ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE June 13, 1964 more than 200 people lined the street outside South Africa House in Trafalgar Square last night to protest against the life sentences passed on Nelson Mandela and his seven compatriots in the South African treason trial. Authorities in Pretoria are uncertain what, in practice, a life sentence will mean. It is usually considered to be 20 years with remission for good conduct. [Mandela would serve 27 years in prison.] June 13, 1987 princess Anne has finally bowed to pressure from the Queen and agreed to accept the honorary title of the Princess royal.
The Queen was keen to give her daughter the centuries-old courtesy title as a personal gift for her tireless work for starving children overseas and disabled youngsters at home. For years the Princess, 36, has resisted. But she agreed, in time for the Birthday Honours announced today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM ALLEN, 66. The U.S. actor and comedian voices Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story films. The fourth is released later this month and Allen said its final scene is so emotional, ‘I couldn’t even get through it’. He attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump, and made headlines on comparing Hollywood to 1930s Germany: ‘You’ve got to be careful around here. You’re going to get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody believes.’ STELLAN skarsgård, 68. The Swede starred in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Mamma Mia! A father of eight he said his youngest child definitely will be his last, adding: ‘Now I’ve snipped it, so no more.’ The actor, who is also in the gripping TV mini- series Chernobyl, says he gets more attention in the U.S. than at home: ‘The Swedes will look at you twice then look away because it’s a shyer culture.’ BORN ON THIS DAY LUCY, LADY duffgordon (1863-1935). The fashion designer’s House of Lucile was one of the first global couture brands. A survivor of the Titanic, she and her husband became mired in scandal after he was accused of bribing crewmen not to turn around their half-empty lifeboat to save more people. She died penniless. ON JUNE 13 . . . IN 1981, Marcus Sarjeant, 17, fired six blank cartridges at the Queen as she rode on horseback during Trooping the Colour. He was later sentenced to five years in prison under the Treason Act.
IN 1996, Guernsey’s parliament voted to legalise abortion, lifting a ban that dated back to 1910. WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION: Gypset (2015) A) Upside down. B) Fixed, glued. C) Fusion of the words ‘gypsy’ and ‘jet set’ meaning a bohemian approach to life. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED Come up trumps: meaning to have a better outcome than expected; comes from the 17th- century phrase ‘turn up trumps’; ‘trump’ is a corruption of the word triumph, the name of a card game similar to whist. QUOTE FOR TODAY There’s only one real sin, and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but the second best. Doris Lessing, British novelist (1919-2013) JOKE OF THE DAY there has been a crime wave at Ikea . . . But the police are having trouble putting the pieces together. Guess the Definition answer: C.