ON THIS DAY
December 20, 2017
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
DECEMBER 20, 1932 THE first radio programme from the Empire transmitting station at Daventry opened yesterday with Big Ben chiming 9.30am, the playing of the National Anthem, and the greeting: ‘Good evening, everybody!’ [It was the first broadcast of the BBC Empire Service, now the World Service.] The explanation of the greeting was that BBC chairman Mr J. H. Whitley was inaugurating this great scheme for imperial outposts by addressing the Australasian Zone, where it was evening. DECEMBER 20, 1963 THE [Berlin] Wall is open. The first West Berlin visitors for over two years crossed into East Berlin this evening — while thousands more still queued for Kruschev’s Christmas passes. [The wall was temporarily opened, until January 5, to allow West Berliners to visit relatives in East Berlin for Christmas.] Some 100 people went to East Berlin tonight. They had to be back by midnight with their ‘Cinderella’ passes.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
LESLEY JUDD, 71. The actress is best known as a Blue Peter presenter from 1972 to 1979. Co-presenter Peter Purves refused to deny having an affair with her, saying: ‘Could you blame me for sleeping with her? Even if I, er, had.’ She said she preferred John Noakes! She has retired and lives in France. URI GELLER, 71. The Israel-born illusionist is most famous for bending spoons. But a 2013 documentary suggested he had been hired by the CIA in the Cold War. He has considered helping tennis player Andy Murray, saying: ‘I don’t mind motivating him, but I’d never do anything to his opponent like bend his racket.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
ROBERT J. VAN de GRAAFF (1901-1967) The u.S. physicist designed the Van de Graaff Generator in 1929 which was used for nuclear physics experiments. It looks like a giant metal ball on a cylinder and makes the hair of anyone who touches it (pictured) stand on end. He has a crater named after him on the dark side of the Moon. DICK WHITE (1906-1993). The only person to head both MI5 and MI6, he ran a spy network of Nazi agents in World War II feeding false information back to Germany. White was among the first to suspect Kim Philby of being a Soviet spy — 12 years before he was finally exposed in 1963.
ON DECEMBER 20…
IN 1955, Cardiff was declared the capital of Wales, following an official ballot of members of the Welsh local authorities.
IN 2007, the Queen became the UK’s oldest ever monarch, overtaking her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria, who died aged 81 years, seven months and 29 days.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION Trichiasis (coined from Late Latin 1661) A) Persistent winking. B) The delusion that one is devine. C) Ingrowing eyelashes.
PHRASE EXPLAINED
To send someone up the river: meaning to imprison, it originally referred to SingSing Prison, on the Hudson River, 30 miles north of New york City.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
I don’t think there will be a woman Prime Minister in my lifetime. [Speaking in 1973] Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)
JOKE OF THE DAY
What do lions sing at Christmas? Jungle Bells. Guess the Definition answer: C.