ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE JaNUaRy 30, 1937
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN said yesterday: ‘Herr Hitler, as leader of one of the most powerful nations, has it in his power to make an invaluable contribution to a European settlement. I am certain his words will find a warm response in this country.’
JaNUaRy 30, 1978
SIr HarOLD WILSON timed his resignation as
Prime minister to draw publicity away from the break-up of Princess margaret and Lord Snowdon, it is claimed today. Two former BBC journalists say that in march 1976 Sir Harold told the Queen: ‘Well, ma’am, do you think this would help?’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BORIS SPASSKY, 87. The russian chess grandmaster’s 1972 battle with american Bobby Fischer was described as ‘the Cold War played out in Iceland on a chessboard’. Spassky lost the world championship but insisted he never wanted to crush opponents: ‘I preferred to fight on good terms. It’s not a sport in which I had to kill.’ OLIVIa COLmaN, 50. The former cleaner played Elizabeth II in The Crown and won an academy award for The Favourite. She also voiced andrex’s ‘be kind to your behind’ adverts in 2013, and said: ‘I did ask if I could get paid in puppies.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
EDWARD ‘TUBBY’ HAYES (1935-1973). The jazz saxophonist from London who counted miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones among his fans, performed on film scores including The Italian Job and had two television series for aTV. He became addicted to heroin and died during heart surgery aged 38. HarOLD PrINCE (1928-2019). The U.S. theatre producer and director won a record 21 Tony awards. andrew Lloyd Webber said: ‘all modern musical theatre owes practically everything to him.’ Prince insisted no amount of success gets you a free ride: ‘You’re as naked as the first day you worked, and you better make it good.’
ON JANUARY 30 . . .
IN 1939, adolf Hitler announced to the reichstag that war would result in the ‘annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe’. IN 2015, English actress and former miss marple Geraldine mcEwan died aged 82.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION: Empyrean (coined 1614)
a) a person who lives on the opposite side of the equator.
B) a person who lives inland.
C) The highest heaven. answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Peeping Tom: Someone who enjoys looking at things they shouldn’t, out of lewdness or curiosity. Legend has it that Leofric, Earl of mercia, agreed to lift taxes if his wife Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry. Officials urged the people to stay at home while she did so, but a tailor ‘Peeping Tom’ looked out as she rode by and was struck blind.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
I’ve met serial killers and professional assassins and nobody scared me as much as Mrs T.
Ken Livingstone, ex-Labour politician and leader of Greater London Council
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHaT do you call a shy pebble? a stone that wants to be a little bolder. Guess The Definition answer: C.