ON THIS DAY
IT’S DAY 253 . . .
IF A Bugatti Veyron is driven at its top speed of 253mph, it will consume 100 litres (21.9 gallons) of fuel in 12½ minutes over a distance of 52.7 miles. But it’s no longer the fastest Veyron — that title belongs to the Super Sport model, which can reach 269.86mph, making it the fastest street-legal car in the world. ‘UNDERWEAR bomber’ Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, tried to bring down Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009. His al-Qaeda-backed plot failed because the explosives ‘degraded’ when he wore the same underwear for two weeks. THE 1998 novel 253, which started life as a website, tells the story of 253 people on a London Tube train travelling on the Bakerloo line. The book gets its name from the number of seats on a Bakerloo train, including the driver’s, and each character is introduced in a separate section containing 253 words.
THERE ARE 113 DAYS LEFT
HENRY ALLINGHAM was the world’s oldest man and the last RAF and British naval veteran of World War I when he died aged 113 in 2009. He was born on the same day as george Francis, who was America’s oldest man. TYPHOO Tipps first went on sale 113 years ago — the first brand of tea sold pre-packaged, rather than loose over the counter. THE world’s most premature triplets were born 113 days early (the average length of human gestation is 280 days). Ethan, Matt and Lucy O’rourke were born within 26 minutes of each other on Christmas Day in 2012 at Cork University Hospital, Ireland.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MICHAEL BUBLE, 41. The Canadian crooner is married to Argentine actress and lingerie model Luisana Lopilato and the couple (right) spent part of their honeymoon in Disney World in Florida, sleeping in Cinderella’s castle. DAVE STEWART, 64. The Sunderland-born musician who created Eurythmics with ex-girlfriend Annie Lennox, once talked artist Damien Hirst out of cutting off his own hands, and sewing them back on, ‘for art’.
BORN ON THIS DAY
WILLIAM BLIGH (1754-1817). The English admiral, credited with the discovery of 13 Pacific islands, was commander of HMS Bounty during the infamous mutiny in 1789. Disaffected crewmen set Bligh and 18 loyalists adrift near Tahiti. Despite only basic navigational equipment, the group sailed more than 4,000 miles in 47 days to safety. COLONEL Harland Sanders (1890-1980), right. The KFC founder perfected his ‘fingerlickin’ good’ chicken in 1939, using pressure fryers and a secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. He was known for ‘the force and variety of his swearing’, claimed a 1970 profile. OTIS REDDING (1941-1967). The U.S. soul singer recorded (Sittin’ on) The Dock Of The Bay three days before his death in a plane crash, aged 26, on his way to a series of concerts. He hadn’t written a final verse, so just whistled it — and planned to record the ending after his fateful flight to the gigs.
ON SEPTEMBER 9. . .
IN 1776, the United Colonies were officially renamed the United States of America. IN 1976, Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China and chief architect of the Chinese revolution, died aged 82. IN 2003, Boston roman Catholic Archdiocese agreed to pay $85million (£63million) to 552 victims to settle sex abuse cases. The scandal formed the heart of the film Spotlight, which won this year’s Best Picture Oscar.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Do not wait for the last judgment. It comes every day. Albert Camus, French author (1913-1960)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHY couldn’t the two elephants go swimming? they only had one pair of trunks.