MAY 9, 2017 ON THIS DAY
MAY 9, 1950
MARRIAGES are breaking up because young mothers miss ‘gossip and giggles’, Mrs Margaret Jay, wife of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and mother of four, told the National Marriage Guidance Council. ‘I think,’ she said, ‘the young girl of today is driven back to work after marriage because of desperate loneliness — away from the laughs, talk and giggles with the girls she knew before.’
MAY 9, 1967
THE Countess of Dartmouth wants to stop the uncut version of the controversial film Ulysses being shown in London. It’s based on James Joyce’s novel, and Lady Dartmouth, 36, [whose mother was Barbara Cartland and who became Princess Diana’s stepmother], said: ‘It’s disgusting — I like things that present life and sex in a glamorous way.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
ALAN BENNETT, 83. The Leeds-born writer behind The History Boys and The Lady In The Van has eventful birthdays. On his 50th, he found shards of glass in his salad. On his 58th, he was struck by scaffolding during a homophobic attack in Italy. And on his 64th, he had an abscess drained in hospital. His brother — Gordon Bennett — is three years older to the day. SIR VINCE CABLE, 74. The former Liberal Democrat business secretary is seeking reelection after losing his seat in 2015. The one-time chief economist for oil giant Shell is a keen ballroom dancer who appeared in a Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.
BORN ON THIS DAY
RICHARD ADAMS (1920-2016). His book Watership Down, was written when he was 52 after 14 publishers rejected it. It sold more than 50million copies. After a film came out in 1978, many butchers put up signs saying: ‘You’ve read the book, you’ve seen the film, now eat the cast.’ ROGER HARGREAVES (1935-1988). The first of his Mr Men books, Mr Tickle, was published in 1971 after his son Adam asked: ‘What does a tickle look like?’ The Seventies TV series was narrated by Dad’s Army star Arthur Lowe and the books sold 100 million copies.
ON MAY 9...
IN 1671, Colonel Thomas Blood almost stole the Crown Jewels. He was caught by Tower of London guards trying to flee with the crown, orb and sceptre — yet Charles II pardoned him.
IN 1945, the Channel Islands were liberated after five years of Nazi occupation.
WORD WIZARDRY
NEW WORD OF THE DAY NEUROTYPICAL: without any damage to the brain.
GUESS THE DEFINITION Unicorn (coined 1785)
A) A large playing marble B) A coach drawn by three horses, two abreast and one in the lead C) A crooked horse breeder
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Keep harping on: Refers to musical evenings in Victorian homes when daughters ‘delighted’ guests by playing the harp; however, the harp is very difficult to play.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
the interesting adults are always the school failures, the weird ones, the losers, the malcontents, this isn’t wishful thinking. it’s the rule. A.A. Gill, British journalist (1954-2016)
JOKE OF THE DAY
HEARD about the agnostic with insomnia
and dyslexia? he tossed and turned all night wondering if there was a dog. Guess the Definition answer: B