ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 23, 1945
DR GOEBBELS [Hitler’s propaganda chief] launched into a picture of 1948, ‘during which year Russia would be fighting first Britain and then the U.S.’ in his latest article in the Das Reich newspaper. Goebbels said: ‘The so-called Third World War will be of very short duration. Europe will be at the mercy of the mechanised robot force from the Steppes, who will doubtless leap across the Channel to England and set the land of classical democracy aflame.’
FEBRUARY 23, 1957
BY THE Queen’s wish, the Duke of Edinburgh is to be known as Prince Philip. Both the Government and Buckingham Palace agreed that Prince Philip should have the same rank and title as Queen Victoria’s husband Albert.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
KELLY MacDONALD, 41. The Scottish actress (pictured), star of No Country For Old Men, hit the big time in 1996’s Trainspotting, beating thousands after seeing an advert for an open audition on a break from her job in a fish and chip shop. PETER FONDA, 77. The U.S. actor is famous for 1968’s Easy Rider, which he also produced and co-wrote. He and co- star Dennis Hopper smoked real cannabis for the film but sugar was used for cocaine (Fonda joked: ‘Man, it burns your nose.’)
BORN ON THIS DAY
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (16851759). As a child, the German-born composer would sneak into the attic to play a clavichord as his father, who wanted George to be a lawyer, was unhappy about his devotion to the frippery of music. VICTOR FLEMING (1889-1949). The American director of Gone With The Wind starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh (pictured) started out in Hollywood as a stunt driver. On set, he told the notoriously capricious Leigh to ‘stick this script up your royal British ass’.
ON FEBRUARY 23 . . .
IN 1903, the U.S. government signed a perpetual lease with Cuba to site a naval base at Guantanamo Bay. IN 1945, U.S. Marines were pictured raising the Stars and Stripes on Japanese-held Iwo Jima. The iconic photo won a Pulitzer prize. IN 1965, English comic actor Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame, died aged 74.
WORD WIZARDRY NEW WORD OF THE DAY
Doxxing: publicly revealing someone’s identity online.
GUESS THE DEFINITION
Vilipend (coined 1529) A) Verbally to belittle someone. B) To whip a numb limb with nettles to restore feeling. C) Making flattering speeches.
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Little gentleman in black velvet: a mole. King William III’s fatal fall from his horse was caused by a mole hill in 1702, and his Jacobite enemies would raise a toast to the creature responsible.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself. Aldous Huxley, English writer (1894-1963)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT did the llama say when her boyfriend surprised her with a weekend getaway? ‘ Alpaca bag.’ Guess The Definition answer: A