ON THIS DAY

FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE

MARCH 18, 1921 BLONDE women are ineligible to serve on juries, according to Judge William Morris, of the First District Municipal Court of the Bronx in New York City. He told the clerk of the court: ‘There will be no blondes on this jury. Blondes are too fickle.’

MARCH 18, 1940 GERMAN bombers claimed their first victim on British soil at the weekend in a raid by 14 planes on Scapa Flow, our naval base in the orkneys. As the fleeing raiders jettisoned more than 100 high-explosive bombs and scores of incendiaries over villages miles from any military objectives, one fell near Brig o’Waithe, killing James Isbister, 27. His wife and baby son were unhurt.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

EMMA WILLIS, 44. The TV presenter from the West Midlands, fronts ITV talent show The Voice UK and Channel 4’s The Circle. Willis (right), who was spotted by a model agency at 17, turned down the advances of Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake. She has three children with her husband, former Busted bassist Matt Willis. The Voice mentor Tom Jones described her legs as the ‘best I’ve ever seen’.

ALEX JONES, 43. The presenter from Carmarthenshire has hosted The one Show for almost a decade. In 2017, the former Strictly contestant was the second bestpaid female BBC star, earning between £400,000 and £450,000. last year, she called in to her own programme to announce the birth of her second son, Kit.

BORN ON THIS DAY

ALEX HIGGINS (1949-2010). The harddrinking, chain-smoking snooker star from Belfast, nicknamed ‘Hurricane’ because of his speed at the table, was world champion in 1972 and 1982. He suffered from throat cancer for more than a decade before his death and blamed his disease on the tobacco firms that had sponsored his sport.

KENNY LYNCH (19382019). The london-born singer-songwriter (right) performed on The Beatles’ first British tour. one of the few black singers of his era, he had hits with You Can Never Stop Me loving You and a cover of The Drifters’ Up on The Roof, and wrote songs for Cilla Black and Dusty Springfield.

ON MARCH 18…

IN 1996, This life, starring Jack Davenport, Daniela Nardini and Andrew lincoln, was first broadcast on BBC2.

IN 2008, a judge described Heather Mills, in the judgment of her £24 million divorce settlement with Sir Paul McCartney, as ‘not just inconsistent and inaccurate but also less than candid’.

WORD WIZARDRY

GUESS THE DEFINITION: Myrmidon (c Middle English)

A) A song for guests. B) A subordinate who carries out orders unquestioningly. C) Musically announcing the dawn. Answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED

Revenge is a dish best served cold — refers to the benefits of avenging someone who harmed you after some time has passed; it originated in the 1800s, with the notion that revenge is more satisfying when one has had time to prepare for it dispassionately.