BBC Archive

#OnThisDay 1985: Regional youth programme RPM celebrated the 25th anniversary of Dr Martens boots by inviting DM wearers Alexei Sayle and musician Paul King to reflect back on the cultural impact of this iconic footwear brand. Other sturdy footwear is available.

#OnThisDay 1973: Shoppers were out in force buying expensive household items before the introduction of VAT (Value Added Tax) which began the following day. Cookers and freezers were proving popular but there had also been a run on pianos with one store having sold 170 in a week.

#OnThisDay 1970: With no mains drainage, the Scottish village of Auchmithie was a place where most residents didn’t have their own toilet and relied on a drafty communal privy. A brand-new public convenience was built, with keys for the villagers to do their business in peace.

#OnThisday in 1986 Blue Peter presenters Simon Groom and Janet Ellis showed off a 70-metre wooden replica of the Bayeux Tapestry made over eight years from solid oak. Taking up 22 wooden panels, the carving by Pierre Bataille was so big it didn’t fit into the Blue Peter studio.

#OnThisDay 1935: Voluntary driving tests were introduced by the UK government, with mandatory tests enforced later that year. Quite how you learnt was up to you and in 1960 BBC News showed a car simulator which allowed learners get a feel for the road from the safety of indoors.

With the Six Nations rugby competition drawing to its conclusion, we take a trip back to 1994 when Blue Peter presenter Tim Vincent had a crash course in all aspects of the game from members of the England team.

@BBCiPlayer The episodes were found through the work of Leicester charitable trust @FilmIsFabulous (FIF). Read more about how they were found: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Lost #DoctorWho episodes, that haven't been viewed since airing in the 1960s, have been found in an 'eclectic' collection. Restored versions of the episodes will be released on @BBCiPlayer this Easter: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

#OnThisDay in 1976 Bernard Falk spoke to Chelmsford's very own birdman. Tony Appleton was hoping to secure a £6,000 prize for becoming the first man on earth to fly under his own steam, but his current personal best was 4 metres.

It’s one of the most recognisable front doors in the world and #OnThisDay in 1974 reporter Patrick Stenson went out at the crack of dawn to see some of the people whose work takes them to this very famous address.

It’s St David’s Day and in 1996 Blue Peter invited members of the Royal Regiment of Wales, into the studio to demonstrate their St David’s Day tradition of making the newest and youngest recruits eat a raw leek. In this case the new recruit was presenter Tim Vincent.

#OnThisDay 1976: That’s Life took a compact umbrella, which was proving to be particularly tricky to use, onto the high street to see if anyone could actually open it. Forget perfecting your wrist action, it’s all in the knees!...

#OnThisDay 1985: Food and Drink sent Drew Smith, editor of the Good Food Guide, on manoeuvres with the Royal Marines. His mission was to try out the food provided to soldiers and give his verdict on the essential supplies which keep them going.

#OnThisDay 1973: Nationwide’s Phil Tibenham took a coach tour of Spennymoor in County Durham. Plans were afoot to make the town a destination for Spanish tourists. Attractions included the allotments and a showcase of local cuisine from stottie cakes to tripe and onions.

Italy take on Ireland in rugby today, but back in 2000 they had just joined the competition, leading to the championship name changing from Five Nations to the Six Nations. In a country where football is king, rugby was proving to be a harder sell.

#OnThisDay 1981: The popular children’s science presenter Johnny Ball drove into the studio in a Formula 2 car to explain the safety features designed to help drivers should they get into difficulties or have engine fires mid-race.

As the Six Nations begins, we look back to 1971 when Blue Peter celebrated 100 years of rugby union by explaining the technicalities of the rugby scrum. John Noakes joined Peter Purves in trying out a scrum training machine under the watchful eye of a terrifying sergeant major.

#OnThisDay 1972: Man Alive joined local ufologists in Banbury, Oxfordshire on the hunt for extraterrestrial life. With 275 recent sighting there was a good turn out, despite the cloud and rain. Clip taken from Man Alive: UFOs, originally broadcast on BBC One, 2 February 1972.

Today, the most northerly town in the entire UK, Lerwick is celebrating the long-held tradition of Up Helly Aa which celebrates the end of the “enforced idleness” brought about by the Yule season. This clip shows what the festival looked like 56 years ago in 1970.

#OnThisDay 1759: Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, was born. If you’re sitting down to a Burns Supper later, you might take some inspiration from these hungry men and women battling it out in a haggis‑eating competition back in 1964.