KEITH HAMILTON looks through past editions of the Echo and reviews the issues which made the headlines.

50 Years Ago The American film actor Van Johnson left for New York from Southampton on board the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth after a two-week holiday.

"I was sure thrilled by your beautiful universities,'' said the film star after visiting Oxford and the Cotswolds.

40 Years Ago Southern Television was featuring the return of the series William Tell starring Conrad Phillips and Jennifer Jayne.

Also on the channel was the Count of Monte Cristo, Rawhide, Spot the Tune and the Life of Riley, while over on BBC was Wells Fargo and Sportsview.

30 Years Ago Local pop group The Brown Hill Stamp Duty were at Southampton's Royal Pier where entrance tickets cost five shillings (25p).

An off-licence with branches across the South was selling wine from 12s 2d (61p) a bottle, gin for 48s 9d (£2.44).

20 Years Ago Red Funnel's Netley Castle car ferry was widened during its refit at Northam in Southampton to cope with traffic between the mainland and the Isle of Wight.

British Airways was selling off all its office equipment at Southampton Airport as the airline prepared to pull out of the city.

10 Years Ago Esso's Fawley Refinery remained on full alert after an oil spill from a Cypriot tanker.

Police were pelted with bottles and stones at a hippy camp near Stone-henge on Salisbury Plain after travellers said they were planning a marriage ceremony there.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.