May 25, 2022 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
MAY 25, 1939
A new system of television on twin projectors was demonstrated yesterday by the EMI Company at its Hayes factory with a transmission of the Derby on a full-size cinema screen — 16ft by 12ft 6in. Advantages claimed by the system, which has been evolved in secret during the past 18 months, include greater clarity of definition and increased steadiness of the subject televised.
MAY 25, 1990
MAVERICK communist Boris Yeltsin was yesterday nominated for the presidency of the russian Federation — the biggest of the 15 Soviet republics, with a population of 147 million.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SIr IAn Mckellen, 83. The actor, from Burnley, played Gandalf in The lord Of The rings. He is an ordained minister with the Universal life Church and officiated Sir Patrick Stewart’s wedding. Sir Ian refused to take over the role of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films after the death of richard Harris. FrAnk Oz, 78. The Herefordshire-born U.S. actor and filmmaker performed the Cookie Monster in Sesame Street and Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show and was the voice of Yoda in Star wars. Asked if he gets fed up with being regaled with endless Yoda impressions, he said: ‘no, I’m used to it. But people don’t understand, it’s not the voice — it’s the soul.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
IGOR SIKORSKY (1889-1972). The russian-American aircraft designer built the first four-engine aeroplane, the first working helicopter prototype and the first mass-produced helicopter. He set up his company with a $5,000 loan from russian composer Sergei rachmaninoff. JeAnne CrAIn (19252003). The U.S. actress was Oscar-nominated for Pinky, directed by elia kazan, a film that generated much controversy over its subject of race relations. A mother of seven, she also starred in the romantic comedy Margie, and received up to 6,000 letters a week. She said she was still receiving fan mail in her 70s, adding: ‘They write as if the films were just released.’
ON MAY 25 . . .
IN 1967, Celtic beat favourites Inter Milan 2-1 to become the first British team to win the european Cup.
IN 1995, the earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and keith richards performing together — from 1961 — sold at Christie’s in london for £50,250.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Irenic (coined early 1860s)
A) Quarrelsome, contentious about trifles. B) Promoting peace. C) Foppish, conceited.
Answer below.
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Cuckoo in the nest: meaning an unwelcome intruder; the female cuckoo typically lays her eggs in other birds’ nests then, once hatched, the cuckoo fledgling pushes the other bird’s fledglings out of the nest.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Gentlemen do not take soup at luncheon. Lord Curzon, British Conservative politician (1859-1925)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHY should you never push the envelope? No matter how much you try, it’s still stationery.
Guess The Definition answer: B. Compiled by ETAN SMALLMAN
and ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD