Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017
Margaret Thatcher claimed a landslide victory in the general election, winning 397 seats to Labour’s 209. Her success was largely down to a surge in popularity after winning the Falklands War, plus the disarray of Labour under Michael Foot.
59 YEARS AGO (1958)
The Queen re-opened Gatwick after a £7.8million revamp. The airport had operated flights to Paris since 1936 but was under military control in the Second World War. As air travel became more popular in the 1950s, it was designated London’s second airport – and became the first in the world with a direct rail link.
TODAY’S EVENTS
8am The International Labour Conference continues in Switzerland, where standards for workers around the world are being reviewed. 9.30am HMRC releases new UK overseas trade statistics.
BIRTHDAYS
Actor Johnny Depp is 54. The Pirates of the Caribbean star likes to play with Barbie dolls with his children. Star Wars actress Natalie Portman is 36. She was born in Jerusalem. Back to the Future star Michael J Fox is 56. As a struggling actor, he survived on macaroni cheese. Author Patricia Cornwell is 61. She has sold more than 100 million books. And many happy returns to Mirror reader Geoff Hodgson, of Carlisle, who is 87, and John Briggs, from Derby, who turns 61 today.