June 22, 2017 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE JUNE 22, 1946
HOUSEWIVES stormed the offices of the Bethnal Green Labour Party last night, shouting: ‘We want more food.’
The women said it was impossible to get offal, poultry or tinned fruit. They demanded to know why they should go without when West End restaurants had plenty of food.
JUNE 22, 1964
CINEMAS have been told to play the national anthem at the beginning of screenings as too many people rush out at the end, says a spokesman for the ABC chain.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
PRUNELLA SCALES, 85. The actress (right) is best known as Basil Fawlty’s wife Sybil in Fawlty Towers, a character she said is popular because ‘the British public love to hate bossy women’. Her portrayal of the Queen in Alan Bennett’s A Question Of Attribution was so realistic that she was told by one of Her Majesty’s guards, who saw the play, that when she entered he stood up at once.
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, 81. The U.S. singer-songwriter’s work has been recorded by more than 450 artists, including Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin. He grew his famous beard while in hospital with pneumonia. After he was discharged, a magazine printed a photo of him under the headline ‘the new face of country music’ — so he kept it.
BORN ON THIS DAY
BILLY WILDER (1906-2002). The American filmmaker was the first person to win Oscars for directing, writing and best picture — for 1960’s The Apartment. The director of The Seven year Itch starring Marilyn Monroe (right) and Some Like It Hot was born Samuel, but his mother nicknamed him Billy because of her fascination with American legend Buffalo Bill.
JOHN HUNT (1910-1998). The British brigadier led the first team to climb Mount Everest in 1953. His planning made sure Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit, but he did not climb the peak. When asked by schoolchildren what Hillary said at the top, he replied: ‘We’ve knocked the bastard off,’ adding: ‘I think it is better that I told you the truth, even if it wasn’t what you expected.’
ON JUNE 22...
IN 1940, France signed an armistice, after Paris was overrun by Nazi forces. IN 1969, actress and singer Judy Garland died, aged 47, in her London home.
WORD WIZARDRY
NEW WORD OF THE DAY
Doughnutting: creating a seating plan of a suitable group of MPs (women, photogenic, ethnic minority etc.) for the ideal TV shot. GUESS THE DEFINITION Pancreatic (coined 1660) A) hardy, resisting disease or the effects of severe weather B) fully disciplined or exercised in mind, universally accomplished C) expecting a child Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
A load of codswallop: a lot of nonsense. In the 1870s, Hiram Codd developed a technique for bottling lemonade called the Codd Bottle. Wallop is an old term for beer, and beer drinkers would certainly be scornful of bottled soft drinks.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
A politician is a man who understands government. A statesman is a politician who’s been dead ten or 15 years. HARRY S. TRUMAN, U.S. President (1884-1972)
JOKE OF THE DAY
I’VE been told I’m condescending. That means I talk down to people. Guess The Definition answer: B