ON THIS DAY
March 13, 2017
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE MARCH 13, 1961
Tory backbenchers will make a bid to get young criminals caned or birched. They want caning for boys up to 17 and birching up to 21, as alternatives to detention. They are placing emphasis on caning for younger offenders and the tougher punishment for only the worst cases.
MARCH 13, 1962
Miss Fat And Beautiful will be crowned tomorrow. seven women (hip measurements between 42in and 50in) will line up to be named the nation’s most glamorous Fatty in a Battle of the Bulge at a restaurant in London’s Kensington. Competition founder Betty rodway said: ‘Men prefer to take out skinnie Lizzies, but marry fat women.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
NEIL SEDAKA, 78. The singer-songwriter (right), famous for hits including Oh! Carol, stairway To Heaven and Calendar Girl, has written for everyone from Elvis to the Monkees. In 1975, his ballad version of the 1962 song Breaking Up Is Hard To Do became the first song recorded twice by the same artist to hit number one.
CANDI STATON, 77. The young Hearts run Free and you Got The Love singer started performing professionally aged 12. she says she would like to rewind the clock to when she was 18: ‘My life took a horrible turn. I had a baby out of wedlock and married the wrong guy. I’d take my own advice and be a young heart running free.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
LAFAYETTE RONALD HUBBARD (19111986). The U.s. founder of scientology — whose followers include John Travolta and Tom Cruise — started out as a sci-fi writer. Best known as L. ron Hubbard, he wrote his book on ‘dianetics’ in 1950, which formed the basis for a worldwide movement. In the same year, Hubbard’s second wife accused him of kidnapping their baby and conducting ‘beatings, strangulations and scientific torture experiments’.
PERCIVAL LOWELL (1855-1916). The U.s. astronomer predicted the existence of Pluto, starting the search that led to its discovery in 1930. He proposed that ‘canals’ on the surface of Mars (right) were the result of an alien irrigation network built to grow crops.
ON MARCH 13 . . .
IN 1970, the Tories won the Bridgwater by-election — the first in which under-21s were able to vote.
IN 2013, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff of the Catholic Church, becoming Pope Francis.
WORD WIZARDRY
NEW WORD OF THE DAY Silvertail — someone socially prominent. GUESS THE DEFINITION Mulligrubs (coined 1599) A) a clean apron over a dirty dress. B) a state of depression of spirits. C) small worthless apples remaining on the tree after the crop has been gathered. Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Box of toys — rhyming slang for noise; from the notion that a box of toys, particularly a new one given as a present, causes a great deal of noise to be made.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
To betray, you must first belong. Kim Philby, double agent (1912-88)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT does a thesaurus eat for breakfast? A synonym roll. Guess The Definition answer: B