ON THIS DAY
AUGUST 22, 1940
GERMANY will not give any guarantee of safe passage for U.S. ships evacuating children from Britain. This was made clear in a broadcast last night. ‘Germany,’ it was stated, ‘cannot agree to the children of a belligerent power being exposed to additional dangers in war zones.’
AUGUST 22, 1958
ELIZABETH TAYLOR has claimed 5,000,000 dollars (£1,785,000) compensation for the death of her third husband, Mike Todd. She filed a suit against the owners and maintainers of the leased aircraft, the Lucky Liz, in which Todd was killed when it crashed in March. [The company was eventually ordered to pay just $27,000 to the couple’s daughter, Liza.]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
RICHARD ARMITAGE, 46. The Leicesterborn actor who played dwarf prince Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy was named after Richard III, who died in the Battle of Bosworth Field, Leicestershire, on this day in 1485. He said: ‘I always grew up a little bit angry at my dad for naming me after a hunchback monster.’ KRISTEN WIIG, 44. The American actress and comedian (right) has starred in The Martian, an all-female remake of Ghostbusters and Bridesmaids ( which she co-wrote). She worked as a waitress at Universal Studios to make ends meet, and now whenever she recognises someone famous, she wonders how she knows them — ‘then I’ll remember, oh yeah, I used to serve you Cobb salad’.
BORN ON THIS DAY
DENG XIAOPING (1904-1997). Dubbed ‘the People’s Emperor’, he was China’s paramount leader from 1978 to 1989, responsible for opening up his country’s economy and cultural life but condemned globally for ordering the crushing of student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. He was known for his chainsmoking and for having a spittoon by his side as a ‘diplomatic device’ at high-level political meetings. RAY BRADBURY (1920-2012). The American fantasy writer and screenwriter, best known for Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. He once said ‘libraries raised me’. It was the Depression and there was no money for college, ‘so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years’. His wife of 56 years was the only woman he ever dated.
ON AUGUST 22…
IN 1642, the English Civil War began when King Charles I raised his royal standard on the Castle Hill at Nottingham.
IN 1956, Elvis Presley (right) began working on his first film, Love Me Tender.
IN 1985, 53 passengers and two crew died when a holiday jet caught fire when taking off at Manchester Airport. GUESS THE DEFINITION Tantivy (coined 1641) A: A cylindrical or ‘sausage’ curl on a wig. B: Much talk with little to say. C: At full gallop. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED Cold shoulder: A polite snub, coming from medieval France where a chateau guest might be served a fairly unappetising cold shoulder of mutton instead of hot meat. It was intended to be taken as a gentle hint that he’d overstayed his welcome.