ON THIS DAY
March 30, 2018
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE MARCH 30, 1959
FRENCH air force pilot Jean Falloux, 29, has set a world record by flying upside down for two hours. Falloux said as he was helped from the cockpit of his single-engine biplane: ‘My feet feel empty.’
MARCH 30, 1968
IT’S a rule at Newmarket General Hospital’s maternity ward that when a baby is born, father must know first, mother-in-law second. But this incensed mother-in-law and publican’s wife Mrs Peggy Pigerham, 41, who complained to the Ministry of Health. A spokesman for the Suffolk hospital said of the rule: ‘I imagine something happened in the past when a mother-in-law knew first and the husband was offended.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
NORAH JONES, 39. The U.S. singer- songwriter, daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, has sold more than 45 million records, but is dubbed ‘Snorah Jones’ by critics for ‘dull dinner- party music’. Jones (right) put a piano in her kitchen to play more, but said it became ‘sort of a table, a collector of junk, covered in bills, mail that I haven’t opened’. PIERS MORGAN, 53. The Good Morning Britain host and friend of President Trump says he loves fame: ‘I couldn’t give a toss about intrusion. When I get chased by the paparazzi, I chase them back. I want to be in the papers.’ When given his own CNN show in 2010, he was the first Briton since David Frost to host a prime-time U.S. talk show. It was canned after three years when his ratings fell to 270,000 from two million.
BORN ON THIS DAY
INGVAR KAMPRAD (1926-2018). In his youth, the founder of Swedish store Ikea was a recruiter for a Swedish Nazi group. He later said it was ‘the greatest mistake’ of his life. The name of the firm he began at 17 came from his initials, those of his family’s Elmtaryd farm and Agunnaryd village. NAoMI SIMS ( 19482009). The American (right) was the first black supermodel. At first, she was rejected by every model agency to which she applied so contacted photographers directly. She rejected the title role in film Cleopatra Jones in 1972, finding the script racist. Instead, Sims set up a wig business and had $5million sales within five years.
ON MARCH 30…
IN 1984, U.S. waitress Phyllis Penzo was given probably the largest-ever tip when policeman Robert Cunningham gave her half his $1 lottery ticket. The next day he won $6 million and honoured the promise.
IN 2002, ten days of national mourning began after the Queen Mother died at 101.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Calliblephary (coined 1661) A) Handwriting. B) Eyeshadow. C) Utter nonsense. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED
Freelance: Meaning self- employed and hired to work for different firms. Derives from mercenary soldiers in the Middle Ages who offered their lances for hire.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
DEMOCRACY means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking. Clement Attlee, ex-Labour prime minister (1883-1967)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT do you call a lazy crustacean? A slobster. Guess The Definition answer: B.