February 14, 2022 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
FEBRUARY 14, 1972 THE Women’s Institute shattered its ‘jam and jellies’ image today by announcing it is to discuss contraception. WI progressives hope they can pressure the Government to step up the family planning service. A change in National Federation of Women’s Institutes’ rules means subjects such as sex, politics and religion can be debated.
FEBRUARY 14, 1996
JOAN COLLINS (right) broke out the champagne last night to celebrate a court victory. A New York jury decided publishers Random House must pay her for work they dismissed as rubbish. The actress, 62, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted — justice has been done.’ Random House had sued Miss Collins for the return of an £800,000 advance. Miss Collins counter-sued, claiming it owed her £2.4million on her two-book contract.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
DAME MARY PERKINS, 78. The Bristolborn businesswoman founded Specsavers with husband Doug. The pair are worth £1.2 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich list. Only ‘after a right ding-dong’ with her school was Dame Mary able to study A-level science to follow her father into optometry. The teacher had said: ‘I’m not teaching physics to girls.’ The Perkins are described as ‘the billionaire couple you’ve never heard of’. FREDDIE HIGHMORE, 30 (right). The Cambridgeeducated actor from london made his name in: Finding Neverland, aged 12, and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory at 13 (he was Charlie). Highmore now plays the lead in U.S. TV’s The Good Doctor.
BORN ON THIS DAY
LOIS MAXWELL (1927-2007). The Canadian actress played Miss Moneypenny in the first 14 Bond films. She appeared in more of the movies than any of the 007 actors, but spoke fewer than 200 words in them. Bond author Ian Fleming told Maxwell she had the world’s most kissable lips, but a film director was less convinced of her sex appeal, saying: ‘lois, you don’t smell of sin. You look as though you smell of soap.’ JIMMY HOFFA (1913-went missing, 1975; declared dead 1982). The disappearance of the powerful U.S. union boss was linked to the Mafia, with whom Hoffa was accused of associating. An urban legend says his body is buried under the old New York Giants football stadium. He was played by Al Pacino in 2019 movie, The Irishman.
ON FEBRUARY 14…
IN 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded the anthem Respect. IN 2003, Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned with DNA from an adult cell, was put down, aged six, due to lung disease.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Rubicund (c1500) A) Chubby. B) Hostile, warlike. C) Red or reddish; ruddy. Answer below. PHRASE EXPLAINED Angel in the house: Refers to a woman who is devoted to husband and family; it was the title of a 19th-century poem about marriage by Coventry Patmore.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
PEOPLE often overestimate what will happen in the next two years and underestimate what will happen in ten.
Bill Gates, U.S. entrepreneur
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT did the stamp say to the envelope on Valentine’s Day? i’m stuck on you. Guess The Definition answer: C.