1947: Princess Elizabeth marries
Princess Elizabeth, the future queen of Great Britain, married Philip Mountbatten today in Westminster Abbey. Hours prior to the wedding, King George titled his future son-in-law as Duke of Edinburgh, Baron Greenwich and Earl of Merioneth.
"Elizabeth was grave and solemn through the ceremony, which included the promise 'to obey' at her own request. Like her great-great grandmother, Victoria, she wanted to emphasize that she was marrying as a woman rather than as a member of royalty," reported the Winnipeg Free Press on November 20, 1947.
NOTE: The night before the wedding, thousands of people staked out positions along the route of the royal wedding procession to try to get a glimpse of the wedding party when they traveled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. It is estimated that one million people gathered to cheer for the royal family and watch the procession.
Winnipeg Free Press
November 20, 1947
Olympic Dopes
On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee took action against five atheletes who tested positive for doping on samples submitted for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Though the atheletes originally tested negative, a fully validated test has become available since the Olympics and the atheletes were retested. Among those disqualified was Rashid Ramzi, the first Bahraini to ever win an Olympic medal.
A Historical Perspective
Doping was first banned from the Olympic Games in 1967, as rumors of performance-enhancing drug use circulated. There have been many atheletes disqualified over the years, but a more interesting doping-related event took place at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin when officials raided the Austrian biathalon living quarters. "the raid Saturday night was the boldest and most coordinated show of force against athletes suspected of cheating at an Olympics and represented the first time that Olympic doping control officers had been accompanied by the police," reported The Post-Standard on February 21, 2006. "Austrian Olympic officials said they had fired the coach at the center of the controversy, Walter Mayer, after he crashed his car into a police barrier in Southern Austria and was detained." Unexpectedly, the ten atheletes detained all tested negative for any performance-enhancing drugs.
Links to the Past
Olympic Dopes
The Post-Standard, February 21, 2006
The Post-Standard
February 21, 2006
The Post-Register
November 20, 1975
Daily Globe
November 20, 1925