On this day in history: First national telecast of the Kentucky Derby, 1952

While travelling Europe during 1872 and 1873, an American called Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. attended the famous Epsom Derby horse race held annually in England since 1780, as well as the Grand Prix de Paris, which was organised by the French Jockey Club. On his return to the United States, Clark, who was grandson of William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame, founded the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association to raise money to build racing facilities on the outskirts of the Kentucky city. Two relatives of his, John and Henry Churchill, leased the land for the track, which from 1883 was known as Churchill Downs.

On 17th May 1875, an estimated ten-thousand people gathered at the track to watch the first Kentucky Derby. Jockey Oliver Lewis rode the colt, Aristides, to victory in the 1.5 mile race. This was the same distance as the Epsom Derby and Grand Prix de Paris; however, the Kentucky Derby was run over its current distance of 1.25 miles from 1896.

Like the races that inspired it, the Kentucky Derby became a regular fixture on the social calendar, and from 1952 it also became an annual television event. On 3rd May that year, CBS broadcast the race coverage of their Louisville affiliate television station, WHAS, to the nation. The winner was Hill Gail, ridden by Eddie Arcaro and trained by Ben A. Jones.

For more details of this race see the official website page about the 78th Kentucky Derby.

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Student Revolt in Paris, 1968

On this day in history: Hudson`s Bay Company incorporated, 1670

In 1668 two English ships sailed for Hudson Bay to evaluate trade opportunities in the area. The expedition was instigated by two French fur traders called Médard des Groseilliers and Pierre-Esprit Radisson who had discovered from the Cree that the area was good for furs. After approaching a group of Boston businessmen, the two travelled to England where they commissioned the vessels.

Following a successful trade mission, on 2nd May 1670 King Charles II granted a Royal Charter to incorporate the The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay (commonly called the Hudson's Bay Company) at the instigation of the King's cousin, Prince Rupert who became the first governor of the company. The Charter granted the Company a monopoly of trade with the indigenous populations in any area where rivers flowed into the Bay. This area, covering approximately one and a half million square miles, was named Rupert's Land in honour of the first governor.

The Hudson's Bay Company is still in existence. You can find out more about its history at the Company's web site, including the full text of the Charter.

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On this day in history: First World`s Fair, 1851

On 1st May 1851, Queen Victorian opened the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, in Hyde Park, London. Unlike the 1844 French Industrial Exposition, the Great Exhibition included exhibits from other nations - although British industrial developments enjoyed pride of place - setting the template for all future World's Fairs.

The building that housed the exhibition, designed by Joseph Paxton, became known as the Crystal Palace. After being dismantled at the end of the exhibition, the building was re-erected in an enlarged form at Sydenham, in South London where it remained until it was destroyed by fire in 1936.

The exhibition attracted an estimated six million visitors (equivalent to around a third of the population of Great Britain at that time), ensuring that the exhibition made a profit of £186,000. This surplus was used to establish the Victoria and Albert Museum, which, along with the Science Museum, acquired many of the exhibits.

For more information on the 1851 Exhibition see the Great Exhibition Overview pages at The Victorian Web.

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