ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
AUGUST 14, 1939 FOLLOWING the big blackout, when half of England went dark for four hours to determine how effectively the country could shroud itself from enemy planes should there be war, hundreds of Mail readers have given their suggestions to ensure that future blackouts are more effective. They include penalising householders who don’t screen lights, and setting up ‘decoy’ lights in open country to give the appearance of a town. AUGUST 14, 1947 MYSTERIOUS ‘Miss Hansen’ of Cabin A94, alias Greta Garbo, was smuggled down a gangway of the Queen Mary last night at Southampton and put in a car, protesting that she ‘wanted to be alone’. Frederick Dale, the steward who served Garbo’s breakfasts — brown toast, grapefruit, black coffee — said: ‘No one called her Miss Hansen. She didn’t fool a soul.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
DANIELLE STEEL, 70, right. The U.S. novelist — author Against All Odds — has written 163 books and sold 650 million copies in 43 languages. In 2013, it was reported an Arabic version of one of her novels was in the library at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. DARREN CLARKE, 49. The Northern Ireland golfer won The Open in 2011 — his 20th attempt at winning the Claret Jug. In 2006, six weeks after the death of his wife Heather from cancer, he helped Europe win the Ryder Cup. She had encouraged him to play.
BORN ON THIS DAY
ELENA BALTACHA (19832014). The Ukrainian-born tennis player, right, was a British No 1. She was raised in Scotland after her father, a Soviet football international, and her mother, a pentathlete, moved the family to Britain. Baltacha was diagnosed with liver cancer two months after retiring and a month after marrying her coach. She died shortly after, aged 30. Max KLEIN (1915-1993). The American manufacturer helped invent ‘paint by numbers’ kits in 1951 and was responsible for the publicity stunt that turned the product into a phenomenon — paying two reps to get their friends to buy the kits from the only shop that sold them, Macy’s. After that, word quickly spread that painting by numbers was the next big thing.
ON AUGUST 14 …
IN 1947, Pakistan was granted independence from the British Empire, with the last Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, attending the ceremony in Karachi — then travelling to Delhi for India’s ceremony the next day.
IN 1967, pirate radio was outlawed by the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act, spelling the end for Radio London and Caroline.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION Barrer (coined c. 1870) A) A horse’s attempt to dump its rider. B) To convey a drunk home on a barrow. C) A tennis ball-boy. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED Green room: Referring to the waiting room backstage for performers. It is so called because at one time the walls were coloured green to relieve the eyes affected by the glare of the stage lights.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Summer afternoon — summer afternoon… the two most beautiful words in the english language. Henry James, U.S. novelist (1843-1916)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WANT to hear a joke about a piece of paper? Never mind . . . it’s tearable. Guess The Definition answer: B