What happened on THIS day in Coventry's history?

5th Dec 1895 The electric tramway opened between the railway station and Foleshill tram depot - later to be extended to Bedworth. There had already been a steam powered tramway but that was inefficient and was suspended in 1893.

6th Dec 1451 Coventry became a County in its own right - the "County of the City of Coventry" - at the bequest of King Henry VI. 6th Dec 1469 On this, St. Nicholas' day, riots outside Greyfriars' Gate and other places around the city - enclosures were ripped open, particularly those belonging to William Bristow, who had unlawfully enclosed common land as his own.

7th Dec 1456 King Henry VI's jewels were removed from London and brought to Coventry for safety. (I didn't know he'd had the operation! ) STOP PRESS 7th Dec 2017 The announcement is made that Coventry has won the bid to be CITY OF CULTURE 2021!!!

8th Dec 1465 Elizabeth Woodville (wife of Edward IV) returned to Coventry on her own and was presented with 100 marks. 8th Dec 1692 One of the four large pinnacles on the battlements Holy Trinity steeple blew down and fell through the church roof (that was only 25 years since the steeple was newly built after the previous one had collapsed!)

9th Dec 1994 The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh come to Coventry to visit the Jaguar factory at Browns Lane.

10th Dec 1832 "The Bloody Tenth" of December this year was cause for yet more intense violence as voting took place for the city's MPs. It was scenes like this that lost Coventry its high status in the first place. 10th Dec 1935 The Butts Technical College was officially opened by the Duke of York - soon to become King George VI. The citizens of Coventry were particularly grateful for the Duke's visit because he had lost his aunt, Princess Victoria, one week earlier. (Note: I'd previously had this event recorded as the 19th December, but have just located a report of it in the Coventry Herald of Friday 13th December, as having occurred three days earlier - so the 13th proved to be lucky!)

11th Dec 1688 Princess Anne of Denmark, with attendants, came to Coventry for security due to the "Glorious Revolution" when William of Orange invaded England in November.

12th Dec 2006 The final car rolled off the production line at the Ryton Peugeot factory. The plant had been going since 1946 and produced cars by Humber, Sunbeam, Hillman, Chrysler and Talbot, before finally being taken over by Peugeot. 12th Dec 2011 People near the junction of Keresley Road and Kelmscote Road witnessed a bizarre happening as over 100 apples rained down over the road!

12th Dec 1895 The electric tramway service was extended from Foleshill all the way to Bedworth.

13th Dec 1835 On this day died, at the extreme age of 107 years, Isaac Cohen, a Jew. He had been an inhabitant of Coventry above 60 years, residing in an obscure little tenement situate on the north side of the passage leading from the Great Butcher Row to Priory Row. His wife, with whom he had been united 78 years, died about two years before him, aged 101.

13th Dec 1940 HMS Coventry (Capt. D. Gilmour, RN) was torpedoed and damaged by the Italian submarine Neghelli in the eastern Mediterranean about 80 nautical miles north-north-west of Mersa Matruh, Egypt in position 32

14th Dec 1825 Coventry was visited by a particularly tremendous storm of thunder, lightning and rain.

15th Dec 1856 Charles Dickens comes to Coventry to read 'Christmas Carol' in the Corn Exchange. 15th Dec 1998 Lyng Hall girls' school officially reopened after a £3.5m rebuild on a site next to the old school.

16th Dec 2007 IKEA's Coventry store opens - its first city centre store in the UK. Blimey, 10 years today since the giant Lego brick was opened!