March 25, 2020 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
March 25, 1971 Frank Sinatra bowed out of showbusiness yesterday. He thanked the millions ‘who have given me so much more than i could possibly hope to give them in return’. Strangely modest words from the man millions of women idolised as the ultimate in tough, bad, gorgeous american maleness.
now he wants to retire totally from public life, including politics. [He came out of retirement two years later.]
March 25, 1998 Police ignored crucial evidence that could have led to Stephen lawrence’s killers within 24 hours, it was asserted yesterday. the lawyer appointed by the Government to lead the public inquiry into the racist murder in 1993 in South london exposed a catalogue of failures — and demolished claims that officers were hampered by a ‘wall of silence’ from frightened witnesses.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SaraH JeSSica Parker, 55. the american actress (right) played carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the city When Parker hosted the MtV awards, she changed costume 15 times. She said: ‘You know, i’m not a comedian and i’m not an Mc, so i didn’t know what i could possibly offer as a host. So i figured, well, i’ll just change clothes a lot.’
Paul MicHael GlaSer, 77. the american actor is best known for playing Detective David Starsky in 1970s tV hit Starsky & Hutch. His first wife, elizabeth, contracted HiV through a blood transfusion while giving birth to their first child, ariel. it was passed on through breast milk and ariel died in 1988, aged seven. elizabeth followed in 1994.
BORN ON THIS DAY
aretHa Franklin (1942-2018). the Queen of Soul was called ‘a gift from God’ by rolling Stone magazine and her voice declared a natural resource by the state of Michigan. the daughter of a Baptist preacher, she became pregnant at 12 and gave birth to her second son at 15. She went on to marry twice and had two more sons.
Patrick trouGHton (1920-1987). Doctor Who’s second time lord (right) succeeded William Hartnell in 1966 and regenerated into Jon Pertwee in 1969. He died of a heart attack while attending a u.S. Doctor Who convention.
ON MARCH 25...
IN 1957, the european economic community was established by the treaty of rome. IN 1964, the Beatles appeared on the BBc’s top of the Pops for the first time.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: shale (1740) a) inexpensive. B) Shy, retiring. c) claystone. answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Short shrift: Meaning to pay little attention to something; coined in the 1500s, ‘shrift’ means penance and the phrase relates to the short time, before being condemned to death, a prisoner was given to confess their sins to a priest; typically they got a ‘short shrift’ and so they had to make their confession and penance quickly.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
a highbrow is the kind of person who looks at a sausage and thinks of Picasso
Sir A.P. Herbert, English writer and politician (1890-1971)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHat language do small oranges speak?
Mandarin.
Guess The Definition answer: c.