October 28, 2020 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE OCTOBER 28, 1944
IT IS reported in Lyon that there are still 300 million bottles of good champagne hidden away in France, despite the efforts of the Nazi’s foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop to remove them. It is feared, however, that future years may be meagrely supplied, as the Germans have drunk huge quantities of immature champagne.
OCTOBER 28, 1986
The Queen’s visit to China has started a rush by British tourists eager to follow in the royal footsteps. One holiday company, Kuoni Travel, reports bookings up by 150 per cent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Joaquin Phoenix, 46. The star, who first appeared on screen aged eight and won an Oscar this year for The Joker (right), was born Joaquin Bottom and used the name Leaf as a teenager — he is the sibling of River, Rain, Liberty and Summer. Phoenix is engaged to actress Rooney Mara, who in September gave birth to their first child. They named him River after Joaquin’s brother, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 1993. MATT SMITH, 38. The actor was plucked from obscurity aged 26 to be the 11th Time Lord in Doctor Who, but had wanted to be a footballer — as a youngster he was on the books of Leicester City before a back condition wrecked his hopes. On playing Prince Philip in two series of hit show The Crown, Smith said: ‘All the research I did found him to be brilliantly funny, very clever, very popular. In the royal house he’s the most popular of all of them . . . they all love him.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
Suzy Parker (1932-2003). The American, right, was reportedly the world’s highest-paid model in the 1950s, when she is said to have made $100,000 a year — the same as the u.S. president. She became the face of Coco Chanel and was described by Christian Dior as ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’. Joan Crawford added: ‘I think that face is the most fabulously beautiful thing I have ever seen in my whole life.’ FRANCIS BACON (1909-1992). The Dublin-born english painter was memorably described by Margaret Thatcher as ‘that man who paints those dreadful pictures’ — including of screaming popes. When served his wartime call-up papers, Bacon hired an alsatian from Harrods and slept beside it to aggravate his asthma. He was granted an exemption at his medical the next day.
ON OCTOBER 28…
IN 1971, MPs voted by a majority of 112 for Britain to join europe’s Common Market. IN 1998, poet Ted Hughes died aged 68.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Oppilate (coined c1545) A) To stuff one bird into another. B) To beat up batter for pudding. C) To stop up or obstruct. answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED Ringing the changes — To use alternative means, and coined in 1614 from bell-ringing where a change refers to each pattern of the order of striking the bells; thus to ‘ring the changes’ means all variations are rung, before returning to the starting point.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
love is like any other luxury. you have no right to it unless you can afford it. Anthony Trollope, novelist (1815-1882)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT happens when a witch loses her temper? She flies off the handle. Guess The Definition answer: C