ON THIS DAY
IT’S DAY 172 OF 2016
In MARCH 1978, Charlie Chaplin’s body was stolen from its grave in switzerland soon after his death and kidnappers demanded a ransom, in the equivalent in swiss francs, of £172,000. The body snatchers were later caught and jailed. AFTER 172 weeks of World War II the British government announced the number of new cases of venereal disease had risen by more than two-thirds since the conflict began. WILTSHIRE mother of two sheridan Parsons collected 172 teasmades from all over the world, stretching back to 1932. Last year, she started selling the collection in order to move to a smaller house.
THERE ARE 194 DAYS LEFT
THIs year’s Oscars goody bag, given to nominees, contained a £194 luxury loo paper set. Made by Joseph’s Toiletries of switzerland, it had ‘cloud-like’ tissue paper wipes, which apparently took 60 experts five years to create, as well as moisturisers and cleansing lotion. gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly a fan. A KEBAB measuring a record 194 metres (636ft) was shared by 2,500 people at a hotel in Langfang, in China’s Hebei Province last October, according to China Daily.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
NICOLE KIDMAN, 49 (pictured). The Australian-American actress and star of Moulin Rouge! and Cold Mountain won a best actress Oscar for The Hours. Her party trick is a pitch-perfect impression of Tweetie Pie from the Loony Tunes cartoons. LIONEL RICHIE, 67. The popular singer, originally a member of The Commodores, is best known for hits such as Hello and All night Long. since 1980, one of his hobbies has been collecting fireplaces. JOHN GOODMAN, 64, the American actor who played Dan Conner in Tv series Roseanne as well as Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones film. At university, he was in the same drama class as Kathleen Turner.
BORN ON THIS DAY
JOHNNY MORRIs (1916-1999). The Monmouthshire-born television presenter (pictured) put the ‘magic’, with his numerous animal voices, into the children’s Tv show Animal Magic. At the start of World War II he was briefly put under house arrest because he was considering taking a job as an English teacher in germany. ERROL FLynn (1909-1959). The swashbuckling, Australian-born, Hollywood leading man is best known for his role as Robin Hood. He met his second wife, nora Eddington, when she was working at the court where he was being tried — and acquitted — of having sex with an underage girl.
ON JUNE 20...
IN 1756, 146 British subjects were imprisoned by the nawab of Bengal in the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’, a dungeon measuring about 14ft x 18ft in a fort he’d captured. Only 23 of the prisoners were alive the next day. IN 1819, the Uss savannah made the first transatlantic steamship voyage, reaching Liverpool after a journey of 29 days. IN 1963, the White House and the Kremlin agreed to set up a secure ‘hot line’ to reduce the possibility of an accidental nuclear war. IN 1977, girls were finally allowed to be ‘ball boys’ at Wimbledon.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
I stIll believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. Anne Frank (1929-1945)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHy did the scientist install a beautiful knocker on his door? He wanted to win the no-bell prize!