ON THIS DAY
April 9, 2024
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE APRIL 9, 1904
THE Agreement, which has been in course of negotiation between England and France for six months, was signed yesterday. The text [of the future Entente Cordiale] shows that the terms are satisfactory to both nations. Now France gives England a free hand in Egypt, in return for which England concedes to France a free hand in Morocco.
APRIL 9, 2010
PRESIDENT Obama signed a historic treaty with russia yesterday to reduce the number of nuclear weapons deployed by the former Cold War enemies. The landmark agreement in Prague commits the superpowers to reducing the number of strategic warheads to 1,550 each.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SIR BERNARD JENKIN, 65. The MP is a former deputy chairman of the Tory party. Filmmaker richard Curtis admitted he gave irritating characters in his movies the name Bernard after Jenkin married his university girlfriend. Sir Bernard and his wife separated in 2022.
CYNTHIA NIXON, 58. The awardwinning actress played Miranda in Sex And The City. In 2018, she stood to be the first female and the first gay governor of New york — but lost to incumbent Andrew Cuomo.
BORN ON THIS DAY
VALERIE SOLANAS (1936-1988). The American feminist wrote the SCUM Manifesto, arguing for a world without men and which she sold for $1 (or $2 if bought by a man). She is best remembered for shooting pop artist Andy Warhol in 1968. In court, Solanas was ruled insane and sentenced to three years in prison.
CHARLES BAUDELAIRE (18211867). The French poet inspired the likes of T.S. Eliot and Mick Jagger. He has been described as ‘one of the most compelling poets of the 19th century’ and ‘ the debauchee’s debauchee’ — ‘ drug- addicted, syphilitic, always in debt’.
ON APRIL 9…
IN 1959, Nasa introduced its first seven astronauts to the world.
IN 1962, Puerto rican rita Moreno was the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar, for West Side Story.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION Obacerate (coined 1650s)
A) To stop someone speaking. B) Scatter with gusts of air. C) To dig up weeds. Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Real McCoy: The genuine article; from a whisky named The real McCoy after a U.S. boxer, who tried to avoid a fight with a drunk. After being knocked out, the man said: ‘you’re right, it’s the real McCoy.’
QUOTE FOR TODAY
All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my right hand.
Ronnie Corbett, Scottish comedian (1930-2016)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT kind of car does a chicken drive? A yolkswagen.
Guess The Definition answer: A.