25 YEARS AGO

A ROME newspaper criticised Pope Paul today for receiving in audience two girls wearing hot pants. The right-wing daily "Il Tempo" published the rare public criticism of the Pope in a front-page editorial. The newspaper, which has frequently attacked liberal trends in the church, expressed shock that the Pope received girls wearing hot pants that showed "legs up to the groin".

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, April 17, 1946

THE arrival in America of Bruce Woodcock in charge of his manager, Mr Tom Hurst, completes a boxing "double" by a Bolton family. Did you know that a Bolton man controlled the fortunes of Britain's best heavyweight since Charley Mitchell? Tom Hurst, the former matchmaker at Belle Vue, and son of Mr Norman Hurst, the "Daily Dispatch" boxing expert, was born and brought up locally. His advent into boxing was when his father was promoting shows in Bolton, and then he was for a short time a middleweight boxer of promise. Tom could box and hit, but wasn't enamoured of hard training, so he took up the other side of the fighting game.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News. April 17, 1871

GAS AT FARNWORTH

Sir,- The Farnworth Gas Company are at present furnishing to the inhabitants of that highly-favoured township a new sort of gas. When the tap is turned on it rushes out fiercely, works the meter beautifully against the consumer, but it will not ignite. We have had no gaslight in Hall-lane since Thursday, and we are anxious to know how much per thousand feet the Company intend to charge for the new invisible gas. Yours, &c., Growler.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.