ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
MARCH 29, 1968 YURI GAGARIN, who was killed yesterday when his MiG jet fighter crashed during training, was only 34. But he conquered more than space: after his epic flight as the first man in space, he became a goodwill ambassador for his country.
MARCH 29, 2002
ONLY a few years after the dotcom explosion, it seems the shine has worn off the Internet. In 2000, the average length of time a person spent online was 90 minutes. That has now dropped to 83 minutes.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM, 63. The filmmaker directed Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s sitcom The Trip and the films 24 Hour Party People and A Mighty Heart. His 9 Songs featured scenes of unsimulated sex and was described as the ‘most sexually explicit film in UK cinema history’. BRENDAN GLEESON, 68. The Dubliner began as a teacher before making his film debut in The Field in 1990. He has since been nominated for five Golden Globes and an Oscar. He and actor son Domhnall are Aston Villa supporters.
BORN ON THIS DAY
EILEEN HECKART (1919-2001). The U.S. actress played Diane Keaton’s mother in The First Wives’ Club and won an Oscar for Butterflies Are Free. Known for playing alcoholic or grief-stricken characters, she said: ‘Just once, before I get too old, I’d like to play an attractive, normal, uncomplicated woman.’ VANGELIS (1943-2022). The Greek composer, born Evangelos Papathanassiou, made his name with his film themes for Blade Runner and Chariots Of Fire. He did not learn to read or write music, saying: ‘Music is immediate, wild, unpredictable.’
ON MARCH 29…
IN 1974, the first in a collection of life-size terracotta warriors was discovered outside Xian, China. IN 1981, Shakin’ Stevens was enjoying his first No 1, This Ole House.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION Parnel (coined 1360s)
A) A priest’s mistress. B) Pathway up a steep hill. C) Beggar who pretended to be mute.
Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED Bee’s knees:
Meaning the acme of excellence. Similar to ‘the cat’s whiskers’, it originated in the 1920s, when the flappers compared almost anything they considered excellent to a part of an animal.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
One of the benefits of being a mature, welleducated woman is that you’re not afraid of expletives.
Judi Dench, actress.
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHY did the banana split? It saw a monkey coming. Guess The Definition answer: A.