Images Dated 23rd December 2004

Rainy Day Fashion

A woman wearing a carriage dress designed by Mrs Pierpoint with rows of bows down the front of the skirt and an ornate hat with flowers on the brim. She is carrying a parasol with a ring around the end which may have been used for folding or wringing it dry. Original Publication The Lady Magazine No. 10, 1825. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

© 2004 Getty Images

Isle of Man - Tynwald Hill, 1950

British Railways poster (London Midland Region) depicting a civic ceremony at Tynwold Hill. The hill takes its name from the 1, 000-year-old Tynwald, the oldest democratic parliament in the world. On this historic mound each year early in July, are promulgated the laws which have been enacted by the Island's Parliament during the previous twelve months'. Artwork by Uptton

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Zucker rocket, 1933

Zucker rocket in 1933. Gerhard Zucker (1908-1985) was a German who worked in the field of rocket mail. His rockets were essentially hollow hulls with motors, of the sort used in fireworks attached, and almost all exploded on, or prior to, take-off. However he managed to sell a large number of stamps for mail to be used in his rocket. In July 1934 he attempted to fly a rocket between the town of Harris in Scotland and the Isle of Scarp. The attempt failed and he was deported to Germany, where he was forbidden from further rocket experiments. In 1964 though, he resumed his work and an accident resulted in the death of a student. He died in 1985

© DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY