ON THIS DAY
October 27, 2017
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE OCTOBER 27, 1950
THE Bishop of London told a meeting of the Public Morality Council that there is far too much suggestiveness on London hoardings, particularly theatre hoardings. General Secretary Mr George Tomlinson said: ‘This presentation of sex in an unworthy way by an over-emphasis on the nude has infiltrated throughout the country.’
OCTOBER 27, 1969
PRISON officers who had to fight for their lives in the Parkhurst jail riot were serving tea to their jeering attackers shortly afterwards. An injured officer said: ‘After we got the prisoners back in their cells, we were told by a senior officer to serve them tea.
‘Regulations say prisoners must have tea before settling down for the night. officers protested but were told: “Rules are rules.”’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MARLA MAPLES, 54. The actress (pictured in costume for a Broadway show) had an affair with Donald Trump while he was married to first wife Ivana, went on to give birth to his daughter Tiffany, then became the billionaire’s second wife. They divorced after six years, with Maples apparently receiving $2million — described by the New York Times as ‘the Trump equivalent of throwing her the change found under the sofa cushions’.
PETER FIRTH, 64. The Bradford-born actor is best known for his role as MI5 boss Harry Pearce in BBC drama Spooks. He says his biggest extravagance is high-class accommodation when he travels: ‘The BBC pay for cheap hotels if you are filming on location, but I’m too old to stay in cold, dirty places, so I always look for somewhere where people understand hospitality.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
LEO BAXENDALE (1930-2017). The Lancashire-born cartoonist created some of the Beano’s most popular characters, including the Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx (pictured). ‘At one point,’ he said, ‘the editor showed me a letter from an adult reader saying that the artist doing The Bash Street Kids was a near-genius. I think he expected me to be pleased — but I was annoyed, actually, by the word “near”.’
ISAAC MERRITT SINGER (1811-1875). In 1851, the American inventor designed and built the first commercially successful sewing machine. He also pioneered the use of credit plans for customers, so they could pay for their sewing machines in instalments. He fathered 24 children, retired to England and died in Devon.
ON OCTOBER 27…
IN 1938, nylon was first exhibited to the public, at the site of the forthcoming World Fair in New York.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION Tomalley (coined 1666)
A) A pathway up a steep hill. B) A type of North American lobster liver that turns green when heated. C) The trace left by a stag. Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
To case the joint: To inspect a property prior to robbing it. It comes from the U.S. criminal fraternity; ‘joint’ is a building.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
NOTHING makes a man so adventurous as an empty pocket. Victor Hugo, French writer (1802-1885)
JOKE OF THE DAY
PEOPLE need to stop making wild generalisations about music players. Enough with the stereo types. guess The Definition answer: B