50 Years Ago

In a statement made simultaneously in both Houses of Parliament on February 6, the Government announced that as a result of investigations undertaken jointly both the British and the French Governments considered that the construction of a rail Channel tunnel was technically possible, and that in economic terms it would represent a sound investment of their resources. The two Governments had therefore decided to go ahead with this project, and the next step would be to discuss further in particular the legal and financial problems involved.

From Nature 29 February 1964

100 Years Ago

The exceptionally mild character of the present winter is being maintained until its close, and for a persistent continuance of warm days in January and February it surpasses all previous records. At Greenwich the thermometer in the screen was above 50° for eighteen consecutive days from January 29 to February 15. Previous records since 1841 have no longer period than eleven days, in the months of January and February combined, with the thermometer continuously above 50°, and there are only four such periods ... The persistent continuance of the absence of frost is also very nearly a record ... The maximum temperatures in the two months have seldom been surpassed. In many respects there is a resemblance between the weather this winter and that in 1899, when in February blizzards and snowstorms were severe on the other side of the Atlantic, with tremendous windstorms in the open ocean, whilst on this side of the Atlantic the weather was exceptionally mild. It is to be hoped that this year we shall be spared the somewhat sharp frosts experienced in the spring of 1899.

From Nature 26 February 1914