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RETRO: A bridge too far?
Dateline: September 1981
THE BIG STORY
Plans to create the biggest suspension bridge in the world, at 21-miles long, were unveiled in London.
A consortium of investors sought permission from Britain and France to create the massive structure to span the English Channel.
The plans came to light after talks about a cross channel link were revived, the other option being a tunnel.
The toll bridge would be similar to the Humber Bridge, and be supported by 15 giant uprights. It would also generate about 220m a year in revenue, charging motorists between 5 and 8 to cross.
A cross channel link had been talked about since the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was said to have favoured a tunnel which would allow horses and carts to pass through.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and French President Francois Mitterrand met in London to set the ball rolling on the latest bid to link their two countries.
The bridge would have taken ten years to build, used 450,000 tons of steel and cost 3.8bn.
In the end, the powers that be opted for the underground option, which went into production five years later, took six years to complete and cost 4.6bn.
THE HEADLINES
Kaye Don, one of Britain's speed kings before World War II, who held water and land speed records, died aged 90. He travelled 137mph at Brooklands in 1929 and became the first man to travel at two miles a minute over water, on Loch Lomond. He was also British motor racing champion in 1928-9 and once travelled from Dover to Calais and back in 83 minutes.
Bus workers in Yorkshire were given a welcome perk, unlimited bus travel across the country. The deal was part of a new pay agreement, with concessionary rates for wives and husbands. Some criticised the scheme, as the West Yorkshire Transport Authority faced a 17m loss.
A woman in Kent gave birth to two babies, from two separate wombs. 'Mum in a million' Theresa Ebers, 22, gave birth to sons Nicki, 6lb, and Simon, 5lb 8oz. Medical experts said the chances of a woman having two wombs was incredibly rare.
England opening batsman Geoff Boycott was suspended for the rest of the cricket season for a breach of discipline following comments he made about being left out of the Scarborough Cricket Festival.
A packet of McVitie's Digestives (400g) cost 28p, a tin of Spillers Kattomeat cost the same, a 1lb jar of Golden Shred marmalade cost 34p and four cans of Skol lager cost 1.39. all at Morrisons.
Shows on TV included Blankety Blank, Tomorrow's World and Crossroads.
Police investigated whether UFOs were involved in the mysterious death of Polish-born Zygmunt Jan Adamski, 57, whose body was found on top of a coal tip in Todmorden on June 11, 1980. An inquest heard the miner died from natural causes but pathologists were unable to explain how Mr Adamski ended up on the coal heap or the origin of strange burn marks on his head.
Robbers used a Rolls-Royce stolen from comedian Mike Yarwood to make their getaway from a London jewellers in a 500,000 raid. The red Rolls pulled up outside Kutchinsky's, Bond Street, and two men got out, returning only moments later with their haul.
Leeds was one of 12 centres to try out new 'space age' breath tests for motorists. The new intoximeter 300 and the Auto-Alcolmeter were on show at Leeds Town Hall.
The soon to be familiar sight of petrol priced in litres came to Leeds. Manager of The Headrow Filling Station, Jim Mellor, said it was too early to detect whether motorists liked or disliked the new pricing scheme. At the time, four star petrol cost 1.67 per gallon, or 36.9p a litre.
A book by a nude-model turned sociologist Shere Hite claimed three in every four men had affairs after being married for more than two years. The US author made the claim in The Hite Report on Male Sexuality, after polling 7,239 men anonymously. She added that in 78 per cent of cases, women did not discover the affairs.
Irish radio and TV presenter Gloria Hunniford was to become the first woman to present a regular show on Radio 2, it was announced. The 39-year-old had previously stood in for veteran presenter Jimmy Young.
THE GOSSIP
Comedian Billy Connolly and actress Pamela Stephenson, who was married to actor Nicholas Ball at the time, returned from a nine-day holiday together in Paris. The couple had been seen kissing and cuddling by other passengers and when he emerged from customs, Connolly attacked photographers who were lying in wait. Stephenson was best known for appearing in Not The Nine O'Clock News and in 1989 married Connolly, with whom she has three children.
Born this month were radio and TV presenter Fearne Cotton (September 3), pop star Beyonce Knowles (September 4), singer and actress Jennifer Hudson (September 12), Pussycat Dolls dancer Ashley Roberts (September 14) and Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw (September 29).
Sean Connery starred in Outland, a space adventure set on one of Jupiter's moons. The film was described as a cross between High Noon and Alien and saw Connery's law man, Marshall O'Neil, uncovering a space-based drugs racket. Other films being shown included Condorman, starring Michael Crawford as a CIA spy, which came with the tagline 'He Spies! He Flies! He Death-Defies!', James Bond flick For Your Eyes Only, footballing war drama Escape to Victory, which starred Pele, Bobby Moore and Michael Caine and Raiders of the Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford as the iconic Indiana Jones.
THE WORLD
Pop act Simon and Garfunkel performed The Concert in Central Park, a free concert in New York in front of approximately half a million people.
France abolished capital punishment. The last executions took place in 1977, by guillotine.
AND FINALLY...
Council chiefs failed in their bid to stop a female wrestling match taking place at Leeds Town Hall. The match was between 11-stone Miss Mitzi Mueller and 20-stone Klondyke Kate. Municipal service boss Coun Trevor Park (Lab, Hunslet) said he was powerless to stop the fight due to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.
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