Eighty years ago this week the British headquarters in Palestine are destroyed

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The wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem which housed the headquarters of the British authorities in Palestine was destroyed by massive bombs planted by Jewish insurgents killing 91 people mostly working for the authorities, British, Palestinians both Arab and Jewish and other nationalities. The supposed purpose was to destroy documents seized in the massed raids of Operation Agatha which connected the Jewish Agency with violent acts, but it served more as simple retaliation. Ambiguous and garbled warnings were issued beforehand.

Despite protests from the baking industry, public hostility and political opposition the British government implemented  its scheme to ration bread. Bakers were warned publicly that they would be punished if they did not comply. Bread had not been rationed even during the darkest days of the war and the move was emblematic of the sacrifices demanded by the Labour government. The scheme was immensely detailed and bakers were banned from selling bread on the day it was baked as it was believed that consumers would eat fresh bread too quickly.

The Equal Rights Amendment outlawing sex discrimination, in particular on pay, was voted on in the US Senate. The Amendment had been before Congress since 1920 but had been blocked in committee before then. It was approved by 38 votes to 35 but failed to attain the necessary two-thirds majority and thus failed.

  


 

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