ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
JANUARY 8, 1940 THE King, Queen, the Princesses and other members of the Royal Family will eat only the normal ration of butter, bacon and sugar from today (first day of rationing). They have been issued with ‘commercial travellers’ cards’ — given to all people who have to move about the country. The King insisted that this method be adopted and no special arrangements should be made. The Queen has drawn up special menus, dropping two courses from both luncheon and dinner. JANUARY 8, 1964 THE Beatles have lost their No 1 position in the Top 20 for the first time in three months. The Dave Clark Five’s Glad All Over has ousted I Want To Hold Your Hand. She Loves You drops from third to sixth.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY, 82. In March 2018, the diva from Tiger Bay in Cardiff, who has had hits with Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever, had to assure fans she was still ‘alive and kicking’ after Manfred Mann vocalist Mike D’Abo told a shocked audience at his Cardiff show that he’d received a call she had died — and news spread on social media. TOMASZ SCHAFERNAKER, 40. The meteorologist for BBC Weather was voted the most popular weather presenter in the UK in a 2017 poll. He became infamous for raising ‘the finger’ towards BBC news presenter Simon McCoy, after a gentle tease, in the belief that he was off-camera. A clip of his horrified facial expression has received 5.5 million hits on YouTube.
BORN ON THIS DAY
GRAHAM CHAPMAN (1941-1989). Leicester- born comedian, writer, actor and member of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He also starred in two Python films, Holy Grail and Life Of Brian (right). When he died on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the first broadcast of Flying Circus, fellow Python Terry Jones called it ‘the worst case of party-pooping in all history’. STEPHEN HAWKING (1942-2018). The physicist from Oxford and author of A Brief History Of Time was given just two years to live when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 21, but lived until 76. His formula for ‘Hawking radiation’ is engraved on his tombstone in Westminster Abbey.
ON JANUARY 8…
IN 1973, Michael Caine married Miss World finalist Shakira Baksh. They’re still together.
IN 2016, David Bowie released his 25th studio album, Blackstar, on his 69th birthday — two days before his death.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Apoptosis (1970s) A) The process by which cells naturally selfdestruct in the body. B) Polite mockery. C) A verbal tic. Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED
To shoot oneself in the foot — meaning to make a situation worse for oneself. This American saying originally alluded either to an accident with a firearm or to a sense of cowardice to avoid danger.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
PeRsoNAllY, I don’t think there’s intelligent life on other planets. Why should other planets be different from this one? Bob Monkhouse, comedian (1928-2003)
JOKE OF THE DAY
DID you hear about the escaped convict with a speech impediment? He couldn’t finish his sentence. Guess The Definition answer: A.