ON THIS DAY

January 30, 2020

JaNUaRY 30, 1946

CRAFTSMEN in a London factory are rushing to turn out 100 rocking horses for sale in shops on Friday. For Friday is the day when they are allowed to sell luxury toys again. ‘It’s a different atmosphere here since we stopped making Utility stuff,’ Capt J.G.S. Radcliffe, the general manager, said. ‘It’s a labour of love for the men.’

JaNUaRY 30, 1985

THE dons of Oxford University delivered a stunning snub to Mrs Thatcher last night by refusing her an honorary degree. The vote against her, 738 to 319, was much bigger than expected. It followed a campaign against honouring the Prime Minister in protest against the affect on education of her government’s financial restrictions.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

GENE HACKMAN, 90. The double-Oscarwinning American actor starred in The French Connection and The Royal Tenenbaums. He and his friend Dustin Hoffman were both voted ‘least likely to succeed’ by their drama school classmates. Before finding fame, he worked nights polishing leather furniture at New York’s Chrysler Building. JEMIMA GOLDSMITH, 46. The campaigner and journalist was 20 when she met 42-year-old Pakistan cricket captain and the country’s current prime minister, Imran Khan. Goldsmith converted to Islam and they were married for nine years. The ex-girlfriend of Hugh Grant has since written and guest-edited Left-wing publications, but the millionairess admits critics regard her as ‘more socialite than socialist’.

BORN ON THIS DAY

DOUGLAS ENGELBART (1925-2013). The American engineer invented the computer mouse, which went on to sell more than a billion. The device only became commonly used in the 1980s, but started life in the 1960s as two metal wheels covered by a wooden shell. STEVE MARRIOTT (19471991). The Small Faces singer and guitarist had a string of hits In the 1960s, including All Or Nothing and Itchicoo Park. After walking out on the band he formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. He died in a house fire after falling asleep smoking a cigarette. David Bowie told how he once wanted them to form an R&B duo — but Marriott turned him down.

ON JANUARY 30

IN 1661, a body thought to be Oliver Cromwell’s (a signatory to Charles I’s death warrant) was exhumed and ritually hanged on the anniversary of the king’s execution.

IN 1980, the first edition of Newsnight, the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programme, was broadcast.

WORD WIZARDRY

GUESS THE DEFINITION: Grangerise (c1909)

A) To publicise. B) Crying in a whimpering fashion. C) Illustrating a book by later inserting material, such as prints from other works. answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED

It takes two to tango: Meaning some things require two parties to participate. It was immortalised in 1982 by Ronald Reagan referring to the relationship between the Soviet Union and the U.S.