ON THIS DAY
February 27, 2020
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
FEBRUARY 27, 1967
LAURENCE OLIVIER, according to a story going round the National Theatre, took Maggie Smith to task over her vowels recently. Next time they met he was making-up for Othello. In a voice that would have made Professor Higgins proud, the actress asked: ‘How now, brown cow?’
‘Better,’ said Olivier. ‘Much better.’
FEBRUARY 27, 1995
BRITAIN’S oldest merchant bank crashed in ruins last night after a desperate race to find a rescuer ended in failure. The man who single-handedly brought about the disastrous collapse of Baring Brothers was one of its dealers — Nick Leeson. He was ‘missing’ last night after his high-risk dealings lost the bank, founded in 1762, an incredible £500 million at the very least.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
KATE MARA, 37. The U.S. actress has starred in Netflix’s House Of Cards and Hollywood blockbuster The Martian. She is married to Billy Elliot and Rocketman actor Jamie Bell (right). One of her greatgrandfathers founded the New York Giants American football team, while another established the Pittsburgh Steelers. DERREN BROwN, 49. The illusionist and mentalist from London has hypnotised a woman into believing she died in a car crash. He was once a prolific shoplifter, saying: ‘I remember looking around my bedroom as a teenager and every single thing in my room I’d stolen.’ He stopped because of the shame of setting off the alarms while stealing a Luther Vandross cassette from Harrods.
BORN ON THIS DAY
DAME ELLEN TERRY ( 1847- 1928). The English actress — one of the finest Shakespearean performers of the Victorian era — was immortalised as Lady Macbeth in a John Singer Sargent painting (right). Oscar wilde said: ‘The street that on a wet and dreary morning has vouchsafed the vision of Lady Macbeth in full regalia magnificently seated in a four-wheeler can never again be as other streets: it must always be full of wonderful possibilities.’ SIR ROGER SCRUTON (1944-2020). The philosopher, who died last month, was described by ex-Tory MEP Daniel Hannan as ‘the greatest conservative of our age’. Scruton was expelled from school for putting on a play in which a half-naked girl appeared on a burning stage. In 2002, a leaked email revealed he was being paid £4,500 a month by a tobacco company to place favourable articles in the Press.
ON FEBRUARY 27…
IN 1964, Cilla Black notched up her first No 1 with Anyone who Had A Heart. IN 1991, Iraqi troops retreated from Kuwait, bringing the first Gulf war to an end.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Leat (coined Old English)
A) Quiet. B) A watercourse to a mill. C) A keeper of goshawks. Answer below.
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Last straw — referring to the final problem in a sequence of bad events. Coined in the 1600s, it comes from the expression ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’, where many straws can become heavy.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Cooking is an art and patience a virtue. Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing: love.
Keith Floyd, chef (1943-2009)
JOKE OF THE DAY
wHAT do you call a big angry panda left out in the rain? A drizzly bear. Guess The Definition answer: B.