ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE
NOVEMBER 13, 1939 YOU may send Christmas cards to friends in Empire countries, France, the United States, South America, and most of the Far East. But because enemy agents once used Christmas cards to send information, only plain, printed greeting cards (no robins or snow) with your name and address printed (not written or typed) may be sent.
NOVEMBER 13, 1972 ETON is losing one of its traditional sights — the public school has decided its pupils need no longer wear their conspicuous uniform in the streets. Instead of tails, wing collars and striped trousers the boys will be allowed to wear sports jackets and flannels when they leave the school grounds.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
KEVIN BRIDGES, 33. The comic from Clydebank started in clubs at 17, having never seen a live standup routine. Bridges, who has performed for Barack Obama, said: ‘I don’t think I’d be funny if I lived in London.’ In 2015, he hired security guards to deal with drunken hecklers who refused to leave the venue he was playing.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, 64. The Oscar, Emmy, grammy and Tony-award winning American actress and comic was born Caryn Johnson. Before making it as an actress, she worked as a mortuary assistant and a bricklayer. In February she said she once asked BBC bosses to make her the first female Doctor Who. ‘But they were like, “Um, no.”’
BORN ON THIS DAY
EDWARD III (1312-1377). The King of England for 50 years was crowned aged 14. During his reign, the father of 13 became King of France after invading the country and beginning the Hundred Years War. He was known for dressing up as a pheasant for banquets while his solders came as swans.
JEAN Seberg (1938-79). The American actress starred in 1957’s Saint Joan after winning a nationwide talent search. She was found dead aged 40 after taking her own life in the back of her car. A week after her death, the FBI admitted that nine years earlier it had plotted to discredit her because of her support for the Black Panther Party.
ON NOVEMBER 13…
IN 1965, the f-word made its first appearance on Tv— courtesy of drama critic Kenneth Tynan during a live discussion about censorship on satirical show BBC3.
IN 1969, Irene Hanson, from Essex, gave birth to the first set of surviving quintuplets in Britain in the 20th century.
IN 2007, Boy george was convicted of false imprisonment for chaining a man to a wall at his London home. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: haplology (19th c)
A) The omission of one of a pair of sounds or syllables; B) The use of ambiguous language or evasive writing; C) Much talk with little to say (Answer below)
PHRASE EXPLAINED
Catch some Zs: meaning to get some sleep. Coined in the mid-19th century, ‘Z’ is a brief form of onomatopoeia (a word that imitates its sound) and alludes to the buzzing sound for snoring.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
He doesn’t know anything except fact
James Thurber, American humorist (1894-1961)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT did the mayonnaise say when the fridge was opened? Close the door, I’m dressing.
Guess The Definition answer: A