Eighty years ago this week Roosevelt's death inspires deluded hopes in Berlin

 President Roosevelt died from a cerebral haemorrage. He had been in poor health and his death came as little surprise. He had been sitting for a portrait by Elizabeth Shoumatoff. She never finished the painting and it hangs at the President's country house. His death triggered a flurry of deluded hopes amongst the Nazi leadership inspired by the reversal in Frederick the Great's  fortunes during the Seven years War when the death of Empress Catherine the Great led to Russia's withdrawal from the coalition against Prussia.

The Berlin Philharmonic gave a concert  at its home, the Philharmonie, still untouched by the devastating air raids on the city. The programme featured staples of the Nazi's idealized German repertoire - Wagner, Bruckner and Beethoven - as a boost to morale although Furtwangler, the conductor deeply associated with the orchestra and its relations with the regime had fled to Switzerland. The armaments minister Albert Speer is reported to have been in the audience of Nazi dignitaries and according to one account members of the Hitler Youth handed out cyanide capsules to the listeners as they left.

The  first ever Scottish nationalist MP was elected in a by-election for Motherwell  when Dr Robert McIntyre defeated the candidate of the incumbent Labour Party. McIntyre defied Parliamentary convention and presented himself to the Speaker to take his oath without the customary two supporters. It took a special vote of the House for him to be permitted to take his seat.