ON THIS DAY

J M BARRIE donated the copyright fee for his hit play and novel Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. It came at a time when the hospital was struggling for funds and helped them pioneer new treatments and research and buy vital equipment. A bronze statue of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell can be found outside the hospital entrance. BEWITCHED actress Elizabeth Montgomery was born in Hollywood. The daughter of acting parents, she became famous for playing nosetwitching witch Samantha Stephens in the long-running American TV comedy and appeared in all 254 episodes. Dick York, who played husband Darrin, left the show in 1969 due to health problems and Dick Sargent took over. FEZ-LOVING comedian Tommy Cooper died at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack on live television. He was appearing on variety show Live From Her Majesty’s when he collapsed. The audience initially thought it was part of his act. Efforts were made to revive him backstage, but he was pronounced dead on his arrival at Westminster Hospital. ENGLISH writer Dr Samuel Johnson published his famous dictionary. It took him eight years to compile A Dictionary Of The English Language and it came in two volumes and contained more than 40,000 words. His entries often had a personal touch. He defined oats as “a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people”. ART treasures looted by the Germans during the Second World War were discovered in an Austrian mine. Among the haul were paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael and an altarpiece by Michelangelo. A huge cache of art treasures stolen from private collections throughout Europe was also discovered at Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany (pictured). The story of the finds were the subject of 2015 movie The Monuments Men, directed by and starring George Clooney.