ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
APRIL 11, 1970 PAUL McCARTNEy’S break with The Beatles may not be for ever. He said yesterday: ‘Temporary or permanent? I don’t know.’ He then listed his reasons for quitting the Fab Four: ‘Personal differences, business differences, musical differences.’ Then added: ‘But most of all because I have a better time with my family.’ APRIL 11, 1998 NORTHERN Ireland last night turned its back on a bloody past and took the first steps towards a peaceful future with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Tony Blair said: ‘We have the chance to build a future where there is not going to be violence, not going to be war.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
THOMAS HARRIS, 79. The U.S. writer is best known as author of The Silence Of The Lambs. Next month, he will bring out his first book in 13 years and his first in more than 40 not to feature Hannibal ‘the Cannibal’ Lecter — played by Anthony Hopkins in film adaptations (right). Harris admits he was unnerved by his creation, saying he was ‘not comfortable in the presence of Dr Lecter, not sure at all that the doctor could not see me’. JOSS STONE, 32. The singer won the Best British Female Solo Artist Brit award at 17. Dubbed the ‘white Aretha Franklin’, she was the youngest woman on the 2006 Sunday Times Rich List with a £6 million fortune. A friend of the young royals, she was a guest at Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle and said: ‘I was very honoured to be invited. I mean, it’s not like I’m down at the pub with Will [Prince William] every Friday. When we do see each other, we just get along really well. All of them are lovely — Harry is very lovely, very cheeky and very polite.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
SIR CHARLES HALLé (1819-1895). The Germanborn pianist and conductor (right) established the worldfamous Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. He took up piano at three, gave his first public performance at four and invented a foot-operated mechanical page-turner for pianists. Reviewers recalled: ‘People would go to his concerts just to see the spectacle of leaf after leaf turning over, ghostlike, without the intervention of human hands.’ SHIRLEy STELFOx (1941-2015). The actress played busybody Edna Birch — dubbed ‘the Ena Sharples of the 21st century’ by one critic — in Emmerdale for 15 years. She denied Edna was a gossip, saying: ‘Gossips are people who talk behind people’s backs and that’s the last thing Edna does.’
ON APRIL 11…
IN 1909, Tel Aviv, the first modern Hebrew city, was founded. IN 1994, the rock band Oasis released their debut single, Supersonic.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Coulrophobia (2016) A) Fear of the media. B) Fear of travelling. C) Extreme or irrational fear of clowns.
Answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED
Time immemorial — Time in the past so long ago people have no memory of it. It is perhaps derived from beyond legal memory, as 1189 is regarded as the oldest date English law can take account of.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
The house of Lords is like a glass of champagne that has stood for five days. Clement Attlee, Labour prime minister (1883-1967)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT sound do porcupines make when they kiss? Ouch! Guess the Definition answer: C.