ON THIS DAY

FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE JANUARY 11, 1951

DOG skins are being used to line shoes because of the leather shortage. They are considered to be better than sheepskin and are used for gloves too.

‘The pelts are obtained from dogs’ homes and are a means of making money for the homes,’ said Mr John Spencer, of the Victoria l eather Co, higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, yesterday.

JANUARY 11, 1980

ACTReSS Joan Collins has rejected a part in The Curse Of King Tut after a warning from her astrologer — the latest misfortune to hit the harlech TV production about the egyptian boy king and a supposed curse. A month ago actor Ian McShane broke a leg in a car crash while filming.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

MARY J. BLIGe, 50. The American singer- songwriter and ‘q u e e n o f h i p - h o p s oul ’ , who has won nine Grammy awards, got her first record deal after her recording of an Anita Baker song on a karaoke machine in a shopping centre found its way to a record company executive. The ‘J’ stands for Jane.

MeLVYN hAYeS, 86. The actor from London starred opposite Cliff Richard in Summer holiday and played Gunner ‘Gloria’ Beaumont in the 1970s sitcom It Ain’t half hot Mum. he originally dreamed of being a jockey. A father of six, he and his wife Jayne have fostered more than 50 children over the past 20 years.

BORN ON THIS DAY

LIONeL STANDeR (19089 4 ) . The gravel-voiced U.S. star played Max in TV’s hart To hart and appeared in 1936 film Mr Deeds Goes To Town. he was blacklisted by the film industry and refused to inform on colleagues in 1953 when he appeared before the house Committee on Un-American Activities, investigating communism in hollywood. Stander, who married six times, said it took years to recover, during which time he worked as a stockbroker and starred in spaghetti westerns in Italy.

ALeXANDeR hAMILTON (1755-1804) One of America’s Founding Fathers, he was born out of wedlock on Nevis in the Caribbean, orphaned as a child and taken in by a merchant. After fighting in the Revolutionary War, he became the new nation’s first Treasury secretary, establishing the U.S. financial system. he died in a duel with political rival Aaron Burr. The eponymous musical based on hamilton’s life has made $1 billion worldwide in five years.

ON JANUARY 11…

In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — which would go on to hand out the Oscars — was formed. In 1954, the BBC’s George Cowling gave the first televised weather forecast.

WORD WIZARDRY

GUESS THE DEFINITION: accoucheur (c 1750s) A) A male midwife B) An old man given to telling anecdotes C) A male companion Answer below. PHRASE EXPLAINED Stalking horse: meaning a pretext to conceal one’s true designs; it’s a 16thcentury phrase relating to hunters who would stalk game by hiding behind their horses as they advanced on their prey.

QUOTE FOR TODAY

I knew that I was an unwanted baby when I saw that my bath toys were a toaster and a radio. Joan Rivers, U.S. comedienne (1933-2014)

JOKE OF THE DAY

What happens when the five-legged man puts on his trousers? They fit like a glove. Guess The Definition answer: A.