Anniversaries

For this issue I have selected an eclectic range of anniversaries. Some are to do with travel and exploration, showing the human spirit of endeavour and wanting to find out more, like Christopher Columbus' epic voyage across the Atlantic, even if, as we now know, the Vikings went before him and he already had a map to show him the way! It still doesn't lessen the danger or the achievement. Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov's space walk in 1965 took place only four years before the first moon landing. It reminds us that exploration of space has had a huge impact on our daily lives, from satellite television to GPS to non-stick pans. Other events, like Lady Astor becoming an MP, remind us how recently women have been taken seriously in politics...