September 21, 2005
A great and momentous anniversary ...
Today is the 50th anniversary of Great Britain's claim to the North Atlantic island of Rockall.
According to the BBC website,
The earliest recorded landing on Rockall was in 1810, by an officer called Basil Hall from the HMS Endymion. Its exact position was first chartered by Royal Navy surveyor Captain ATE Vidal in 1831.In 1972 the Isle of Rockall Act was passed, which made the rock officially part of Inverness-shire, Scotland.
But the rights to any resources discovered on the ocean floor surrounding the island is disputed between Britain, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland.
Rockall is probably most famous for being an area in the BBC Radio 4's shipping forecast.
Of course, that last statement is completely wrong. Rockall is most famous for being the home of that mighty organ "The Rockall Times".
Posted by daen at 10:11 AM