ON THIS DAY
October 28, 2021
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE OCTOBER 28, 1948
NYLONS are to disappear from the home market under a new Board of Trade instruction to manufacturers. The President of the Board, Mr Harold Wilson, has been promising ‘Nylons for all soon’, but manufacturers state there will be practically none available for home sales until next March.
OCTOBER 28, 1952
THE U.S. is to spend a total of £3,570,000,000 on atom bombers, according to Mr Wellwood Beall, senior vice-president of the Boeing Airplane Company. He believes the expenditure for ‘past, present and future spending’ was one of the largest made by any nation on one type of weapon.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HANK MARVIN, 80. The musician from Newcastle made his name as lead guitarist for the Shadows, described as ‘the most successful instrumental band in British history’. They became Cliff Richard’s backing group after meeting the star in a Soho tailor’s shop. Together, they notched up several No.1s including Living Doll and appeared in the film Summer Holiday.
JULIA ROBERTS, 54 (pictured). The Oscarwinning star of Erin Brockovich and Pretty Woman has been one of Hollywood’s highest paid women. She got $3million for 2010’s valentine’s Day even though she was in the film for only six minutes. Hugh Grant joked that kissing Roberts in Notting Hill was challenging as ‘she had such a large mouth’, adding: ‘I was aware of a faint echo as I was kissing her.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
GEORGES AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER (1846-1935). The French ‘king of chefs and the chef of kings’ became synonymous with classical French cuisine thanks to his work at the Savoy and Carlton hotels in London. Escoffier, who worked for 62 years in hospitality, invented the peach Melba — in honour of the singer Nellie Melba. The devout Catholic ensured all leftover food was given to nuns to feed the poor.
SIR RICHARD DOLL (1912-2005). The London-born epidemiologist first confirmed the link between smoking and lung cancer — helping to save millions of lives. His 1950 study proved the risk of lung cancer was directly proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked. He opted for medicine after failing his maths scholarship entrance exam to Cambridge due to too much beer the night before.
ON OCTOBER 28…
IN 1216, nine-year-old Henry III was crowned king of England. IN 1886, New York’s Statue of Liberty (pictured) was officially unveiled.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Hastate (c1780s) A) To complain. B) To dash about. C) (Of a leaf) triangular or shaped like an arrow.
answer below.
PHRASE EXPLAINED Jump ship:
meaning to leave a post or job, to quit, with the implication that the business concerned was about to fail; it derives from a professional sailor secretly leaving his ship at a port without working for his full employment.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Never do today what you can as well do tomorrow. Aaron Burr, U.S. vice-president (1756-1836)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT’S a comedian’s least favourite drink? Booze. Guess The Definition answer: C.