18th December
1559 Queen Elizabeth I of England sent aid to the Scottish Lords to drive the French from Scotland (Yes remember that when you say we never did anything for you...)
1779 The birth, in London, of Joseph Grimaldi, English creator of the original white faced clown. He was introduced to the stage at Drury Lane at the age of three and began to appear at the Sadler's Wells theatre. As Music Hall became popular, he introduced the pantomime dame to the theatre and was responsible for the tradition of audience participation.
1916 The Battle of Verdun, the longest engagement of World War I, ended after 10 months and massive loss of life. 23 million shells had been fired and 650,000 were killed.
1997 A bill giving Scotland its own parliament for the first time in three centuries was unveiled in Glasgow. Work commenced in June 1999 on the Scottish Parliament Building. It was built at a cost :- £414 million (ten times over the original budget).
10 Times what it cost and yes people moan about little things. I didn't see anyone moaning when this went £370 million over budget, great place to sit and work if you make it in that is..