ON THIS DAY
October 3, 2018
oCtoBeR 3, 1945
BRITAIN’S sugar ration may be eased by the end of the year. The news came from Washington with the announcement that 1.6 million tons of sugar, left behind by the retreating Japanese, have been found in Java ports. The hoard will be shared out among the major Allies. Britain’s sugar ration requires 300,000 tons a year.
oCtoBeR 3, 1968 GEORGE LAzENBy, the Big Fry man [he starred in a commercial for Big Fry’s chocolate], is the new James Bond. The 29-yearold Australian [pictured], whose only claims to fame are his TV commercials and 6ft 1in rugged good looks, has beaten the world’s top actors for the role. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
GWEN STEFANI, 49. The American singersongwriter, and former No Doubt vocalist eventually married British rock star Gavin Rossdale in 2002 after turning up an hour late. They divorced in 2016. Gwen is a distant cousin of Madonna and was named after a stewardess from Arthur Hailey’s 1968 novel, Airport. Her distinctive platinum hair and red lipstick was inspired by her glamorous gran. ALICIA VIKANDER, 30. The actress, who played Lara Croft in this year’s Tomb Raider film, won an Oscar for her part in The Danish Girl, the first Swede to do so since Ingrid Bergman in 1975. She won a role in her first film, Pure, just two weeks before she was due to take up a place at law school. Vikander (pictured) married Irish actor Michael Fassbender last year — they met on the dancefloor of a Baftas after-party.
BORN ON THIS DAY
GORE VIDAL (1925-2012). The American novelist, who played himself in The Simpsons, was renowned for his wit. His long-time literary rival Norman Mailer once punched him at a party held for Princess Margaret. Vidal shot back: ‘Norman, once again words have failed you.’ SIR MICHAEL HORDERN (1911-1995). The Shakespearean actor, who played King Lear, Macbeth and Prospero, found most fame voicing Paddington Bear in the BBC’s Seventies animated series. The bear’s creator Michael Bond said they had auditioned ‘practically every name you could think of’, including Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. Sir Michael ‘was the last person on the list — he came in and said rather gruffly, “I don’t do voices,” ’ and won the part.
ON OCTOBER 3…
In 1952, Britain tested its first atomic bomb, off the coast of Australia. In 1992, Barack Obama married Michelle Robinson in a Chicago church.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION Caitiff (Chaucer 1380s) A) A contemptible or cowardly person. B) Surly. C) One who haunts good tables, a greedy sponger. answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Ivory tower: The sense of being out of touch with or sheltered from the real world; from the Song of Solomon in the Bible in which Solomon praises the beauty of his beloved with: ‘Thy neck is as a tower of ivory.’
QUOTE FOR TODAY
tHinGs won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing. William Shakespeare, (1564-1616)
JOKE OF THE DAY
POLICE have confirmed that a man who fell into a combine harvester while trying to steal it has been bailed. Guess the Definition answer: a.