ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
OCTOBER 14, 1940 CHILDREN of the Empire and children in Britain listened last night to the voice of a girl of 14 — Princess Elizabeth — speaking to them in her first ever broadcast from london [on the Children’s Hour]. ‘When peace comes it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place,’ she said, and, as she finished she called, ‘Come on, Margaret,’ and Princess Margaret joined her sister in saying ‘Good-night’. OCTOBER 14, 1974 SERIOUS doubts about the powers of spoon-bender Uri Geller have been raised by scientists after a nine-month probe into Geller’s secrets at the Stanford Research Institute in California. Geller, a 27-year-old former Israeli army private leapt to fame with his cutlery-twisting exploits.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
RALPH LAUREN, 80. The entrepreneur from New York, worth more than £5billion, became the first American fashion designer to be awarded an honorary knighthood, earlier this year. His creations have been worn by Princess Diana and the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex. A fan of Britain, lauren describes watching Downton Abbey as ‘one of my great pleasures’. ALEX SCOTT, 35, right. The ex-footballer signed with Arsenal aged eight before going on to captain her team to an FA Cup victory. She made 140 appearances for England and is currently competing in Strictly Come Dancing — wearing trainers instead of heels in rehearsals because of past injuries.
BORN ON THIS DAY
JULES RIMET (1873-1956). The French lawyer was Fifa’s longest serving president, and the World Cup trophy was renamed in his honour. His grandson said: ‘Grandfather would have been disappointed with the money-dominated business that football has become.’ The statuette was stolen in london in the run-up to the 1966 World Cup and later found by a dog called Pickles. SIR ROGER MOORE (1927-2017). The londonborn actor, who played The Saint (right) on TV and James Bond in seven films, insisted he was only the fourth best 007. Some critics unkindly agreed: one from the New Yorker magazine said Moore ‘needed a stunt double for his acting scenes’. It is thought he invented the Magnum ice cream, after asking Wall’s to create a choc ice on a stick. The company, however, said it was just ‘a brilliant story’.
ON OCTOBER 14…
IN 1969, the new seven-sided 50p — a replacement for the 10-shilling note — came into circulation. WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION: fingerling (1400s) A) a thistle when stripped bare B) the offspring of a trout C) a spade’s depth in digging (Answer below) PHRASE EXPLAINED
Cash cow – meaning a business or product that is a reliable source of profit; from the 17th century ‘milch cow’; if a cow has given birth at least once, farmers can continue to milk her for a steady income.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
NO brilliance is needed in the law. Nothing but common sense, and relatively clean finger nails Sir John Mortimer, English barrister and author (1923-2009)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT do you say to a rabbit on its birthday? Hoppy birthday! GUESS THE DEFINITION answer: B