argentine navy by the British since the conflict over the disputed Falkland Islands began.

May 3

1968 – Britain’s first heart transplant was successfully carried out at the National Heart Hospital in London. The operation was undertaken on 45-year-old Frederick West. But he died 46 days after receiving the donor heart. The hospital said he died from an “overwhelming infection”. He had been given drugs to encourage the acceptance of the new heart, but this lowered his resistance to infection.