ON THIS DAY
1732: Sir Richard Arkwright, English inventor of the ‘’spinning frame’’, was born. 1834: Hansom cabs were patented by Joseph Hansom. He also designed Birmingham Town Hall and Plymouth Roman Catholic Cathedral. 1888: Vincent Van Gogh, suffering severe depression which historians claim was increased by his companion Gauguin’s decision to leave their lodgings at Arles to escape winter, cut off his ear. 1905: The Aldwych Theatre in London opened. 1953: In the USSR, Lavrenty Beria and six others were executed for treason. 1972: Managua, capital of Nicaragua, was destroyed by an earthquake which killed many thousands of people. 1981: Geoffrey Boycott took his score to 86 not out against India at Delhi to become the (then) most prolific run-scoring batsman in Test cricket history. 1986: The US plane Voyager completed the first non-stop flight round the world without refuelling. BIRTHDAYS: Akihito, Emperor of Japan, 83; Queen Silvia of Sweden, 73; Carol Smillie, TV personality, 55; Eddie Vedder, rock singer (Pearl Jam), 52; Matt Baker, TV presenter, 39; Harry Judd, drummer (McFly), 31. QUOTES OF THE DAY: “The way I see it, when I felt her hand and it was cold already, she was slowly slipping away peacefully without pain and it was just the time for her to go. She wanted to go” - Prince Frederic von Anhalt, widower of Zsa Zsa Gabor describes her last moments. “For me I want to know the fastest route away from a grandparent, postBrussels sprouts” - former Bake Off star Sue Perkins. “I had a ferocious appetite and energy for acting, and I went at it like a maniac. But I’m going to take some downtime now” - actor Michael Fassbender. “When I tell them that they have greatness inside them, and that they are not defined by academia, they all sit up, their bodies become alert, and they go: ‘Holy mackerel! Do you mean that even though I’m not good at geometry, I might still be a smart person?’” - actor Henry Winkler on his talks to schoolchildren. “She would say she doesn’t enjoy being a national treasure, which would be an absolute bloody lie - she loves it” - actor Geoffrey Palmer on Dame Judi Dench, who once said being so described was like being a museum exhibit. “I made a career out of pretending to be posh English, and it worked for me” - Scottish actor James McAvoy. “When I look in the mirror, I throw up” actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.