From our archives:

80 years ago

Yorkshire’s sheep flocks had depreciated in value by more than £1,000,000 owing to a slump in prices over the past twelve months. Reduced shipments of mutton and lamb from New Zealand and Australia were now expected to be making an appearance in the country as part of the negotiations in a bid to end the crisis in the sheep industry. Hosting a more popular programme of events and fine weather, the 137th annual show of the Wharfedale Agricultural Society, held in Otley, had been a roaring success, reaching a record attendance. Nearly 8,000 people had graced the ground to take part in the shows many exhibits and events, the most popular being the dog section with a record entry of 1,198. And radiant happiness had gone together with tears at York Station, when Miss Constance Marston, of Micklegate, York, set off on a 3,000-mile journey to meet a husband-to-be she had never seen before. Employed in the packing department at Rowntree’s, Constance and her soon-to-be husband had been pen-friends before their friendship gradually developed into a romance.

50 years ago

Fine weather had sent York’s motorists heading coastwards. Car parks were already full by 10am and many of the motorists had avoided the Whit holiday crush by setting off during the night or very early in the morning. York cinemas had also fallen in with the holiday-time tradition with a handsome offering of comedy and adventure. Playing at the Odeon was The Jungle Book, sadly Walt Disney’s last cartoon (though not his last film) before his death and at the Ritz, Dean Jones starred in The Ugly Dachshund. York Minster police had also held up the traffic in the city centre to allow two church leaders to led a party of 120 walkers across a zebra crossing in the Minster Yard as part of the African Chain Walk.

20 years ago

Glenn Hoddle had defended his decision not to include Paul Gascoigne in the England squad. Speaking at a news conference in La Manga, Spain, he said the World Cup had come too soon for Gazza. “We ran out of time to get him as fit as is needed for the World Cup and it’s a pity he’s had so many injuries over the past few months.” And passengers were stranded at airports across France after Air France pilots had begun their strike to disrupt travel plans during the World Cup.