ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
august 14, 1961 AN ATMOSPHERE of impending disaster hung over Berlin tonight as crowds gathered at the Brandenburg Gate. More than 5,000 West Berliners were protesting at new border restrictions [as construction of the Berlin Wall began]. Many waved torches and chanted ‘Berlin must stay free’. West German police kept people away from the barbed wire — erected by the Communists to stop the flow of refugees from the East. august 14, 1972 JIMMy yOuNG is to stop singing on his daily Radio 1 show. BBC officials feel that his ‘sweet music’ songs are out of keeping with a pop service. And Jimmy has no intention of switching to rock ’n’ roll.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SARAH BRIGHTMAN, 59 (right). The soprano from Hertfordshire starred in The Phantom Of The Opera and Cats and had a hit with I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper. Brightman, who was married to Andrew Lloyd Webber, said she tried to return her £6 million divorce settlement: ‘I did ask him once: “Look, I’m doing all right, would you like it back?” and he said: “No, you went through all of that, you keep it”.’ DANIELLE STEEL, 72. The American romance novelist, who wrote The Mistress, is the most-borrowed author from uK libraries since 1990, beating J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl. The mother of nine writes up to seven titles a year, working at least 20 hours a day. Of sleep, she says: ‘If I have four hours, it’s really a good night for me.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
RENé GOSCINNy (1926-1977). The French comic writer created the series about Astérix (right) with illustrator Albert uderzo, which sold 55million copies in France alone in his lifetime. When Goscinny died, one obituary said it was ‘as if the Eiffel Tower had fallen down’. The first French space satellite, launched in 1965, was named Astérix. JOHN GALSWORTHy (1867-1933). The Surrey-born former barrister and author of The Forsyte Saga novels won the Nobel Prize for Literature a year before his death. In 1929, he topped a poll of ‘novelists who may be read in 2029’ — ahead of H.G. Wells, Kipling and J.M. Barrie. But not everyone was a fan. George Orwell used the phrase ‘Galsworthy-and-water stuff’ to describe what he deemed mediocre novels and said much of his later writing was ‘tripe’.
ON AUGUST 14....
IN 1945, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, ending World War II.
IN 1985, Michael Jackson bought most of The Beatles’ back catalogue for almost $50 million. Paul McCartney reportedly said: ‘I think it’s dodgy to do something like that. To be someone’s friend and then buy the rug they’re standing on.’
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: Glebe A) Endowed parish land used to support a rector. B) The last and least-willing sheep to be sheared. C) Sleet. answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED
All the rage: Refers to a fad or trend, particularly for a short period. It was coined in a magazine in 1785.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Cats and monkeys — monkeys and cats — all human life is there! Author Henry James (1843-1916)
JOKE OF THE DAY
I SET my oven to 180 degrees and now I can’t open it ... It’s upside down. guess the Definition: a. Compiled by ETAN SMALLMAN and ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD