ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
MAY 14, 1945 THe RAF is thinking about a victory parade over London, though Bomber Command is still busy bringing back British PoWs from Germany. Many high- ranking officers advocate a mock raid in London, with Hyde Park a suggested ‘objective’, to give the capital its biggest-ever firework display. MAY 14, 1969 THe face of Prince Charles dominates the black and gold shilling stamp to commemorate his investiture at Caernarvon on July 1. The Queen appears only as a small head in the right-hand corner. Last time they appeared together on a stamp, Charles was shown as a baby on his mother’s knee.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
OLLY MuRS, 35. The pop star from essex — who has had four No.1s — came second in The X Factor in 2009. His twin brother Ben has refused to speak to him for a decade after Murs pulled out of being best man at his wedding because it clashed with The X Factor semi-finals. FRANCeSCA ANNIS, 74. The Bafta-winning actress from London got her first major part playing elizabeth Taylor’s handmaiden in the 1963 film Cleopatra. She had an 11- year relationship with Ralph Fiennes, who is 18 years her junior, after she played his mother Gertrude in a production of Hamlet.
BORN ON THIS DAY
THOMAS GAINSBOROuGH (1727-88). The english painter’s birth date is not known but he was baptised on this day. He was the only portraitist from outside London to become a founding member of the Royal Academy. His work The Blue Boy served as inspiration for the lead character in the 2012 film Django unchained. eRIC MOReCAMBe (1926-84). The comedian from Morecambe, Lancashire, born John eric Bartholomew, has a Wetherspoon pub named after him in his home town. In 1959, two years before the Morecambe and Wise comedy duo had their first success on TV, a BBC producer wrote that Morecambe would only be successful ‘ if he could be detached from ernie, who I think is a big weakness. I really cannot see them making the grade in a TV series.’
ON MAY 14…
IN 1643, four-year-old Louis XIV became King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII. IN 1983, Spandau Ballet had their first and only No.1 on the album charts with True. IN 1987, u.S. actress Rita Hayworth died, aged 68.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Pseudandry (mid 19th century) A) A falsehood. B) A mistaken belief. C) The use of a male pseudonym by a female writer. ( Answer below) PHRASE EXPLAINED
Artful dodger — meaning a miscreant who avoids trouble for their bad behaviour through crafty means; from the name of the clever pickpocketing youngster employed by Fagin in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist of 1837-9.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
THE only place success comes before work is in the dictionary Vince Lombardi, American football coach (1913-1970)
JOKE OF THE DAY
I WAS fired from the keyboard factory... I didn’t put in enough shifts. Guess The Definition answer: C