100 years ago Women who adopted the craze for highly coloured hair were, according to an American Journal, now using face powders in colours to match their hats and dresses.

Just now a not unattractive shade of lavender found most admirers; but colours as violent as Mandarin yellow, Sevres blue, purple, violet, sweet-pea shades of red and pink, cypress green, putty colour, and almond had it was said been adopted.

According to the journal, which wrote of the craze flippantly, the love-sick swain no longer expressed his admiration for the peach-like bloom of his mistress’ cheek or the alabaster white of her brow, but said, “Ah! Alice, I adore your sweet Sevres blue countenance,” or “Maude, how exquisite is the Mandarin yellow of your lovely nose!” America evidently had Paris “beaten to a frazzle” when it came to fashion fads.


50 years ago

Mr Khrushchev and President Nasser today pressed a button and diverted the waters of the Nile at the site of the Aswan High Dam. An explosive charge blew up a sound barrier and diverted the Nile through six huge tunnels.

At the far end of the tunnels the water would return to the river’s original course below the site of the future High Dam.

Mr Khrushchev said, in a speech before the ceremony, that the Soviet Union wished to strengthen even further her friendship with the United Arab Republic. The dam project, when finished, would be one of the greatest in the world.

“It can be called the Eighth Wonder,” he said.

President Nasser hailed the “stand of the Soviet Union in support of Egypt who stood by us in 1956 [the time of the Anglo-French Suez operation] and later stood by our hopes to build the dam and gave us money and technical aid”.


25 years ago

Much debate had gone on in recent days over the effect of the Thatcher factor in North Yorkshire.

It centred on whether the ballyhoo surrounding the Prime Minister’s tenth anniversary in Downing Street helped or hindered her grassroots Conservative colleagues in England’s largest county.

Before a recent intriguing stalemate at the polls, the buzz had been that the wall-to-wall media coverage of the anniversary would prove a boon for the Conservatives. It was said that Mrs Thatcher herself wanted the event played down.

Whatever her views on the matter, ten years of Thatcherism were given saturation treatment in newspapers and on TV and radio.

The received wisdom was now that the media coverage may have been counter-productive for North Yorkshire Tories who failed to reach their target of eight net gains to ensure overall control of the county council.