ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE SEPTEMBER 30, 1948
JUST weeks after the NHS began, Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan advised Labour women at their conference in Weston-SuperMare today: ‘Don’t let us become a nation of hypochondriacs.’ In other words, he meant don’t ring up the doctor unless you must.
SEPTEMBER 30, 1978
THE children of Rome were weeping yesterday for their Holy Father, who scarcely a month ago was elected Pope John Paul I.
They are saying that this Pope, who wanted simply to be a parish priest to 700 million Roman Catholics, was killed by the delayed shock of his unexpected elevation.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
CISSy HoUSToN, 86. The American soul singer won two Grammys and sang backing vocals for Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield. But her stardom was far outstripped by that of her daughter, Whitney. Back in 1987, she said of Whitney, who died of a drugs overdose in 2012: ‘The same [fame] that was with Elvis is with her. And, sometimes, I’m afraid.’ MoNICA BELLUCCI, 55. The Italian actress became the oldest Bond girl in 007 history when she played Lucia Sciarra in Spectre aged 50 — taking the place from Honor Blackman who was 39 when she played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. Bellucci had auditioned to play a Bond girl 18 years earlier, but lost out to Teri Hatcher in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies.
BORN ON THIS DAY
DEBoRAH KERR (1921-2007). The Scottish actress, who starred in The King And I and From Here To Eternity, holds the record for the highest number of oscar nominations for best actress without a win — six in 12 years. of her craft, she said: ‘I’m like a child when I’m out there on a stage performing — shocking the grown-ups, making them laugh or cry.’ JACK WILD (1952-2006). The child star played the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film oliver! ( right), an oscar-nominated role that turned him into a millionaire by 18. However, by 21 he was an alcoholic. Diagnosed with mouth cancer, he had his tongue and voice-box removed and his wife would lip-read and speak on his behalf in interviews.
ON SEPTEMBER 30…
IN 1938, prime minister Neville Chamberlain returned to Britain after signing the Munich Agreement, a non-aggression pact with Germany, and declaring that there would be ‘peace for our time’.
IN 1967, Radio 1 was launched by Tony Blackburn with the song Flowers In The Rain, by The Move.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Fescennine (c 2008) A) Dandruff in or from a beard. B) A pale greenish, yellow colour. C) Licentious, obscene or scurrilous. Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED Bean counter:
Meaning an accountant or someone who deals with numbers. From the early 1900s, on the premise that beans were so small that to count them individually was a waste of time, it refers to someone unduly concerned with minutiae.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
I AM so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying. Oscar Wilde, playwright (1854-1900)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT was the name of the woman who fell off the white cliffs? Eileen Dover. Guess The Definition answer: C.