ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
May 22, 1956
OFFICIALS of the U.S. task force, which supervised the explosion of the first H-bomb to be dropped by a U.S. plane, said that the test had been a complete success. The 100 mile-long radioactive cloud is reported to be drifting harmlessly over the ocean north of the Marshalls.
May 22, 2000
DAME BARBARA CARTLAND, the high priestess of romance, died yesterday after a short illness, two months before her 99th birthday. She was the world’s most prolific author, writing 732 books in 36 languages, with estimated sales of a billion copies.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
NOVAk DjOkOVIC, 36.
The Serbian tennis star, currently world No.1, has won the Grand Slam 22 times — equalling a record held by Rafael Nadal — including seven Wimbledon titles. He was taught to play tennis by his father when he was four and first displayed his talent at the age of six. kATIE PRICE, 45. The TV personality and entrepreneur from Brighton first found fame as glamour model jordan. Once reported to be worth £45 million, she went bankrupt in 2019 after failing to pay off her debts. She once said: ‘I’d rather buy a nice horse than waste it on an outfit,’ but has also admitted that she spent more than £250,000 over 12 years on hair extensions.
BORN ON THIS DAY
SUSAN STRASBERG (1938-1999). The U.S. actress made her name playing the title role in The Diary Of Anne Frank on Broadway in 1955. She was the daughter of Lee Strasberg, of the famous Actors Studio, but she had no formal training. By the 1960s, she was addicted to drugs and struggling to find decent parts. She said: ‘I’ve played juliet, Cleopatra and Anne Frank — there I was, sitting in Hollywood, just waiting for somebody to want me.’ GEORGE BEST (1946
2005). The Belfast-born Manchester United star was named European Footballer Of The Year in
1968 and won 37 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring nine goals. Asked what happened to all the money he had earned, he replied:
‘I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.’
ON MAY 22 . . .
IN 1455, the Wars of the Roses began with the First Battle of St Albans.
IN 1980, Pac-Man, one of the best-known video games in history, is released.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Codicil (early 1400s)
A) The young of a snail.
B) Having the shape of a snail.
C) Any supplement; appendix.
answer below.
PHRASE EXPLAINED Run interference:
meaning to intervene on someone’s behalf, to protect them from annoyance or distraction; ‘run interference’ is from American football; the lawful blocking of an opponent to clear the way for the ball carrier.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Contraceptives should be used on every Conceivable occasion.
Spike Milligan, Irish comedian, writer and musician (1918-2002)
JOKE OF THE DAY
I’VE got a device that makes herbs in the future. It’s a thyme machine.
Guess The Definition answer: C