ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE JULY 31, 1945
THE Russians believe Hitler may still be alive and in hiding. This was disclosed today by Colonel-General Gorbatov, Soviet Military Commander in Berlin, who said: ‘There is no definite proof that Hitler is dead.’ Nazi sources were responsible for rumours he is still alive. They were put out in the hope of creating a legend and encouraging Nazi underground workers to continue their work.
JULY 31, 1967
TOMMY SIMPSON (right) rode to his death in the Tour de France so doped that he did not know he had reached the limit of endurance. The 29-year-old died in the saddle, asphyxiated by intense effort in a heatwave after taking methylamphetamine drugs and alcoholic stimulants. The former world champion died on the ascent of Mont Ventoux on July 13.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
JONATHAN DIMBLEBY, 73. The broadcaster this year marks his 30th anniversary of presenting Radio 4’s Any Questions? He has admitted to having smoked cannabis and snorting cocaine once, but said he ‘sneezed it all over the place’. LYNNE REID BANKS, 88. The English author studied at Rada and became an actress before joining ITN as one of Britain’s first female TV news reporters. She sold ten million copies of her children’s classic, The Indian In The Cupboard. Her first novel, 1960’s The L-Shaped Room, sparked outrage for telling the story of a pregnant woman who was unmarried.
BORN ON THIS DAY
STEPHANIE KWOLEK (1923-2014). The American chemist has saved countless lives thanks to her invention of Kevlar, which is used in bullet-proof vests. She came up with the synthetic polymer while working for chemical company DuPont. The Kevlar Survivors Club, founded by police officers whose lives were saved by Kevlar body armour, has more than 3,000 members. RICHARD GRIFFITHS (1947-2013). The North Yorkshireborn actor ( right) starred in The History Boys and Withnail And I and played Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films. Both his parents were profoundly deaf and could only communicate to him through sign language.
ON JULY 31…
IN 1917, the Battle of Passchendaele began. It became notorious for mud so deep that Allied and German soldiers and horses drowned in it. The number of casualties and deaths is estimated at 260,000 on each side.
IN 1998, the Government announced a total ban on the use of landmines, a month before the first anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, who had campaigned against them.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION Bostruchizer (coined at Oxford Uni c1870) A) A small comb for curling whiskers. B) A cylindrical or ‘sausage’ curl on a wig. C) One who historically used to examine candidates for degrees. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth:
You can judge a horse’s age by checking its teeth (hence ‘long in the tooth’ for old), but to question the value of something given as a gift would be an insult. Used by theologian St Jerome about AD400.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
IF YoU’re going through hell, keep going. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT do an iPhone charger and a drinks carton have in common? They both contain Apple juice. Guess the Definition answer: A