ON THIS DAY
October 20, 2021
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE OCTOBER 20, 1943
MAJOR Lloyd George, Minister of Fuel and Power, has relaxed the ban on the use of central heating in controlled premises from today. This decision has been taken primarily in the interests of the health and efficiency of office workers.
OCTOBER 20, 1987
BLInD panic on Wall Street sent share prices plunging all across the world yesterday [on what would become known as Black Monday]. Losses were staggering — £50billion was wiped off the value of Britain’s leading companies as fears were spurred by the heightened tension in the Gulf.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
KAMALA HARRIS, 57. America’s first female vice president was also the first woman with Black heritage to be elected district attorney in Californian history, the first woman to be California’s attorney general and the first senator of Indian descent. At just 13, Harris (pictured) led a protest in front of her family’s apartment building against a rule that banned children from playing on the lawn. The policy was overturned.
DAnny BOyLE, 65. The Lancashire-born director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire and was artistic director of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. Boyle was about to attend a seminary before being advised against it by a priest: ‘Whether he was saving me from the priesthood or saving the priesthood from me, I don’t know.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
TOM PETTy (1950-2017). The U.S. singersongwriter was lead singer of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (briefly Bob Dylan’s backing band) and played with supergroup The Traveling Wilburys (alongside Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison). Petty, who sold 80 million records, was inspired to become a musician by meeting Elvis Presley and watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show as a child.
DAME Anna neagle (1904-1986). The actress, born Marjorie Robertson in London, spent more than 60 years in showbusiness — and played many historical characters such as nell Gwynne, Queen Victoria, Florence nightingale and nurse Edith Cavell. Dame Anna was described by the British Film Institute as ‘Britain’s favourite actress’.
ON OCTOBER 20…
IN 1946, the puppet Muffin the Mule (pictured) made its first TV appearance, on the BBC’s Children’s Hour.
IN 2003, Amy Winehouse released her debut album, Frank. She was so unhappy with her record company’s interference that she revealed: ‘I don’t have it in my house.’
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION: Yean (14th century)
A) Corn. B) To give birth (said of a sheep or a goat). C) To desire madly.
Answer below
PHRASE EXPLAINED Good innings:
Refers to a long life, marriage or career; from the game of cricket in which an innings is the time a batsman spends at the wicket scoring runs before being out.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
TO BE loved is to be fortunate, but to be hated is to achieve distinction.
Minna Antrim, U.S. writer (1861-1950)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT is a lawyer’s favourite drink? Subpoena colada.
GUESS The Definition answer: B