ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
MARCH 26, 1942 ALL women who have evaded their obligation to register for National Service are being rounded up. When the compulsory scheme was introduced, the Government apparently considered that the patriotism of women would ensure voluntarily a 100 per cent response. They were mistaken. MARCH 26, 1964 THE Beatles made American pop music history today by taking the first four places in the showbusiness magazine Variety’s record charts. The four are: She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Twist And Shout and Please, Please Me.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
DIANA ROSS, 74. The former lead singer of The Supremes has been hailed the most successful female performer of all time by Guinness World Records for notching up 70 hit singles. Michael Jackson named Ross in his will as his second choice for guardian of his children, if his mother died before him. WILLIAM HAGUE, 57. The former Conservative MP and Foreign Secretary, from Rotherham, found fame aged 16 when he made a rousing speech to the Tory Party conference, teasing his audience: ‘It’s all right for you. You won’t be here in 30 or 40 years’ time.’ A 2001 poll, when he was Leader of the Opposition, found that 66 per cent of voters thought he was ‘a bit of a wally’.
BORN ON THIS DAY
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS ( 1911- 1983). The double Pulitzer Prize- winning American playwright wrote A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. During the Depression, one theatre paid him royalties in ham. A hypochondriac, Williams once said: ‘I’ve had every disorder known to man.’ He died after choking on the cap of a medicine bottle. RUDOLF DASSLER (1898-1974). The founder of Puma sportswear was the older brother of Adolf Dassler, who founded Adidas. They had provided footwear for Olympic champions, but went their separate ways after a feud. Their antagonism even divided their town, where their factories were built on opposite sides of the river.
ON MARCH 26…
IN 1827, German composer Ludwig van Beethoven died, aged 56. IN 1971, East Pakistan became Bangladesh after declaring its independence. IN 1981, the ‘ Gang of Four’, Roy Jenkins, David Owen, William Rodgers and Shirley Williams, launched their new party, the Social Democrats.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Pin-basket (coined 18th century) A) a purse B) a bag for the church collection C) the youngest child in a family Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED Nineteen to the dozen
— meaning doing something at breakneck speed; derives from the 1770s when steam-driven pumps were installed to clear the water at Cornish tin and copper mines; at their optimum, the pumps could clear 19,000 gallons of water for every 12 bushels of coal used.
QUOTE FOR TODAY JOKE OF THE DAY
SOMEONE ripped pages out of both ends of my dictionary... It goes from bad to worse.
Guess The Definition answer: C
HISTORY repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce Karl Marx (1818-1883)