ON THIS DAY
IT’S DAY 362...
The world record for the most fish gutted in one hour belongs to fishmonger Julian Pryke, from Greenwich, who in 2009 gutted 362 mackerel while sitting in a bath tub in a vest, shorts and apron. That’s a fraction over one mackerel every ten seconds.
After the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell set up the Fellowship of Master hackney Carriages — the official name still used for ‘black cabs’ — 362 years ago in one of his first Acts of Parliament. The name is from hacquenée, the French term for a general-purpose horse. It literally means ‘ambling nag’.
Gym weights were found to have 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat in research published this year by the FitRated website.
THERE ARE 4 DAYS LEFT
According to Winston Smith in George Orwell’s dystopian science-ficton masterpiece 1984, ‘freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows’.
Amber Rudd, the home Secretary (right), played a crucial role in the 1994 film Four Weddings And A Funeral. The film-makers contacted Rudd via the friend of a friend and she agreed to arrange for people to turn up in ‘smart wedding outfits’ to appear in background shots. They each got £100 and Rudd was on the credits as ‘aristocracy co-ordinator’ — ‘not ideal for someone who later went into politics,’ she said.
Channel 4’s original signature tune, a four-note melody called Fourscore, was written by composer david dundas — now lord david dundas and also responsible for the 1976 hit single Jeans On — who is said to have earned £3.50 every time it was played.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
David Knopfler, 64. The guitarist was a social worker before becoming co-founder — with brother Mark — of dire Straits. The british band’s 1985 album, brothers In Arms, was the first to sell a million copies on Cd, but david had already left after disagreements with his brother and the relationship between them is still ‘cool’.
Gerard Depardieu, 68. The French film star was removed from a plane from Paris to dublin in 2011. The air hostess had blocked his access to the toilet so he relieved himself in a water bottle, which overflowed. depardieu defended himself by saying: ‘I’m not a monster. I’m just a man who wants to pee.’
Janet Street-porter, 70. The broadcaster made her name in ‘yoof Tv’. now a panellist on loose Women, Street-Porter said elton John named one of his Alsatians Janet ‘because it yapped and barked a lot’.
BORN ON THIS DAY
MARLENE DIETRICH (1901-1992). The Germanborn American film icon and singer (right), famous for her smouldering pout, said: ‘I hate it but men fall for it, so go on and pout.’ She dismissed feminism as ‘penis envy’ and insisted women’s brains weighed only half as much as men’s.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). The French chemist came up with the pasteurisation process after napoleon III charged him with rescuing the French wine industry, which could not stop its vintages going off.
ON DECEMBER 27...
IN 1831, Charles darwin set sail for the Pacific Ocean on HMS beagle. his discoveries were to lead to the theory of evolution and to his book, On The Origin Of Species.
IN 1977, the first Star Wars film opened in the UK. With cinema-goers desperate to see it, touts were selling £2.20 tickets for £30.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing
Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT did the sheep say to the shepherd? Season’s Bleatings!