ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 15, 1971
THE decimal crunch has come. By tonight we will know if the change-over is going smoothly. But many housewives are expected to fight shy of decimalisation until later in the week. Decimal chief Lord Fiske said yesterday: ‘A lot of housewives are putting off the evil day when they have to go shopping.’
FEBRUARY 15, 1984
DAPPER in his white tail-coat and purple bow-tie, elton John sealed his wedding with a kiss yesterday to the fitting accompaniment of his latest hit: I Wanna Kiss The Bride. The music was played loudly from a nearby house as the rock millionaire and his bride, 30-year-old renate Blauel, stood arm in arm outside St Mark’s church
in the Sydney suburb of Darling Point.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
ALEX GEORGE, 31. The A&e doctor from carmarthen shot to fame on ITV’s Love Island. He now has regular medical slots on TV and was last year appointed as the PM’s youth Mental Health Ambassador. George has publicly spoken about taking medication to manage his anxiety, and launched his own bath bomb company because his favourite way to relax is with a long soak. MARISA BERENSON, 75. The American actress was nominated for a Bafta for her appearance, alongside Liza Minnelli, in the 1972 film cabaret. She started out as a model, dubbed ‘the girl of the 1970s’ by yves Saint Laurent. The granddaughter of Italian couturier elsa Schiaparelli, her christening photos appeared in Vogue.
BORN ON THIS DAY
MIEP GIES (1909-2010). The last surviving member of the Amsterdam group that protected Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis looked after the teenager’s writing until she could hand it to her father, otto Frank — the last survivor of the family. After the Bible, it became the best-selling non-fiction book in the world. Downplaying her own role, she said: ‘We did our duty as human beings: helping people in need.’ GRAHAM HILL (1929-1975). The Londonborn racing driver was Formula one world champion in 1962 and 1968. He died, aged 46, in a plane crash. Hill remains the only person to have won the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix. ‘The moustachioed extrovert’ grew his trademark facial hair in protest against his conscription into the Navy.
ON FEBRUARY 15…
IN 1919, hot molasses flooded the streets of Boston, U.S., after a tank burst, killing 21. IN 2020, TV presenter caroline Flack was found dead in her flat after taking her own life, aged 40.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: sobriquet (c1640s) A) A nickname. B) Someone who lives upon the industry of others. c) A person who enjoys eating fine food. Answer below. PHRASE EXPLAINED To run amok: meaning to behave disruptively and uncontrollably; the word ‘amok’ comes from the Malay word ‘mengamuk’ meaning ‘in a murderous frenzy’.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
A MAN without faith is like a fish without a bicycle
Charles S. Harris, U.S. psychologist
JOKE OF THE DAY
I’M not a competitive person . . . I’m always the first to admit it. Guess The Definition answer: A. Compiled by ETAN SMALLMAN and ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD