ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 27, 1940
BANANAS are to be banned from Britain from January as they are too bulky a cargo. The Ministry of Food said: ‘Oranges, for instance, have greater vitamin value and occupy less space.’ Before the war, Britain consumed 43 million bananas a week.
NOVEMBER 27, 1969
JOHN LENNON’S Auntie Mimi was near to tears last night following his decision to return his MBE medal, which she’d kept on her mantelpiece for four years. She said: ‘I share John’s views about Britain’s involvement in the nigerian war, but this is no way to register a protest. I have not heard from him in the last few days. He telephones me regularly or just pops up out of the blue with Yoko Ono.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
KATHRYN BIGELOW, 66. The American film-maker behind Point Break was the first woman to win either an Oscar or Bafta for best director. She won it for The Hurt Locker — beating her ex-husband, Avatar’s James Cameron. Sadly it was the lowest-grossing best picture winner in Oscar history. CHARLIE BURCHILL, 58. The glasgowborn guitarist co-founded Simple Minds with Jim Kerr. Of their biggest hit, (Don’t You) Forget About Me, Burchill said: ‘At the time, we felt the song didn’t suit us, because we had delusions of being ultra-hip. now, I’m embarrassed we dissed it so much.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
BUSTER MERRYFIELD (1920-1999). The actor was best known for playing uncle Albert in Only Fools And Horses. The former schoolboy boxing champion always kept his first name a secret. ‘I’ll never divulge it,’ he said. ‘I was Buster at school, Buster when I met my wife and all through our 56 years of marriage.’ RODNEY BEWES (1937-2017). The Yorkshire-born actor, who died last week, was best known for playing Bob Ferris, alongside James Bolam, in The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? He became a child star after answering a letter in a newspaper from a BBC producer asking for actors to appear in Children’s Hour. When he was expelled from Rada, his mother received a letter from the principal, saying: ‘I’m afraid that Rodney’s talents lie in a direction other than acting.’
ON NOVEMBER 27…
IN 1975, The editor and cofounder of the guinness Book of Records, Ross McWhirter, was shot dead by an IRA gang. He had offered a reward of £50,000 for information that led to the arrest of IRA bombers.
IN 1990, John Major won the Tory leadership election to replace Mrs Thatcher as PM.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION Fard (coined 1450)
A) To bring forth a litter of pigs. B) To paint the face with cosmetics. C) To coagulate or congeal. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED To have more than one string to one’s
bow: To have more than one skill to use if necessary. Comes from the Middle Ages, when archers would carry a second string, so that if their bow snapped they were able to restring it and continue.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
THE one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. Harper Lee, U.S. author (1926-2016)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT do you call a cow with two legs? Lean beef. Guess The Definition answer: B