On this day
30 YEARS AGO (1988)
We told of the Clapham rail disaster. After initial reports of 40 dead, the toll was confirmed as 35. A probe blamed signal failure caused by a wiring fault.
60 YEARS AGO (1958)
The US Army quit searching for a monkey blasted into space. Gordo was lost when the capsule’s parachute failed on re-entry and the craft sank in the South Atlantic. 37 YEARS AGO (1981)
The Polish government, led by PM General Wojciech Jaruzelski, declared martial law and placed leaders of the Solidarity trade union under arrest.
Today’s giggle
I hope Elon Musk never gets involved in a scandal. Elongate would be so drawn out. Actor Jamie Foxx is 51. He chose his stage name as a tribute to comic Red Foxx. Fearless singer Taylor Swift, who was raised on a Christmas tree farm, is 29. Mary Poppins star Dick Van Dyke is 93. He also appears in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns. Reservoir Dogs actor Steve Buscemi is 61. And many happy returns to Mirror reader Stephen Field, from North London, who turns 51 today.
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