the royal navy stopped issuing rum on 31 july 1970.
the royal navy stopped issuing rum on 31 july 1970.
when did the royal navy stop issuing rum?
31 july 1970 )
the abolition of the rum ration had been discussed in parliament in 1850 and again in 1881 however nothing came of it. in 1970, admiral peter hill-norton abolished the rum ration as he felt it could have led to sailors failing a breathalyser test and being less capable to manage complex machinery. this decision to end the rum ration was taken after the secretary of state for defence had taken opinions from several ranks of the navy. ratings were instead allowed to purchase beer, and the amount allowed was determined, according to the mp david owen, by the amount of space available for stowing the extra beer in ships. the last rum ration was on 31 july 1970 and became known as black tot day as sailors were unhappy about the loss of the rum ration. there were reports that the day involved sailors throwing tots into the sea and the staging of a mock funeral in a training camp. in place of the rum ration, sailors were allowed to buy three cans of beer a day and improved recreational facilities. while the rum ration was abolished, the order to "splice the mainbrace", awarding sailors an extra tot of rum for good service, remained as a command which could only be given by the monarch and is still used to recognise good service. rum rations are also given on special occasions: in recent years, example included the 100th anniversary of the canadian royal navy in 2010 and after the queen's diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.
rum ration
in january 2014, same-sex marriage was legalized in oklahoma, but the ruling was stayed; in 2014, a u.s. appeals court in denver upheld the lower court ruling that struck down oklahoma's gay-marriage ban, but that was also stayed. in march 2014, same-sex marriage was legalized in michigan; however, later that year the overturning of michigan's ban on same-sex marriage was indefinitely stayed. in may 2014 same-sex marriage was legalized in arkansas; however, later that year the arkansas supreme court suspended same-sex marriages. also in may 2014, same-sex marriage was legalized in oregon, pennsylvania, and wisconsin, but later that year same-sex marriages in wisconsin were put on hold while the ruling striking down the state's ban on such unions was appealed. that same month, idaho's same-sex marriage ban was declared unconstitutional, but another court stayed the ruling. also in 2014, same-sex marriage was legalized in kentucky, but that ruling was put on hold and so no same-sex marriages were performed at that time. indiana performed same-sex marriages for three days in 2014, but then the ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in indiana was likewise put on hold. similarly, a federal appeals court based in denver found that states cannot ban gay marriage, but that ruling was put on hold pending an appeal; however, clerk boulder county clerk hillary hall (the first clerk to do so) and clerks in denver and pueblo counties issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples in colorado in spite of the hold. later that year, same-sex marriage was legalized in colorado, but the ruling was stayed. colorado's supreme court ordered the denver county clerk to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples while the state's ban against the unions was in place. while that decision did not include boulder and pueblo, pueblo county agreed to stop issuing licenses at the request of the attorney general's office, but boulder's clerk did not. later that year a federal judge in denver ruled colorado's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, but the ruling was stayed. later that year the colorado supreme court ordered boulder county clerk hillary hall to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses. also in 2014, monroe county, florida legalized same-sex marriages, but the ruling was stayed. later that year miami-dade circuit judge sarah zabel legalized same-sex marriage in florida, but the ruling was stayed. shortly afterward, two more judges legalized same-sex marriage in florida, but their rulings were stayed. toward the end of july 2014, the fourth circuit court of appeals (covering maryland, virginia, and the carolinas) ruled against virginia's same-sex marriage ban, but the ruling was stayed. however, in august 2014 a state court in kingston, tennessee, became the first to uphold a state ban on gay marriage since the supreme court's decision in 2013 in "united states v. windsor". also, in september 2014 a federal judge upheld louisiana's ban on same-sex marriages, which was the first such loss for lgbt rights in federal court since the supreme court's decision in 2013 in "united states v. windsor". but slightly later the 7th circuit court of appeals legalized same-sex marriage in indiana and wisconsin, although the decision did not take effect then. also, louisiana legalized same-sex marriage in september 2014, but the ruling did not take effect then. in october 2014, the supreme court declined to hear the seven cases regarding same-sex marriage in indiana, oklahoma, utah, virginia, and wisconsin, which meant lower court decisions ruling in favor of same-sex marriage stood, and therefore same-sex marriage then became legal in those states. shortly later that month, the 9th circuit court of appeals in san francisco declared same-sex marriage legal in idaho and nevada, but supreme court justice anthony kennedy temporarily blocked that ruling for idaho. shortly later a private group that had led the legal fight to defend the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage withdrew its pending appeal for a stay with the supreme court, and thus same-sex marriage became legal in nevada. nevada state sen. kelvin atkinson and sherwood howard were the first same-sex couple to marry in nevada. also in october 2014, a federal judge legalized same-sex marriage in north carolina; although his federal judicial district only covers the western third of the state, north carolina attorney general roy cooper said that the federal ruling applied statewide. also that month attorney general patrick morrisey announced he would no longer fight a challenge to west virginia's same-sex marriage ban, and thus same-sex marriage was legalized in west virginia. same-sex marriage was also legalized in alaska, arizona, colorado, idaho, and wyoming that month.
history of gay men in the united states