US President Jimmy Carter visits Newcastle in 1977 And Becomes An Adopted Geordie
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Description
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. The 20,000 strong crowd gathered outside Newcastle Civic Centre that bright May morning in 1977 and broke into rapturous cheering. The most powerful man in the West could not have chosen a better way of announcing his arrival in the region. Jimmy Carter had chosen to come to the North-East as part of his first overseas visit since taking office. And while his whistlestop tour may only have lasted four hours, young and old alike showed how they felt about the decision. The Lord Mayor of Newcastle, the late Coun Hugh White presented the necessary scroll with words which probably had been crafted by an astute PR man. "Mr President sir, you are a Georgian. You have now become a Geordie." This was the point at which Jimmy Carter talked his way into Tyneside folklore. On the drive from the airport to the city centre, Carter had seen a newspaper bill with the legend "Howay Jimmy" and another referring to "The Lads". He turned to the late Ernie Armstrong, MP for Durham North West, who was accompanying him, and asked what the references meant. Like a good professional politician, Jimmy Carter spotted the potential and exploited it. "There had been a civic reception and Jimmy Carter then addressed the crowds. He said `Ha'way the Lads' in an almost perfect accent and the crowds just cheered and cheered. -
Owner
fionapeakall -
Source
Youtube (Youtube) -
License
What does this mean? Standard Youtube License
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Further information
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y75iPmYXMMA
Resource type: Video
Added by: Simon Cotterill
Last modified: 8 years ago
Viewed: 2160 times
Picture Taken: Unknown -
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