ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
MARCH 27, 1944 MR CHURCHILL, in his radio speech, gave news of plans to ensure post-war homes for all who need them. Prefabricated homes, with £80 worth of fitted furniture, are to be let at moderate rents. Fittings include baths, stoves and refrigerators. MARCH 27, 1953 TV VIEWERS had their first good look at Aneurin Bevan [Labour politician and architect of the NHS], who made his debut on the flat end of the cathode-ray tube. Mostly seen fleetingly in newsreels and in caricatures, he went into more than a million homes and stayed for 30 minutes. what audiences saw was the familiar burly figure speaking in a pronounced welsh accent and an occasional stammer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
QUENTIN TARANTINO, 54. The Oscar-winning director (right) is known for his gory films, including Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. A producer he once worked with said: ‘Some work with musical numbers. Quentin works with violence.’ JULIAN GLOVER, 82. The London-born actor, who starred in Game Of Thrones and as a villain in Bond film For Your Eyes Only, is married to actress Isla Blair. He is such good friends with actor Timothy west that they named their sons after the characters they were playing when they first appeared on stage together: Julian’s son is James [Boswell], Tim’s son is Samuel [Johnson].
BORN ON THIS DAY
SIR HENRY ROYCE (1863-1933). The engineer and car designer co-founded Rolls-Royce. He started out as a newspaper and telegraph boy before becoming the chief engineer for Liverpool’s first electric street-lighting system. GLORIA SWANSON (18991983). The 4ft 11in, Chicagoborn actress (right) was described as ‘perhaps the most glittering goddess of Hollywood’s golden youth’. At her peak, she earned $1million a year and had 11 servants at her 24-room mansion in Beverly Hills. Her most famous role was as Norma Desmond, the silent film star seeking a comeback, in Sunset Boulevard. ON MARCH 27... IN 1625, Charles I became king following the death of James I.
IN 1977, 583 people died when two 747s collided on a runway in Tenerife. It remains the world’s most deadly aviation accident.
IN 1990, the U.S. started broadcasting TV Marti to Cuba in the hope of undermining Fidel Castro’s communist regime.
WORD WIZARDRY
NEW PHRASE OF THE DAY CONCIERGE MEDICINE: Part of the medical sector in which greater attention is given to patients able to pay a high price. GUESS THE DEFINITION Retromingent (coined 1646) A) Atavistic; reverting to something ancient. B) That which urinates backwards. C) Looking younger than one really is. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED dead heat: Originates from horse-racing. A heat is that part of a race run without stopping; a dead heat reaches no conclusion as two (or more) horses tie.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
THERE are always flowers for those who want to see them. Henri Matisse, French artist (1869-1954)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT do you call a number that can’t keep still? A roamin’ numeral. guess The definition answer: B