ON THIS DAY
April 4, 2016
IT’S DAY 95 of 2016
LAST week’s showing of the Channel 4 programme The Island with Bear Grylls is thought to have broken the British TV record when 95 obscenities were uttered in just 45 minutes. IN THE days of the telegraph, code 95 was the most important, meaning ‘urgent message’. Despite the cost of extra text, users did not omit pleasantries: ‘gm’ for ‘good morning’, ‘tnx’ for ‘thanks’ and ‘88’ for ‘love and kisses’. THERE were just 95 months between the first flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903, and the first use of an plane to drop bombs on an enemy — by the Italians in Libya in 1911.
THERE ARE 271 DAYS LEFT
GOD Save The King was first performed 271 years ago at the Theatre royal, Drury Lane in a fit of patriotic fervour by the bandleader after the Young Pretender, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, defeated George II’s army near Edinburgh. The practice spread to other theatres, but it was 77 years before it was referred to as the National Anthem. THE Great Vine at hampton Court Palace, planted by ‘Capability’ Brown in 1769, is the longest grape vine in the world and has an average annual yield of 271kg of grapes. LEGENDARY cricketer W.G. Grace scored more than 6,000 runs and took 271 wickets in 84 matches playing for the Gentlemen (amateurs) versus the Players (professionals).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BARONESS (Karren) Brady, 47, right. Ennobled in 2014, The Apprentice star was in advertising before working for Sunday Sport boss David Sullivan and becoming MD of Birmingham City FC at 23. The first time she got on the team bus, one of the players said, ‘I can see your t**s from here’, to which she replied: ‘Don’t worry, when I sell you to Crewe, you won’t be able to see them from there.’ he was duly sold. GRAHAM NORTON, 53. The Dublin-born chat show host picked up where Sir Terry Wogan left off as an acerbic commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest. Last year, when discussing Latvia’s entry Aminata, he quipped: ‘To add to the fun, she’s dressed as a novelty toilet brush.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
HEATH LEDGER (19792008). The Australian actor, who died from an overdose shortly after filming the Batman film The Dark Knight, in which he played the Joker, was survived by his older sister Kate. They were named after the main characters from Wuthering heights, heathcliff and Catherine, a favourite book of their mother. ANTHONY PERKINS (1932-92). Best known for playing Norman Bates in the hitchcock thriller Psycho, his widow Berry Berenson was among the passengers killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks when Flight 11 from Boston to LA was flown into the World Trade Centre.
ON APRIL 4...
IN 1841, William henry harrison, the last U.S. President to be born a British subject, became the shortest-reigning president in history. he died of pneumonia a month after making his inaugural speech in freezing weather outside the White house.
IN 1925, the Schutzstaffel, better known as the SS, was formed as a paramilitary organisation within hitler’s Nazi Party.
Schutzstaffel means ‘protection squad’. IN 1959, the BBC recorded a pilot show for ‘hit’ or ‘ Miss’ pop music called Juke Box Jury. Based on an American show, it was itself a hit — and ran until December 1967.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
If you’re feeling low, don’t despair. The sun has a sinking feeling every night, but it comes back up every morning.
Country singer Dolly Parton
JOKE OF THE DAY
YOU don’t need a parachute to go skydiving. You just need a parachute to go skydiving twice.