ON THIS DAY

January 2, 2020

JANUARY 2, 1973

DAY ONE in the Common Market found Britain displaying the marine distress signal with the Union Jack flying upside down outside the Common Market HQ in Brussels. Despite the blunder, it was a day of high hopes, broad smiles and clinking champagne glasses to mark Britain’s great European adventure.

JANUARY 2, 1985

PRINCESS Diana is the most popular Brit around the world. Of six countries asked to name their Top Ten Britons, the Princess takes first place in France, the United States, Japan, Germany and Australia — ahead of the Queen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

CHRISTY Turlington, 51. The Californian supermodel and campaigner is also an actress and director — her 2010 documentary No Woman, No Cry told the stories of some of the half a million women who die in pregnancy each year. She has graced the covers of nearly 1,000 glossy magazines since 1987 and once said: ‘I have a beer belly . . . you can usually tell when I’m happy by the fact that I’ve put on weight.’ WILLIAM FOX-PITT, 51. The equestrian from london was the first British rider to become world No 1 in eventing. The winner of three Olympic medals, he competed at Rio 2016 — just months after a fall that led to him being placed in an induced coma.

BORN ON THIS DAY

JAMES WOLFE (1727-1759). The general from Kent was the commander of the British Army at the 1759 capture of Quebec from the French — which led to the unification of Canada and the American colonies under the British crown. He heard of the victory shortly before dying from battle wounds. ISAAC ASIMOV ( 19201992). The Russian-born American sci- fi writer penned about 500 books, including I, Robot — turned into a film starring Will Smith. Asimov, who coined the term ‘robotics’, lived in an apartment overlooking New york’s Central Park, but nearly always had the blinds down, so he would not be distracted from his work by the views.

ON JANUARY 2…

IN 1959, the Russian luna 1 space rocket was launched. It was the first spacecraft to reach the Moon.

IN 1979, the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious went on trial in New york for murdering his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. He was found dead exactly one month later.

IN 1982, Erica Roe became known as the ‘Twickenham Streaker’ after her topless run interrupted an England rugby match.

WORD WIZARDRY

GUESS THE DEFINITION: Basiate (c 1615)

A) To extinguish a fire. B) To kiss. C) To lower. Answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED High and dry —

meaning abandoned and without help; coined in the 1700s, it referred to ships that became beached during low tide, and later to anyone or anything that became stranded or stuck in a bad or difficult situation.

QUOTE FOR TODAY

TO IMPROVE is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

JOKE OF THE DAY

WHAT does the loch Ness monster eat?

Fish and ships. Guess The Definition answer: B.