31st May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Petronilla,
Saints Cantius, Cantianus, Cantianella, and Protus,
and St Mechtildi of Edelstetten.
History Test for May 31st
Born today in 1872, which British designer gave his name to a `ludicrously impractical or elaborate machine'? -William Heath Robinson
Which German city faced an aerial bombardment from 1,000 planes today in 1942? -Cologne
Which massive timekeeper began operations today in 1859? -Big Ben
Born today in 1930, who directed and starred in the film 'Play Misty For Me?' -Clint Eastwood
Released today in 1991, which film featured the characters Buffalo Bill, Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter? -`The Silence of the Lambs'
Events today...
1287 The Genoese defeated the Venetian fleet off Acre and blockaded the coast of Outremer.
1594 Death of Jacopo Tintoretto, Italian painter.
1595 Italian painter Tintoretto died.
1669 Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary because of failing eyesight, having begun the journal nine years earlier
1740 Death of Frederick William I of Prussia.
1740 Death of Jean Cavalier, French Huguenot preacher and leader.
1809 Death of Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer.
1837 Death of Joseph Grimaldi, English clown.
1859 Big Ben first began telling the time
1902 The Boer War came to an end.
1902 The Peace of Vereeniging ended the Boer War in which British casualties numbered 5,774 killed (and 16,000 deaths from disease) against 4,000 Boers killed in action.
1911 The Titanic was launched at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
1916 The Battle of Jutland took place, the only major encounter between the British and German fleets in the First World War. Royal Navy losses exceeded those of the German fleet.
1938 'Spelling Bee', the BBC's first television panel game, was broadcast.
1941 First broadcast of ‘Workers’ Playtime’.
1942 Czech patriots assassinated Gestapo leader Heydrich.
1952 In the USSR, the Volga-Don Canal was opened.
1956 England cricketer Len Hutton was knighted.
1957 American playwright Arthur Miller was convicted for contempt of Congress for refusing to name possible Communist supporters.
1960 Death of Walther Funk, German Nazi economist.
1961 South Africa became an independent republic outside the Commonwealth, with CR Swart as president.
1962 Adolf Eichmann was hanged as a war criminal at Ramleh prison near Tel Aviv having been found guilty of war crimes against the Jews.
1979 The Royal Premiere of 'The Muppet Movie' took place at the Leicester Square Theatre, where Princess Anne refused to cuddle Kermit the Frog.
1983 Detective Constable Robin Mitchell, a Flying Squad officer, received a bravery award for catching a robber by pointing a finger at him as if it were a gun. The man was later reported to have boasted to friends about the "great big gun" with which the officer had threatened him.
1983 Former world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey died at the age of eighty seven.
1984 103-year-old Sam Loveridge and his wife Annie from Somerset celebrated their eightieth wedding anniversary. They had four children. six grand-children, fifteen great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
1984 Athlete Zola Budd was given clearance to compete in the Los Angeles Olympic Games if she was selected.
1984 West Indian cricketer Viv Richards scored 189 not out against England, the highest ever one- day innings.
1988 A DHSS crackdown caught 80,000 fraudulent claimants.
1988 The BBC broadcast its controversial Falkland's film 'Tumbledown', based on the experiences of Scots Guards officer Robert Lawrence, despite concern from the Ministry of Defence.
1988 On the third day of the historic Moscow summit between Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan, the two superpowers signed a range of agreements on arms and cultural exchanges.
1988 The New York stock market soared almost seventy five points in its sixth biggest gain ever.
1989 Following his defeat by Jim McDonnell. Barry McGuigan announced his retirement from boxing.
1989 Sir John Hermon resigned as Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
1989 Steven Spielberg's film 'Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade' broke box office records after taking $46.9 million in ticket sales in the first six days after opening.
1989 The British Embassy in Spain admitted that a key statement by Spanish police on the Gibraltar killings had never been sent to the inquest.
1989 The Portrait of Duke Cosimo I 'de Medici' by Jacopo da Carucci was sold for a world record $32 million at a Christie's auction in New York.
1990 Churchill's former home, Lullenden Manor. was sold was more than £2 million, according to a announcement by the agents, Savills. It was rumoured that Sir Winston preferred Lullenden to Chartwell.
1995 Doctors at the University of Virginia Medical Centre said that the actor Christopher Reeve was paralysed from the neck down and fighting for his life after a horse-riding accident. Christopher Reeve starred as Superman in four films.
1995 Ireland's most successful sniffer dog, Jake, was found in a disused farm shed. Police had feared he had been killed by suspected drug dealers after he had been abducted from his home in Co Wexford.
1995 British Telecom announced that it was to start charging for calls by the second and reduce the cost of weekend calls.
1995 According to figures from the Transport Department, fewer people died on Britain's roads in 1994 than at any time since the mid-1920s. 3,650 were killed in 1994 compared with 3,814 in 1993 -the previous low.
1995 The boss of BMW, Bernhard Pischetsrieder, wrote off a £630,000 McLaren F1 supercar, capable of 231 mph.
1995 The European Commission said that the introduction of the European single currency would be like launching a rocket into space - once the boosters have been ignited, 'there will be no turning back'.
1995 The Prince of Wales arrived in Dublin to begin the first formal royal visit to the city for 84 years. The Irish prime minister, John Bruton, told the Prince that his visit had done more than any other symbolic event to exorcise the past. The Prince said that for the first time in a generation there was the prospect of peace throughout Ireland.
1998 In a statement from her lawyer, it was announced that Geri Halliwell was to leave the Spice Girls. The band were upset that Ginger Spice had decided to go her separate way due to differences.
2003 US President George Bush arrived in Russia, as part of a tour aimed at healing rifts with Europe over Iraq.
2003 The man wanted for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing was arrested after five years on the run.
2003 French police fired tear gas at protesters who were gathering ahead of the G8 summit near Evian.
2003 French Concorde made its final flight from New York to Paris - its next destination was a museum.
2003 Lorenzo Amoruso was the hero as Rangers beat Dundee 1-0 to lift the Scottish Cup.
2003 Sir Paul McCartney returned to the legendary Cavern Club on the eve of the final date of his world tour.
2003 Record producer Mickie Most, who worked with Lulu and Hot Chocolate among others, died at the age of 64.
2003 Cilla Black presented her final Blind Date after 18 years as a TV matchmaker.
2004 At least 15 died in a bomb blast at a Shia mosque in Karachi - and President Musharraf warned of a crackdown.
2004 The trial of 69 suspects over Turkey's suicide attacks was adjourned indefinitely because the court had been abolished.
2004 Shares in struggling Italian car maker Fiat fell after it appointed the boss of sports car offshoot Ferrari as the new group chairman.
2004 Struggling retail giant Marks & Spencer replaced chief executive Roger Holmes with former Arcadia boss Stuart Rose.
2004 Chelsea ended months of speculation by confirming the exit of coach Claudio Ranieri.
2004 A cinema chain equipped staff with night vision goggles to prevent the new Harry Potter film being recorded.
2004 Huddersfield beat Mansfield on penalties in their play-off final to clinch promotion to Division Two.
2005 The Washington Post confirmed a former deputy chief of the FBI was the Watergate source "Deep Throat".
2005 Bob Geldof announced the line-up for a series of worldwide concerts aimed at highlighting global poverty.
2005 Singer Brian Harvey was in a critical condition in hospital after he fell under the wheels of his own car.
BIRTHDAYS (for 31 May 2006)
William Heath Robinson, 134 (born 31 May 1872)
English cartoonist and illustrator
Denholm Elliot, 84 (born 31 May 1922)
(Deceased) English actor who, after spending three years in a PoW camp, took to the stage in 1945. But he made his name in films like 'The Cruel Sea', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'A Room with a View' and 'Defence of the Realm'. Often on TV, he appeared as
Prince Rainier of Monaco, 83 (born 31 May 1923)
Died 2005.
Clint Eastwood, 76 (born 31 May 1930)
Actor, director and former mayor of Carmel, Californiafrom 1986 to 1988. Born in San Franciseo, he was a lumberjack and lifeguard before appearing in the TV series `Rawhide', then in 'spaghetti' westerns and on to 'Dirty Harry'. From the 1970s he has turned
John Prescott, 68 (born 31 May 1938)
Deputy Prime Minister
Peter Yarrow, 68 (born 31 May 1938)
Peter, Paul & Mary
Terry Waite, 67 (born 31 May 1939)
Former advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury who was held hostage in Beirut for nearly five years
Sharron Gless, 63 (born 31 May 1943)
Actress
Debbie Moore, 60 (born 31 May 1946)
keep fit and fashion expert
Junior Campbell, 59 (born 31 May 1947)
Marmalade
Lynda Bellingham, 58 (born 31 May 1948)
Canadian-born actress often on TV and best known as Mum in the Oxo ads. She played Helen Herriot in 'All Creatures Great and Small' and Faith in 'Second Thoughts'
John Bonham, 57 (born 31 May 1949)
(Deceased) Led Zeppelin
Tom Berenger, 57 (born 31 May 1949)
American film actor since the late 70s who appeared in 'Platoon', 'Shoot to Kill' and'Born on the Fourth of July'
Joe Longthorne, 49 (born 31 May 1957)
entertainer
Harry Enfield, 45 (born 31 May 1961)
Comedian and writer born in Sussex and a scriptwriter for 'Spitting Image'. Numerous TV appearances include Dermot in 'Men Behaving Badly', 'Harry Enfield's Guide to the Opera' and 'Gone to the Dogs'. Among his creations are 'Loadsamoney' and 'Kevin & Perry'
Brook Shields, 41 (born 31 May 1965)
Actress
30.5.06
Today's The Day - 31st May
29.5.06
What's That? - The Game
I hope you have enjoyed the 12 'What's That' Pictures from this Party Game.It should bring back happy memories amongst the more mature visitors to this site.
I have no date for this box set so I would love to hear any suggestions.
More box sets are on the way to Quiztime, so look out for more 'nostalgia' soon.(Cover Photo is a Birdcage)
Today's The Day - 30th May
30th May 2006
Religious events today...
Feast day of St Hubert,
St Joan of Arc,
St Ferdinand,
St Exuperiantius of Ravenna,
St Isaac of Constantinople,
St Luke Kirby,
St Madelgisilus,
and St Walstan.
History Test for May 30th
Which French heroine and saint was burned at the stake today in 1431? -Joan of Arc
Born today in 1963, who was the first British woman in space? -Helen Sharman
Born today in 1908, which American entertainer provided the voice for the cartoon characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck? -Mel Blanc
Which English dramatist was killed in a tavern brawl today in 1593? -Christopher Marlowe
Founded today in 1656, what is the senior regiment of the British Army? -The Grenadier Guards
Events today...
1431 French peasant girl Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen for heresy.
1536 Jane Seymour became the third wife of Henry VIII. She died after the birth of the future Edward VI on 24th October 1537, seventeen months after her marriage.
1592 The Spanish defeated an English force under Sir John Norris at Cranon, Brittany.
1593 Christopher Marlowe, English playwright who greatly influenced Shakespeare, was killed in a tavern brawl, in Deptford, London at the age of twenty nine.
1640 Death of Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter.
1656 The Grenadier Guards, the senior regiment of the British Army, was formed.
1744 English poet and satirist Alexander Pope died in Twickenham, London.
1770 Death of François Boucher, French painter.
1778 French philosopher and historian Voltaire died in Paris at the age of eighty three.
1783 First daily newspaper, PA Evening Post began publication.
1842 An attempt was made on the life of Queen Victoria as she drove down Constitution Hill with Prince Albert. The would-be assassin was John Francis.
1911 Ray Harroun, driving a Marmon Wasp, won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 race.
1912 US aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright, the first person to ever make a controlled flight, died in Dayton, Ohio.
1913 A peace treaty between Turkey and the Balkan states was signed in London.
1925 The shooting of Chinese students by municipal police in Shanghai and other incidents in Canton provoked a Chinese boycott of British goods.
1929 'The British Labour Party won the general election with 287 seats.
1946 Labour Minister of Food John Strachey announced that bread would be rationed, with the greatest allowance going to manual workers in heavy industry.
1948 The British Citizenship Act conferred the status of British subjects on all Commonwealth citizens.
1959 The first full-sized experimental hovercraft, built by Saunders-Roe, was launched at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
1960 Death of Boris Pasternak, Russian novelist and poet.
1960 Russian poet and novelist Boris Pasternak, noted for his novel 'Dr Zhivago', died near Moscow.
1967 Death of Claude Rains, British-born film actor.
1971 Essex seamer Keith Boyce enjoyed one of his best bowling spells when he took eight Lancashire wickets for 26 runs to set a John Player Sunday League record.
1978 Liverpool beat FC Bruges of Belgium one- nil to become the first British team to win the European Cup two years running.
1983 A 1910 Austin car was sold at auction for £13,200 by Sotheby's.
1983 A lorry engine which had spent three months in the sea after it sank with the ferry European Gateway off Harwich, started the first time when brought ashore.
1983 Surrey were dismissed for fourteen runs in the County Championship match against Essex at Chelmsford, the fifth lowest first class total in cricket history.
1983 The pilot of a micro-light aircraft died in front of a large Bank Holiday crowd when he hit the water at l00mph at the Welsh Boat Show at Swansea.
1984 A police and local authority conference in Torquay were told that half the police forces in England and Wales had started or were planning, neighbourhood watch schemes. The scheme was an attempt to bring police and communities closer together in crime prevention.
1984 After the 13,112th performance of Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' box office; takings had risen to over £10 million. The world's longest running play first opened on the 25th November 1952.
1985 English broadcaster Roy Plomley died. He devised and presented the long-running 'Desert Island Discs' programme which began in 1941.
1985 English football teams were banned from playing in Belgium as a result of the Heysel stadium tragedy.
1988 After twenty seven hours, ITV's 'Telethon'. hosted by Michael Aspel closed, having raised a record £21,015,604, beating the previous fund-raising record of £18 million set by Jerry Lewis in the United States.
1988 Football administrators pledged a full investigation after reports that Bristol Rovers' youth team had gone on a drunken spree in Mannheim, West Germany, allegedly damaging property valued at £2,000. The club chairman claimed: "It was all a case of mistaken identity."
1989 Former Battle of Britain fighter pilot James 'Ginger' Lacey died.
1989 Lava from the world's most active volcano, Kilauea, was destroying property in Hawaii after a year-long quiet spell.
1989 The Argentinian capital Buenos Aires rocked under the effects of bombing, rioting and looting after President Alfonsin declared a financial state of siege to cope with the country's inflation crisis.
1989 The RSPCA called for all dogs to be registered after three rottweilers attacked a five-year-old boy in Birmingham.
1990 Boris Yeltsin was elected President of Russia.
1990 The BBC World Service's Japanese and Malay broadcasts came to an end.
1995 According to the Home Accident Surveillance System, the most common causes of injury in the home were: tripping over the sofa, slipping off ladders, falling down stairs, fires and energetic lovemaking. In 1993, 398 people hurt themselves getting on or oft the lavatory, 1,016 were injured in the bath and others had hurt themselves with loofahs, dressing gowns, chopsticks and tweezers. Close proximity to the bed is a dangerous area and even on the bed can be nasty.
1995 A viaduct across the river Irvine near Kilmarnock in Ayshire was saved after a £1 million rescue campaign. The Laigh Milton viaduct was believed to be the oldest railway viaduct in Britain.
1995 Hoover was sold for a knockdown price by its American owner, Maytag, after its ill-fated 'free flights' promotion that cost it £48 million.
1995 More than 200 branches of Barclays Bank were closed because of strike action by clerical staff.
1995 A man aged 102, Fred Orton, of Draycott in Derbyshire, had eye cataracts removed by laser. It was believed to be the first time a centenarian had had the operation.
1995 Scientists from Texas pinpointed the gene responsible for 'werewolf' syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which patients are covered in dense hair. The findings about the condition, congenital generalised hypertrichosis, could provide useful information about the distribution of human hair.
1996 England's footballers returned from a tour of Hong Kong amid tales of a drunken binge which started in a club and continued on the flight home. The airline, Cathay Pacific, reported 5,000 of damage to their plane.
1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, reprimanded one of her senior aides for telling a newspaper she was furious with former royal nanny Tiggy Legge Bourke for joining Prince William at a picnic at Eton.
1999 Manchester City beat Gillingham in the Division 2 Play-off Final at Wembley. At the end of 90 minutes it was 2-0 to Gillingham. City scored twice in injury time and the match went to extra time. With no goals scored in extra time, it was then a penalty shoot-out, which City won 3-1.
2003 The World Health Organisation took Singapore off its list of areas affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
2003 A car bomb explosion killed two policemen and injures several other people in a town in northern Spain.
2003 Police were questioning a British soldier about photos which allegedly show Iraqi prisoners of war being mistreated.
2003 Polar explorer Pen Hadow was greeted by his family after returning home from his North Pole trek.
2003 Actor Jimi Mistry, Justin Timberlake and news correspondent Rageh Omaar were honoured at the multicultural awards.
2003 Leicester City boss Micky Adams signed a three-year extension to his contract with the Premiership newcomers.
2004 Ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide ended his two-and-a-half-month exile in Jamaica.
2004 The Foreign Office confirmed a British man was among those killed as gunmen attacked a compound in Saudi Arabia.
2004 Fans flock to the London premiere of the third boy wizard film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
2004 Tracey Emin hit back at people who "sniggered" when her art was destroyed by fire.
2004 Tim Henman saved a match point before beating Michael Llodra in five sets at the French Open.
2004 Mark McGhee's Brighton were promoted to the First Division after beating Bristol City 1-0.
2004 World champion Michael Schumacher cruised to victory at the European Grand Prix.
2005 The Catholic Church invited submissions "in favour or against" the late Pope John Paul II's suitability to be a saint.
2005 Nearly 2,000 Manchester United fans vowed to continue fighting the takeover of their club by Malcolm Glazer.
2005 Bobby Zamora's goal gave West Ham victory in the Championship play-off final and booked their return to the Premiership.
BIRTHDAYS (for 30 May 2006)
Peter the Great, 334 (born 30 May 1672)
tsar of Russia
Henry Addington, 249 (born 30 May 1757)
British politician
Peter Carl Fabergé, 160 (born 30 May 1846)
Russian goldsmith born in Leningrad, whose most fabulous creations were probably his imperial Easter eggs, commissioned by Tsar Alexander III in 1884. He died in Lausanne after his business had been destroyed by the effects of the Russian revolution
Howard Hawks, 110 (born 30 May 1896)
American film director who was awarded an Oscar in 1974 as `a master American film-maker'. His titles included 'Bringing Up Baby', 'Sergeant York', 'The Big Sleep' and 'Red River'
Melvin Jerome Blanc, 98 (born 30 May 1908)
(Deceased) The voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweetie Pie in Warner Brothers' cartoons. He was also the voice of Barney Rubble and Dino in the TV series 'The Flintstones' and Twiki in the TV series 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Benny Goodman, 97 (born 30 May 1909)
(Deceased) Jazz band leader
The Marquess of Ely, 93 (born 30 May 1913)
Air Marshal Sir Reginald Harland, 86 (born 30 May 1920)
Ray Cooney, 74 (born 30 May 1932)
English actor, author, director and theatrical producer
Lord Richard, QC, 74 (born 30 May 1932)
Labour leader of the Lords
Sir David Knox, 73 (born 30 May 1933)
Conservative MP
Phillip Whitehead, 69 (born 30 May 1937)
MEP Labour politician, writer and broadcaster
The Right Rev. J.W. Gladwin, 64 (born 30 May 1942)
Bishop of Guildford
Bob Willis, 57 (born 30 May 1949)
(cricket) -- Broadcaster and Former England fast bowler and Test captain
Nicky `Topper' Headon, 51 (born 30 May 1955)
Former drummer with The Clash, whose punk album 'The Clash' reached number 12 in the Us charts in 1977. I n 1978 they had a Top 20 hit with 'Tommy Gun' and in 1982 supported The Who on their tour of the USA. Their album 'Cut the Crap' made number 16 in th
Clive Allen, 45 (born 30 May 1961)
footballer
Harry Enfield, 45 (born 30 May 1961)
comedian
Tracey Childs, 43 (born 30 May 1963)
actress
Wynonna Judd, 42 (born 30 May 1964)
country singer/actress
David Oldfield, 38 (born 30 May 1968)
(soccer) -- Luton's Australian-born forward
Paul Grayson, 35 (born 30 May 1971)
(rugby union) -- England and Northampton fly-half
Andy Farrell, 31 (born 30 May 1975)
rugby league player
Picture Quiz - 15
1. JEREMY IRONS
2. JAN HARVEY
3. DAVID O'LEARY
4. MARCUS RESCOTHICK
5. CHERYL TWEEDY
6. STEPHEN FRY
7. DICK CHENEY
8. SUZI PERRY
9. CHRIS ROCK
10. JOANNE LEES
Picture Quiz - 14
1. JACKIE COLLINS
2. ROB BRYDON
3. RONALDINHO
4. DAVID MOYES
5. JESSICA ALBA
6. EWAN MCGREGOR
7. DAVID THRELFALL
8. EMMA BUNTON
9. COLIN FARRELL
10. GERI HALLIWELL
Picture Quiz - 13
1. IDI AMIN
2. SHIRLEY ANNE FIELD
3. BILLY CONNOLLY
4. MAX CLIFFORD
5. REESE WITHERSPOON
6. IAN POULTER
7. DAVID BLAINE
8. LESLIE ASH
9. ANASTACIA
10. PAUL WHITEHOUSE
Picture Quiz - 12
1. ANDY GARCIA
2. PENNY SMITH
3. LYNDON JOHNSON
4. RAUL
5. MYLEENE KLASS
6. TRICIA PENROSE
7. SERGIO GARCIA
8. MELINDA MESSENGER
9. SHANE RICHIE
10. LETS DANCE (David Bowie)
Picture Quiz - 11
1. NIGEL HARMAN
2. BONNIE HUNT
3. LISA STANSFIELD
4. SHAY GIVEN
5. NELL MCANDREW
6. JIM CARREY
7. OLGA KORBUT
8. ANGELA GRIFFIN
9. NICHOLAS LYNDHURST
10. DR HENRY KISSINGER
Picture Quiz - 10
1. GEORGE COLE
2. SUSAN SARANDON
3. AXL ROSE
4. JULIE WALTERS
5. CARMEN ELECTRA
6. KENNETH CLARKE
7. HELEN LEDERER
8. RACHEL MCADAMS
9. RALF SCHUMACHER
10. ASHLEY GILES
Picture Quiz - 9
1. RICK WAKEMAN
2. QUENTIN WILSON
3. BEN KINGSLEY
4. SIR EDMUND HILLARY
5. SHAKIRA
6. DENNIS TAYLOR
7. EVEL KNIEVEL
8. DONNA AIR
9. DENNIS LAW
10. JILLY GOOLDEN
Picture Quiz - 8
1. ADELE SILVA
2. BETTE MIDLER
3. ANDRE 3000
4. RUBENS BARICHELLO
5. JO GUEST
6. ROBBIE SAVAGE
7. SHIRLEY BASSEY
8. RACHEL MCADAMS
9. VANESSA FELZ
10. 2 (BOB MONKHOUSE)
Picture Quiz - 7
1. DANIEL BEDINGFIELD
2. PETER OSGOOD
3. ERIC CANTONA
4. CAPRICE
5. DONNA AIR
6. TOM CRUISE
7. GERALD FORD
8. LISA ROGERS
9. LIV TYLER
10. TINA HOBLEY
Picture Quiz - 6
1. WILL YOUNG
2. JOAN COLLINS
3. LISA MARIE PRESLEY
4. MAX BEESLEY
5. MARCIA CROSS
6. MARIA SHARAPOVA
7. STEVEN GERRARD
8. MICHELLE BASS
9. SHANIA TWAIN
10. SHARON STONE
Picture Quiz - 5
Spot The Intro Collection
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Nine weeks on top for Crazy hit
Gnarls Barkley's track Crazy has extended its stay at number one in the UK singles chart to nine weeks.
Last week it became the first single to stay top for eight weeks since Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around, which spent 15 weeks at number one in summer 1994.
At number two is I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker by Sandi Thom, who came to attention by performing on the internet before landing a recording contract.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium remains the number one album.
TOP FIVE SINGLES
1. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
2. Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker
3. Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
4. LL Cool J/ Jennifer Lopez - Control Myself
5. Primal Scream - Country Girl
Ambient act Zero 7 have the highest new entry in the album chart, with The Garden entering at number four.
The Pet Shop Boys' Fundamental is close behind, making its debut at number five. Including greatest hits and remix albums, it is Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe's 15th album in a chart career which has lasted more than 20 years.
US rock band Angels & Airwaves, set up by Blink 182 singer Tom DeLonge, have a new entry at number six with We Don't Need To Whisper.
TOP FIVE ALBUMS
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
2. Feeder - The Singles
3. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
4. Zero 7 - The Garden
5. Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental
While the highest entry in the singles chart is Keane's Is It Any Wonder at number 15, a number of tracks have risen dramatically up the chart to occupy places in the top 10.
Primal Scream's Country Girl rises from number 23 to number five, while Nine2Five, a collaboration between The Ordinary Boys and rapper Lady Sovereign, is at number six after having entered the chart at number 38 last week on download sales alone.
Former Busted star Matt Willis sees his track Up All Night enter the top 10 at number seven, after a download-only release last week saw the song make number 52.
Multiple Choice Quiz
1. In his youth, Pope John-Paul II used to play in which position?
A) Center-Forward, B) Sweeper or C) Goalkeper
ANSWER = C) Goalkeper
2. What type of meat is traditionally used in the Italian dish Osso Bucco?
A) Lamb, B) Beef OR C) Veal
ANSWER = C) Veal
3. In Scrabble, how many points would you score for the word KICK played across a double word score?
A) 18, B) 28 or C) 36
ANSWER = A) 18
4. Who was the first person to saw a woman in half?
A) Horace Goldin, B) P. T. Selbit or C) John Maskelyne
ANSWER = B) P. T. Selbit (You never know when that bit of info will come in handy!!!)
5. Which of these men was not a Prime Minister in the 1950s?
A) Sir Alec Douglas-Home, B) Sir Anthony Eden or C) Harold Macmillan
ANSWER = A) Sir Alec Douglas-Home
6. What is the name of Pluto's Moon?
A) Caliope, B) Charon or C) Calybdes
ANSWER = B) Charon
7. Where did children's TV icon Wizbit live?
A) Tricksville, B) Puzzleopolis or C) Puzzleton
ANSWER = B) Puzzleopolis
8. Which motor racing team was created by Colin Chapman?
A) Lotus, B) Benetton or C) Arrows
ANSWER = A) Lotus
9. In which country are the cities of Plovdiv and Varna?
A) Latvia, B) Bulgaria or C) Slovenia
ANSWER = B) Bulgaria
10. Which team was the first to score from a penalty in an FA Cup Final?
A) Sunderland, B) Newcastle or C) Liverpool
ANSWER = B) Newcastle
11. What was the fate of Ali Baba's brother Kassim?
A) He was cut into pieces, B) He was boiled alive or C) He was sewn into a sack
ANSWER = A) He was cut into pieces
12. Which is the oldest Cambridge College?
A) Christ's, B) Peterhouse or C) Trinity
ANSWER = B) Peterhouse
13. What name is given to a cauliflower cream soup?
A) Melloise, B) Dubarry or C) Gaderin
ANSWER = B) Dubarry
14. In which activity has Dominic O'Brien been World Champion?
A) Tossing the Caber, B) Eating Pies or C) Memory Tests
ANSWER = C) Memory Tests
15. Which of the following is a language area of the brain?
A) Wernicke's Area, B) Amygdala or C) Corpus Callosum
ANSWER = A) Wernicke's Area
16. Which London Theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit by electric lighting?
A) Vaudeville Theatre, B) Savoy Theatre or C) Victoria Palace
ANSWER = B) Savoy Theatre
17. What was Geoffrey Archer's full title in the Lords?
A) Lord Archer of Milton Keynes, B) Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare or C) Lord Archer of Welwyn Garden City
ANSWER = B) Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare
18. What is the name of the spectacular meteor shower visible in mid-August each year?
A) Perseids, B) Virginals or C) Theseids
ANSWER = A) Perseids
19. What was the name of the play and film about Darwin's Theory of Evolution?
A) Finding the Land, B) Seeking the Dawn or C) Inherit the Wind
ANSWER = C) Inherit the Wind
20. Which musical features the song 'You'll never Walk Alone'?
A) Carousel, B) Cabaret or C) Annie, Get Your Gun
ANSWER - A) Carousel
Quiztime 280506
1. Which Premiership football team are nicknamed the Addicks?
Charlton Athletic
2. What is the title of Leo Sayer’s only UK No 1 single?
When I Need You
3. In which cult TV programme would you hear the catch-phrases "I love it when a plan comes together" and “You crazy fool”?
A-Team
4. Which country does the wine Blue Nun come from?
Germany
5. Which financial institution sponsors ITV1’s ‘The Bill’?
The Co-Operative Bank
6. Which cartoon character lives in Bikini Bottom?
Spongebob Squarepants
7. Ricky Wilson, Andrew "Whitey" White, and Nick "Peanut" Baines are amongst the members of which indie band?
Kaiser Chiefs
8. In which 2000 comedy film would you find Robert De Niro starring as Ben Stiller’s potential father-in-law?
Meet the Parents
9. In which UK county would you find the towns of Camborne and Redruth?
Cornwall
10. Which country is represented by the international car registration letter of P?
Portugal
11. Which car manufacturer produces the Sorento and Sedona models?
Kia
12. To which Spanish city can you travel by ferry from Portsmouth?
Bilbao
13. What word is used to describe a male squirrel?
Buck
14. Which brand of coffee was "good to the last drop" according to the advertisement?
Maxwell House
15. In which New England state was George W. Bush born?
Connecticut
16. What was the name of the character played by David Hasselhoff in 'Baywatch'?
Lt./Capt. Mitch Buchannon
17. How many contestants take part in each edition of the TV gameshow Deal or No Deal?
Twenty Two
18. The national lottery started in 1994, In which year did the Wednesday draw start?
1997
19. If you wrote the num 0 to 100, how many times would you write down the number 3?
Twenty
20. Family Fortunes Question - One point each - Top Seven Answers Required - Name an animal which appears in the name of a public house?
Lion / Bull / Dog / Horse / Fox / Stag / Pig (what happened to the Slug & Lettuce?)
21. Which Year - Ian Botham was banned from playing first class cricket for two months after admitting smoking cannabis, Irishman Bob Geldof was made an Honorary Knight by the Queen for his fund-raising events, Richard Branson's powerboat, Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, completed the fastest Atlantic crossing in a time of 3 days, 8 hours and 31 minutes, British newspapers were banned from printing extracts from former M15 officer Peter Wright’s book 'Spycatcher' and Kurt Waldheim was elected President of Austria, despite growing evidence that he collaborated with the Nazis in World War II?
1986
22. What is the bony substance in a tooth just beneath the enamel?
Dentine
23. Which Somerset town has a “Grand Pier”?
Weston Super Mare
24. What ran for less than two years between St Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California?
Pony Express
25. San Miguel is the largest of which group of Portuguese-owned islands?
Azores
26. Which company hope to be offering “Galactic” sub orbital space cruises by 2008?
Virgin Galactic
27. In the world of film, whose prime directives were to “Serve the Public Trust”, “Protect the Innocent” and “Uphold the Law” as well as a fourth “Classified” directive?
Robocop’s
28. Which fishing village in France became a Mecca for the jet set after Bridgette Bardot moved there?
St Tropez
29. Who is Chairman of Selectors on England’s Cricket Board?
David Graveney
30. At which underground station will passengers alight for Olympic Park in 2012?
Stratford International
31. What was the name of the theme tune to the film "Bridge Over The River Kwai"?
Colonel Bogey
32. Where is Admiral Lord Nelson buried?
St Paul’s Cathedral
33. True or False – ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev was born on a ship?
False – he was born on a train
34. Which TV entertainer often used the catchphrase, ‘seems like a nice boy’?
Larry Grayson
35. The numbers board on Channel 4’s Countdown is known as CECIL, what does CECIL stand for? Countdown Electronic Calculator In Leeds
36. Who were the two captains in the first series of "Question of Sport"?
Cliff Morgan / Henry Cooper
37. Which female singer's first two albums were entitled The Kick Inside and Lionheart?
Kate Bush
38. The first ever Lottery Draw on Saturday November 19th 1994, was presented by which famous celebrity?
Noel Edmunds
39. Which well known fruit juice drink brand is the Maori word for "Good Health"?
Kia Ora
40. Who invented the Kenwood Chef electric food mixer?
Ken Wood
Tiebreaker - The number of bananas in the world's biggest ever banana split?
11,333
Pictograms - 7
Musical Blockbusters - 7
The Initial Letters are all from that artists Greatest Hits.
Can You Work Your Way Across from Left to Right with the Songtitles?
Answers - Highlight Below
Today's The Day - 29th May
29th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Cyril of Capsarea,
St Bernard of Montjoux,
St Theodosia of Constantinople,
St Maximinus of Trier,
Saints Sisinnius, Martyrius, and Alexander,
and Saints William, Stephen, Raymund, and their Companions.
History Test for May 29th
Born Betty Perske, which actress was crowned Miss Greenwich Village today in 1942? -Lauren Bacall
Which detective series starred Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd and first appeared on TV today in -636
Born in Eltham today in 1903, which comedian began his career impersonating Charlie Chaplin? -Bob Hope
Which English monarch reclaimed the throne today in 1660, eleven years after his father lost it? -Charles II
Today in 1961, who became the first member of the British Royal family to be interviewed on TV? -Prince Philip
Events today...
862AD Riurick (of Jutland) founded the first dynasty of Princes of Russia at Novgorod.
1218 The Fifth Crusade landed outside Damietta, North Egypt.
1453 Mohammed II, founder of the Ottoman empire, captured Constantinople; the Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI was killed and the Greek Empire finally extinguished. Constantinople became the Ottoman capital.
1458 Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated a Castilian fleet in the Channel.
1500 Death of Bartholomew Diaz de Novaes, Portuguese navigator.
1546 Death of David Beaton, Scottish politician.
1660 The monarchy was restored in England with Charles II on the throne, thus beginning the 'Restoration Period'.
1691 Death of Cornelius Van Tromp, Dutch sailor.
1829 Death of Humphry Davy, English scientist who invented a safety lamp for miners.
1848 Wisconsin became a US state.
1877 Death of John Lothrop Motley, US historian and diplomat.
1879 Britain had its first ever Bank Holiday.
1911 Death of W. S. Gilbert, English playwright and librettist.
1940 The first British forces were evacuated from Dunkirk.
1942 US actor John Barrymore died.
1947 The Indian constituent assembly outlawed 'untouchability'.
1953 Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.
1973 The engagement of Princess Anne and Lieutenant Mark Phillips was officially announced.
1977 Eleven-year-old Nigel Short of England became the youngest competitor to qualify for a national chess championship.
1979 Actress Mary Pickford died at the age of eighty six.
1983 John Miles from Leicester won the first human catapult championship at Redhill Marina, near Nottingham, after being fired 68ft 1 in into the river for a prize of £150.
1983 The Grimsvoetn volcano in Iceland erupted, sending steam and debris 1600 feet into the air.
1983 The River Rhine broke its banks and flooded the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz after almost a week of continuous rain.
1984 For security reasons football supporters were banned from taking fruit to the European Cup final between Liverpool and Roma. The match officials were protected by a team of black belt karate experts.
1984 Former cosmonaut Pavel Popovich was put in charge of the Soviet’s special commission for the investigation of unidentified flying objects. Since the sixties the Soviet Union had been sceptical about the existence of flying saucers.
1984 Presenter David Jacobs received the Sony gold award for outstanding contributions to radio over the years.
1984 The United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal to overturn the law which stopped gay people from becoming American citizens. Under US law homosexuals were classified as psychopathic personalities.
1985 Thirty nine people were crushed to death when a wall collapsed during a football riot between rival Liverpool and Juventus fans at Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
1986 Ian Botham was banned from playing first class cricket for two months after admitting smoking cannabis.
1988 At the start of an historic fourth summit with Mikhail Gorbachev, President Reagan went on an unprecedented walkabout in Moscow.
1988 Wolverhampton Wanderers won the Sherpa Van Trophy with a two goals to nil victory over Burnley
1989 In America, the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie and Oxford philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin were awarded honorary degrees by Yale University.
1989 In Christchurch, Dorset, traffic wardens ran out of parking tickets after hundreds of bank holiday tourists had parked illegally.
1990 £77 million in stolen certificates of deposit were found by Customs officers during a routine search at Heathrow.
1990 Hundreds of 'twitchers' were sailing the Bristol Channel in search of a "Murrelet", a 10 inch sea bird, thousands of miles off course. Every available boat in Ilfracombe, Bideford and Appledore had been hired.
1990 It was announced that the charity Christmas stamps that raised £520,000 the previous year would not be re-launched. The Post Office said that people preferred to donate to a charity of their choice.
1991 Actress Coral Browne died.
1992 Bruce Rioch was appointed manager of Bolton Wanderers Football Club.
1992 Police revealed that over £800,000 worth of jewellery had been stolen from London shops in the past month by a man dressed in drag.
1995 The residents of Cowes in the Isle of Wight were kept awake for an hour when the foghorn of a lightship triggered at 3am and sounded a four-second blast every minute. Workers had forgotten to switch it off.
1995 Jake, a six-year-old golden Labrador, had gone missing from his kennel outside his handler's home in Co. Wexford. Customs officers feared that the sniffer dog, credited with finding £6 million worth of drugs, might have been stolen by smugglers to stop it hampering their operations.
1995 A 130-year-old chapel in Sproxton, Leicestershire, held its last service before being shipped stone-by-stone to the United States.
1995 Eighteen people were injured in the annual 'Chasing a large cheese competition' down the hill at Brockworth in Gloucestershire. Most had suspected fractures of arms and legs.
1995 In the book 'The Skills of Positive Image', a guide to etiquette at work, published on this day, the following were NOT done: eating at your desk, interrupting people on the telephone, talking loudly in front of someone's desk, arriving late for a meeting, leaving coffee cups lying around, jamming a photocopier, reading newspapers, doodling, chewing gum and keeping ornaments on your desk. It is very ominous if the boss avoids you or is very patronising - the P45 might be on the way. And a tip. Those who have difficulty in looking their colleagues in the eye should practise staring at their dog. The author said that 'It might make him twitchy but it is easier to start with pets than humans. If you cannot meet your dog's gaze you will know you have serious insecurity problems.'
1999 Five people were killed and scores injured when a fire broke out in a tunnel in the Austrian Alps near Salzburg.
1999 TV presenter Emma Noble married John Major’s son James. Hello magazine paid £400,000 for exclusive rights to the photos.
2003 Tony Blair became the first Western leader to enter Iraq since the war, as the row over weapons of mass destruction continued.
2003 Surviving members of the 1953 Everest expedition team met the Queen at a show to mark the 50th anniversary.
2003 Comedian Bob Hope, regarded as one of the United States' greatest performers, turned 100.
2003 Russia protested to Eurovision organisers after Tatu were beaten into third place in the song contest five days earlier.
2003 Tim Henman reached the third round of the French Open with a four-set win over Todd Martin.
2004 An earth tremor hits the border area between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which had been devastated by floods.
2004 Two of Ireland's leading business chiefs resigned over separate scandals.
2004 Rail passengers between London and the Midlands faced disruption as a major line was shut for nine days.
2004 Lottery operator Camelot said early indications were that six people would share the first-ever triple rollover Lotto prize.
2004 Award-winning television writer Jack Rosenthal died in hospital.
2004 The last episode of long-running sitcom Friends was seen by a record 8.6 million audience.
2004 Crystal Palace returned to the top-flight after beating West Ham in the First Division play-off final.
2004 Three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten beat top seed Roger Federer to reach the last 16 at Roland Garros.
2005 President Jacques Chirac said he accepted that French voters had said "No" to the EU constitution.
2005 Lebanon's anti-Syrian opposition said it had won all of Beirut's parliamentary seats, in a landmark poll.
2005 An Austrian legislator retracted a promise to resign over remarks he made expressing sympathy to the Nazis.
2005 Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said "a period of reflection" was needed after exit polls suggested the French have rejected the EU constitution.
2005 The Crazy Frog's Axel F beat Coldplay's comeback single to the number one spot in the UK chart.
2005 Hollywood film producer Ismail Merchant, who died the previous week, was buried in India.
2005 Sir David Frost hosted his final Breakfast with Frost programme after 500 editions.
2005 Sheff Wed were promoted to the Championship after an extra-time win over Hartlepool.
BIRTHDAYS (for 29 May 2006)
King Charles II, 376 (born 29 May 1630)
Reigned from 1660 -1685
Isaac Albeniz, 146 (born 29 May 1860)
Spanish composer
G. K. Chesterton, 132 (born 29 May 1874)
English author
Joseph von Sternberg, 112 (born 29 May 1894)
Austrian-American film directorwho directed Marlene Dietrich in 'The Blue Angel' and 'Shanghai Express'
Bob Hope (Leslie Townes), 103 (born 29 May 1903)
Died 2003. American comedian and film star, born in Eltham, south-east London. Golfer, entertainer to American presidents and troops and much, much more
T. H. White, 100 (born 29 May 1906)
English novelist who wrote 'The Sword in the Stone', which was part of his interpretation of the Arthurian legend
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 89 (born 29 May 1917)
Legendary American President, the 35th, who was both the youngest and the first Roman Catholic to hold the position. He was assassinated on the 22nd November, 1963, in Dallas, Texas
Katie Boyle, 80 (born 29 May 1926)
Presenter
Nanette Newman, 67 (born 29 May 1939)
English actress
Gary Brooker, 61 (born 29 May 1945)
Of Procol Harum, which was formed in Essex. The group's first number was 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' in 1967 - Brooker was vocalist and also co-wrote the song. Brooker went on to join Eric Clapton's band after Procol Harum split but Broaker reformed the group
Linda Gray, 58 (born 29 May 1948)
Opera singer
28.5.06
Kylie Minogue - Happy Birthday - Superstar!
As it is Kylie's Birthday Today, here is a chance for a little self-indulgence as a Big Kylie Fan.
Singles
1987 "Locomotion" 
1987 "I Should Be So Lucky"
1988 "Got To Be Certain"
1988 "The Loco-Motion"
1988 "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi"
1988 "Especially For You" with Jason Donovan
1988 "Turn It Into Love"
1988 "It's No Secret"
1989 "Hand On Your Heart"
1989 "Wouldn't Change A Thing"
1989 "Never Too Late"
1989 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - with Band Aid 2
1990 "Tears On My Pillow"
1990 "Better The Devil You Know" 
1990 "Step Back In Time"
1991 "What Do I Have To Do?"
1991 "Shocked"
1991 "Word Is Out" 
1991 "If You Were With Me Now" with Keith Washington
1991 "Keep On Pumpin' It" with the Visionmasters
1992 "Give Me Just A Little More Time"
1992 "Finer Feelings"
1992 "What Kind Of Fool (Heard All That Before)"
1992 "Celebration"
1994 "Confide In Me"
1994 "Put Yourself In My Place" 
1995 "Where Is The Feeling?
1995 "Where The Wild Roses Grow" with Nick Cave
1997 "Some Kind Of Bliss"
1997 "Did It Again"
1998 "Breathe"
1998 "Cowboy Style"
1998 "GBI: German Bold Italic" with Towa Tei
2000 "Spinning Around"
2000 "On A Night Like This"
2000 "Kids" with Robbie Williams
2000 "Please Stay"
2001 "Your Disco Needs You"
2001 "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 In Your Eyes"
2002 "Love At First Sight"
2002 "Come Into My World"
2003 "Slow"
2004 "Red Blooded Woman"
2004 "Chocolate"
2005 "I Believe in You"
2005 "Giving You Up"
2005 "Over the Rainbow"
2005 "Sometime Samurai" With Towa Tei
List of awards and accolades awarded to Kylie Minogue.
Awards
2005 Elle Style Awards, Lifetime Archievement Award
2004 Grammy Awards, Best Dance Recording for "Come Into My World"
2004 NRJ Awards, Best Dance for "Slow"
2004 TMF Awards, Best International Video for "Slow"
2004 Bravo Awards, Outstanding Contribution to Pop
2004 Music Week Creative & Design Awards, Best Pop Video for "Slow"
2003 Australian Variety Industry Mo Award, Ambassador to Australian Showbusiness
2003 Australian Variety Industry Mo Award, Live Performer of the Year
2002 Brit Awards, Best International Album for Fever
2002 Brit Awards, Best International Female
2002 World Music Awards, World's Best Selling Australian Artist
2002 Capital FM Awards, Best International Female
2002 Capital FM Awards, Best International Single for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 Edison Awards, Single of the Year for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 Bravo Awards, Golden Otto Award
2002 Australian DVD Awards, Best Music DVD for Live in Sydney
2002 British TV Awards, Best Cinema Commercial for Agent Provocateur
2002 UK Creative & Design Awards, Best Pop Video for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 Ivor Novello Best International Single for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 Ivor Novello Best Dance Record for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 Ivor Novello Most Played Record of the Year for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 MTV VMA Best Choreography in a Video for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 MTV Europe Awards, Best Pop Act
2002 MTV Europe Awards, Best Dance Act
2002 ARIA Music Awards, Best Pop Release for Fever
2002 ARIA Music Awards, Best Selling LP for Fever
2002 ARIA Music Awards, Best Selling Single for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2002 ARIA Music Awards, Outstanding Archievement Award
2002 ELLE Style Awards, Woman of the Year
2002 TOTP Awards, Best Tour for Fever2002
2001 Silver Clef Nordoff Robbins, International Award
2001 GQ Awards, Services to Mankind
2001 NME Awards, Best Pop Act
2001 NME Awards, Song of the Year for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2001 ARIA Music Awards, Best Pop Release for Light Years
2001 ARIA Music Awards, Best Female Artist
2001 TOTP Awards, Top Pop Act
2001 TOTP Awards, Best Tour for On A Night Like This
2001 TOTP Awards, Top Song for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2001 Italian Dance Awards, Best International Artist
2001 Italian Dance Awards, Best Song for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2001 Italian Dance Awards, Best Video for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2001 Italian Dance Awards, Best Album for Fever
2001 NRJ Awards, Best International Song for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
2000 ARIA Music Awards, Best Pop Release for "Spinning Around"
1996 ARIA Music Awards, Best Australian Single for "Where The Wild Roses Grow" (with Nick Cave)
1996 ARIA Music Awards, Song of the Year for "Where The Wild Roses Grow" (with Nick Cave)
1996 ARIA Muisc Awards, Best Pop Release for "Where The Wild Roses Grow" (with Nick Cave)
1995 ARIA Music Awards, Best Australian Video for "Put Yourself In My Place"
1991 World Music Awards, Best Selling Australian Artist
1990 Logie Awards, Most Popular Video for "Never Too Late"
1990 Diamond Awards, Award for Music Excellence for Kylie
1990 ARIA Music Awards, Oustanding Archievement Award
1989 Logie Awards, Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
1989 Logie Awards, Most Popular Video in Australia for "Especially for You"
1989 Ampex Golden Reels, Best Recording for Kylie
1989 Music Week, Top Album Award for Kylie
1989 IRIA Music Awards, Best International Female Artist
1989 ARIA Music Awards, Biggest Selling Single of 1988 for "I Should Be So Lucky"
1989 Japan Radio Music Awards, Best Female Vocalist
1989 Sydney's Hard Rock Cafe "Star" on Hall of Fame
1988 Logie Awards, Most Popular Personality on Australian TV
1988 Logie Awards, Most Popular Actress in Australia
1988 Logie Awards, Most Popular Personality on Victorian TV
1988 Logie Awards, Most Popular Music Video in Australia for "I Should Be So Lucky"
1988 Japanese Popular Disc Awards, Record of the Year for "I Should Be So Lucky"
1988 ARIA Music Awards, Highest Selling Record of 1987 for "I Should Be So Lucky"
1988 ARIA Music Awards, Highest Selling Record of 1987 for "Locomotion"
1987 Logie Awards, Most Popular Actress in Australia 
Nominations
2006 Grammy Awards, Best Dance Recording for "I Believe in You"
2005 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for "I Believe in You"
2005 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for "I Believe in You"
2005 Grammy Awards, Best Dance Recording for "Slow"
2005 Brit Awards, Best International Female for Body Language
2004 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for Body Language
2003 Grammy Awards, Best Dance Recording for "Love At First Sight"
2003 Brit Awards, Best International Female for "Come Into My World"
2003 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for "Come Into My World"
2003 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for "Come Into My World"
2002 Brit Awards, Best Pop Act for Fever
2002 Brit Awards, Best British Video for "Kids" (With Robbie Williams)
2002 ARIA Awards, Album Of The Year for Fever
2002 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for Fever
2001 Brit Awards, Best International Female for Light Years
2001 ARIA Awards, Album Of The Year for Light Years
2001 ARIA Awards, Single Of The Year for "On A Night Like This"
2001 ARIA Awards, Highest Selling Album for Light Years
2000 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for "Spinning Around"
1999 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for "Cowboy Style"
1998 ARIA Awards, Album Of The Year for Impossible Princess
1998 ARIA Awards, Single Of The Year for "Did It Again"
1998 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for Impossible Princess
1998 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for Impossible Princess
1995 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for Kylie Minogue
1996 APRA Awards, Song of the Year for "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
1992 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for "Let's Get To It"
Scribbles
No prizes for guessing where one Super Casino will end up
The role reversal of our two main political parties becomes ever more pronounced. In the week that the Conservative leader talked of the need to engender a sense of well-being that money alone could not provide, the Government pressed on with its plans for a raft of new casinos.
In the parts of Glasgow where life expectancy is now below that of Bosnia, and shrinking, the knowledge that the city is on the short list for a Super Casino will, no doubt, have done wonders for morale. The prospect of playing host to a vast, glitzy gaming palace, complete with 1,250 greedy slot machines, must have occasioned general rejoicing in the less well-off quarters of Newcastle, Manchester and Blackpool.
Eight contenders have been given the chance to win what may be the country's one and only Super Casino licence. What odds would you give on it being none of the above but the Millennium Dome that turns out to be the winner?
It may be that the chief croupier, Tessa Jowell, relaxes her own restriction and opts for two of these giants rather than one, but it would be most unfortunate if the Dome did not come up trumps. For when the deal that would relieve the Government of the embarrassment that dominates the Greenwich peninsular was eventually done, the potential for siting a massive casino complex there was part of it.
Little is heard of the Dome these days. A mobile phone operator has even obliged the Government by decreeing that, thanks to its sponsorship of the big tent, it should henceforth be known as the O2. Some hope! Having seen £800 million of our money, in the form of lottery cash, sunk into the ill-advised project, and a further £30 million of public money spent on merely keeping it standing after its closure, we are entitled to call it what we like.
But it is easy to see why the Government would like to disown it: a silly idea, expensively and incompetently executed, with guest appearances by Peter Mandelson and the Hinduja brothers, it is a fitting symbol for New Labour. Parliament has been critical of the process by which it was "sold", in a deal that has yet to see any cash reach the Treasury's coffers.
Such was the Government's eagerness to be rid of the Dome that when Phil Anschutz, the controversial American leisure industry entrepreneur, showed up, the negotiations may have been a bit one-sided. Hence the suspicion that Mr Anschutz might be just a touch disgruntled if he does not get the go-ahead for a great big casino in Greenwich.
The Government's enthusiasm for gaming has met with huge opposition from those who are already concerned about the upsurge in gambling in Britain and the damage it can cause. In the week that the short list for new casinos was announced, the organisation GamCare reported that the number of people approaching it for help with gambling problems had rocketed by more than 40 per cent since 2004, with the upsurge in internet gaming seen as the culprit. Against that background, deciding that Britain needs another eight large casinos, eight smaller ones and at least one Super Casino seems somewhat surprising.
The Government justifies the move by arguing that the new casinos will create jobs and help regenerate areas in need of a lift. This was certainly the case put forward by the big operators from the United States who, before the last election, lobbied hard for changes in the UK's strict gaming laws.
They also maintained that they would not be able to come and build their Caesar's Palaces in Britain unless there were changes in the tax regime that would be more accommodating. Nothing was promised, we are told, and yet the continuing interest in coming to Britain that the US firms are exhibiting, does fuel suspicions that, perhaps, they were given reason to believe that their lobbying efforts had not been in vain and a more hospitable tax regime would be provided.
Building a casino big enough to accommodate all those 1,250 one-armed bandits, as well as the roulette wheels and blackjack tables, requires a sizeable investment. Las Vegas Sands, one of the major US operators, has put a price tag of £1.9 billion on its plans for a super new casino complex in Singapore. That might be rapidly recouped if it succeeds in attracting the punters from China that it hopes will come flocking.
But the same company is one of three US firms vying for the chance to provide Sheffield with a Super Casino, should it win the sought after licence. The proposed development might not be on the same scale as Singapore's but it will still need to get an awful lot of people through the door to make those slot machines pay.
The Gambling Commission is obviously aware of the danger that local people might be tempted to venture in and pour money they can ill afford into these new temples to Lady Luck. Their response, demanding that leaflets offering help to those with a gaming problem should be made available inside the casinos, seems unlikely to cause the likes of Las Vegas Sands much concern.
'It's not worth trying to build a business here'
The Public Accounts Committee may have been shocked to learn last week that the Government's Small Business Service is a complete waste of money, but the news will have surprised no one who actually runs a small business.
Founded in 2000 with the objective of making Britain "the best place in the world to start and grow a business", the SBS sits on top of a £2.6 billion annual budget for small business initiatives that has produced remarkably few measurable benefits. According to the National Audit Office, it has failed to set any agenda for small business issues, and failed to bring any clarity to an overlapping multiplicity of support schemes at national, regional and local level - -no fewer than 3,000 of them at the last count.
It has gained little influence with the 15 Government departments that compete to control the fate of small businesses. Most importantly, it has failed in the one, shining goal that might have endeared it to struggling entrepreneurs and shopkeepers everywhere: to cut the red tape that is the bane of their lives, forcing them to spend an average of 28 hours a month filling in forms when they could be developing their businesses.
So is there anything to be said in defence of this apparently useless quango, which has already been reorganised several times in its short, unhappy life? Its Business Link network of small business advisers, complete with "award-winning website", used to be praised in some quarters - until it was taken away from SBS to become the responsibility of the even more wasteful and unaccountable "regional development agencies". How many small businesses have actually asked SBS for help? The NAO report found that the SBS's flagship small companies guarantee scheme, designed to help 150,000 ventures a year raise finance that might not otherwise have been available to them, attracted only 5,800 successful applicants last year.
According to Matthew Knowles, the Federation of Small Businesses' spokesman: "Only 4 per cent of our [196,000] members have ever accessed any advice from any Government agency… The problem is that there are just so many different programmes; people don't know where to start and don't have time to find out." We have become cynically accustomed to gaps between New Labour rhetoric and delivery in every aspect of government, but this one yawns wider than most.
Gordon Brown has waxed lyrical about encouraging enterprise in 10 successive Budget speeches, yet statistics tell us that the huge burden of tax and regulation for which he is largely responsible has had precisely the opposite effect. The most recent measure of business investment in Britain showed that it had fallen to a record low of 9 per cent of gross domestic product, from a peak of more than 14 per cent at the height of the Thatcher era. The net number of businesses registered for VAT, a useful indication of the health of the seedling layer of the private-sector economy, actually fell between 2000 and 2004, and only flickered upwards again in 2005 as a result of more vigorous VAT enforcement by HM Revenue & Customs.
The point made by most small businessmen and women, when asked what would really encourage them to invest more and work harder, is that this Government has not just erected one obstacle to enterprise but, as Mr Knowles says, "a huge pile of them".
Impenetrable and constantly changing VAT rules represent one tiny corner of a vast regulatory assault course. The recent inflation-busting rise in the minimum wage to £5.35 an hour, coupled with "Dispute Resolution Regulations" that make it close to impossible to sack unsatisfactory workers, are enough to put many businesses off any thought of expansion. New rules on compulsory pension contributions by employers will be yet another deterrent, as will the lengthening of statutory maternity leave - and, now, paternity leave. For others, the demands of health, safety, hygiene and disability discrimination rules (often originating in Brussels but amplified in Whitehall) make the cost of setting up even the smallest workshop or food outlet prohibitive.
Edward Atkins is one entrepreneur who decided to abandon this unequal struggle and sell the Avent baby products business he set up from scratch 20 years ago after hearing Patricia Hewitt, then the trade secretary, on the radio announcing yet further extensions to maternity leave. For him, it was the last straw. "It's not so much the fault of the regulations themselves," he says. "It's the incompetence of the people who impose them and their failure to use any discretion in individual cases where the rules make no sense. For anyone who wants to offer training and apprenticeships, for example, it's a particularly unfavourable environment. Couple all that with a collapsing transport infrastructure and rising energy costs, -which are also largely down to the Government, and it's just not worth trying to build a business here any more."
The plain fact is that the small business sector never did need 3,000 Government support schemes, or even 13; still less does it need an "executive agency" with a meaningless mission statement. Hard-pressed start-up entrepreneurs do not want advice from civil servants who have never run a business - or from the kind of second-rate management consultants who make a fat living out of contract work for agencies such as SBS.
What they really want is blindingly simple: to pay less tax; to have flexibility to take on staff at market rates and get rid of them again - on fair terms - if they don't do a good job or trade doesn't flourish; to have more time in the working day, free of form-filling, to go out and find new customers. The SBS should be abolished tomorrow, and its bloated budget should be redistributed as tax relief for entrepreneurs. Now that really would be a service to small business.
Green fields where larks flew are left dead
John Prescott spent millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on buying an area of outstanding natural beauty, with proud boasts that it would be "transformed" into a "community green space".
But not even his fiercest critics could have foreseen the destruction that would ensue.
In an environmental blunder that may result in criminal charges, a picturesque 360-acre home counties farm, once teeming with skylarks and other songbirds, now lies ruined. What remains is a barren wasteland of ploughed-up fields and withered crops, where the sound of birds is a distant memory because their nests have been destroyed.
The blunder was one of John Prescott's last acts as the head of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), a department that was disbanded by Tony Blair two weeks ago, following the revelations of Mr Prescott's affair with his secretary Tracey Temple.
It began when Jeskyns Farm in Cobham, Kent, was put on the market last year, following the death of its owner.
The guide price for the land was between £1.1 million and £1.3 million, but villagers say the ODPM must have paid well over the odds to secure it against rival bids from other interested parties who would have kept it as working farmland. Local agents estimate that at least £5 million was spent on buying, converting and maintaining the land.
Much was high quality arable land given over to rape and wheat - the ideal habitat for skylarks as these crops are harvested in late summer, after the young have flown the nests. Corn buntings and meadow pipits also flourished there.
All are classed as "red species" by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds - the highest conservation priority because of their rapid decline in recent years.
Mr Prescott, however, wanted the land to be opened to the public, with parking facilities, picnic areas and "play opportunities". He used money from the ODPM's sustainable communities fund to the Forestry Commission to buy the land and turn it into a "community woodland".
According to the commission, the country's 12 community woodlands, are intended "to improve local amenities, provide environmental education for children and give people a green space where they can go and relax". On its website, the commission boasts about the "transformation" of the farm and says it uses "best practice management techniques to provide the conditions for rare or important species to flourish".
The reality of these techniques was that, two weeks ago, teams of tractors moved in and ploughed up the fields and with them around 60 nests full of newly-born skylarks and their eggs.
Conservationists fear that all of the birds are dead, killed as they nested.
A liberal spraying of super-strength pesticide has ensured that they and other forms of wildlife do not come back.
Alan Holland, a schoolteacher and ornithologist, who lives less than a mile from the site, said he was devastated when he visited it last week. "What the Forestry Commission has done to the land is appalling," he said. "They are supposed to be conservation experts, but instead have killed endangered birds by destroying the land during the crucial nesting season."
Commission employees and contractors have been questioned by police and are now facing possible criminal charges under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Chris Spree, whose house overlooks Jeskyns Farm, said: "I felt sheer disbelief that the Government could destroy something they said they had set out to preserve. These are urban-based ecologists, but I wouldn't trust them with a window box."
His wife, Diana, said that the proposed development was "a townie's idea" of what the countryside needs.
"There are already four parks within a mile of here, so why the Government wants to dig up and damage more land to provide another is beyond me," she said.
A Forestry Commission spokesman admitted that the ploughing was an "operational misjudgement which we regret".
"We certainly had no intention of harming any birds," he said. "We have commissioned an ornithologist to advise us on the way forward."
Today's The Day - 28th May
28th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Bernard of Aosta,
St Ignatius of Roscov,
St Senator of Milan,
St William of Gellone,
St Germanus of Paris,
and St Justus of Urgel.
History Test for May 28th
Today in 1934, `The Marriage of Figaro' became the first opera to be staged at which venue? -Glyndebourne
Australian singer Kylie Minogue was born today in 1968. What does Kylie mean in Aborigine? -Boomerang
Born today in 1759 who was Britain's youngest ever Prime Minister? -William Pitt the Younger.
Where did Mathias Rust manage to land his plane today in 1987? -In Red Square, Moscow
Which rocker starred in the film `Performance', premiered in New York today in 1970? -Mick Jagger
Events today...
1358 In France the uprising known as the Jacquerie broke out - the peasants were protesting at their impoverished state after the ravages of the Hundred Years' War.
1539 Royal assent was given to an Act (the Six Articles of Religion) `abolishing diversity of opinions' in England, after Henry VIII personally intervened in the Lords' debate to argue with the Reforming bishops.
1588 The Spanish Armada set sail from Lisbon to invade England.
1672 Death of Edward Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, English admiral.
1779 Death of Thomas Chippendale, English cabinet-maker.
1807 Death of Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, Swiss oceanographer and marine zoologist.
1842 The first public library was opened in Frederick Street, Salford, Manchester.
1843 US lexicographer Noah Webster of 'Webster's Dictionary' fame died.
1849 English novelist Anne Brontë died in Scarborough, Yorkshire, at the age of twenty nine.
1862 Death of Henry Thomas Buckle, English historian.
1878 Death of Lord John Russell, Earl Russell, British politician.
1932 The Uselmeer was formed in the Netherlands, by the completion of a dam which enclosed the former Zuider Zee.
1937 Death of Alfred Adler, Austrian psychiatrist.
1951 The first 'Goon Show' was broadcast by the BBC.
1956 France ceded former French settlements in India to the Indian Union.
1959 Britain announced the removal of controls on imports of many consumer goods from the dollar area, with increased import quotas of other goods.
1959 London's Mermaid Theatre opened at Puddle Dock.
1961 The last journey of the 'Orient Express' train, from Paris to Bucharest it had been in operation for 78 years.
1967 Sixty five-year-old English yachtsman Francis Chichester arrived at Plymouth, having sailed around the world single-handedly in his Gypsy Moth IV.
1972 The Duke of Windsor, King Edward VIII until his abdication, died in Paris at the age of seventy seven.
1982 Diego Maradona of Argentinos Juniors was bought by Barcelona for a then record £5 million.
1982 Pope John Paul II arrived at Gatwick airport to become the first reigning Pope to visit Britain.
1983 A county sheriff's deputy in New York had been suspended for eating a live mouse after it lost a race in a tavern where mouse races were held once a week.
1983 In the world of Rugby Union, the British Lions beat Manawatu by twenty five points to eighteen.
1984 English comedian Eric Morecambe, popular partner of Ernie Wise, died in Cheltenham.
1984 The RSPCA was to investigate complaints of cruelty to worms after a charity competition at a public house in Liskeard, Cornwall where contestants coaxed worms to the surface.
1984 Zola Budd won the 1,500 metres in four minutes 4.39 seconds, a world junior record in the United Kingdom championships at Cwmbran.
1988 A 109-year-old Mexican was jailed for beating his ninety five-year-old wife and their seventy five-year-old daughter.
1988 The United States Food and Drug Administration ordered the maker of an anti-acne drug to print a photograph of a deformed baby on its labels in order to deter use by pregnant women after the drug caused between 600 and 1,300 children to be born mentally retarded or severely deformed.
1988 New Zealand's All Blacks beat Wales fifty two-three.
1989 Experts at Cambridge University had restored a classic 1953 recording of Holst's 'The Planets' by Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra with the help of a new system which could rid seventy eight r.p.m. records of their hiss. The system converted the sound from the record into numbers which were fed into a computer producing a new recording without the hiss or crackles.
1989 In Wicklewood, near Watton, Norfolk, two metal detector enthusiasts discovered 450 silver coins dating from the twelfth century.
1989 The UK Transplant Service said that because of the Turkish kidneys for sale scandal the number of organ donors had dropped dramatically. The number of heart donors had dropped by twenty per cent and kidney donors by eleven per cent.
1990 A 'dust devil' (mini tornado) 5ft across struck an allotment in Surbiton.
1990 It was announced that Britain may have to close consulates in some countries and reduce its diplomats in the third world because of the need to give more attention to Eastern Europe, according to a Foreign Office review.
1990 Cesar Gaviria became President of Colombia.
1990 ITV's 'Telethon '90' raised a record £24 million for charity.
1990 President Jovic of Yugoslavia said that to avoid disintegration of the country the process of Yugoslavia's new constitution had to be speeded up.
1990 Thieves stole deck chairs valued at £17,000 from Southend-On-Sea seafront.
1990 Rudolf Nureyev arrived in Britain to dance in a charity gala in honour of Dame Margot Fonteyn.
1995 It was announced that Lord (Harold) Wilson of Rievaulx would be buried on the 6th June in the graveyard of St. Mary the Virgin on the Isles of Scilly.
1995 Helen Mirren was named as best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as the Queen in 'The Madness of King George' and Jonathan Pryce was named best actor for his role as Lytton Strachey in 'Carrington'.
1995 In an interview with the Sunday Times the former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, described Tony Blair as 'probably the most formidable Labour leader since Hugh Gaitskell'.
1995 Several well-known personalities had written to The Times saying that they intended to put up a statue of Oscar Wilde in London's theatre-land in 1997 - the centenary of Wilde's release from Jail. The proposers included Judi Dench, Jeremy Isaacs, Michael Foot, Ian McKellen and Maggie Smith.
1995 Health authorities in Scotland were trying to contact several thousand patients treated by a dentist found to be carrying the hepatitis B virus.
1995 A plan to dump a quarter of the North Sea oil and gas rigs on the seabed, rather than dismantling them, alarmed environmentalists.
2000 Barry Michael George (aka Barry Bulsara) appeared in court charged with the murder of TV presenter Jill Dando 13 months earlier.
2003 A letter attributed to the deposed Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, called on Iraqis to boycott any US-appointed leader.
2003 AC Milan beat Juventus 3-2 on penalties after a goalless draw in the Champions League final at Old Trafford.
2003 Tony Blair arrived in Kuwait ahead of a visit to Iraq as a row flared over Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
2003 It was announced that Heather Mills, the wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, was expecting the couple's first baby.
2004 The Governing Council named Shia former exile Iyad Allawi as Iraq's interim PM, but the UN's reaction was lukewarm.
2004 A Chilean court stripped former military leader Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution.
2004 A powerful earthquake in northern Iran killed at least 20 people and damages more than 80 villages.
2004 The owners of art destroyed in a warehouse fire were considering legal action against the storage firm.
2004 Leeds thrashed Salford at Headingley to stretch their lead at the top of the Super League table.
2005 More than 100 pupils were asked to sit an exam two weeks earlier than expected after a 'clerical error'.
2005 The BBC revealed its revised TV weather map after complaints it distorted Scotland and the north of England.
2005 Kieran Richardson's two-goal debut gave England victory against the USA.
2005 Celtic ensured manager Martin O'Neill bowed out with a seventh trophy to his name with a win over Dundee United in the Scottish Cup final. O'Neill describes the win as a "fantastic moment".
BIRTHDAYS (for 28 May 2006)
Joseph Guillotin, 268 (born 28 May 1738)
French revolutionary after whom the guillotine is named
William Pitt`theYounger', 247 (born 28 May 1759)
Prime Minister from 1783-1801 and 1804-1806 and PM when the French were defeated at the Battle of Trafalgar'
Thomas Moore, 227 (born 28 May 1779)
Irish-born poet
Ian Fleming, 98 (born 28 May 1908)
(Deceased) English novelist and creator of Commander James Bond, the very British secret service agent 007. Fleming was a naval intelligence officer in World War II and his first 'Bond' book 'Casino Royale was published in 1953
Rachel Kempson, 96 (born 28 May 1910)
English actress, the widow of Sir Michael Redgrave and mother of Corin, Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave
T-Bone Walker, 96 (born 28 May 1910)
(Deceased) Legendary R&B singerand guitarist
Dame Thora Hird, 95 (born 28 May 1911)
Died 2003. Actress and comedienne born in Morecambe, Lancashire, often seen on television in 'Last of the Summer Wine' and many other series. She has made many films since the 1940s
Gladys Knight, 62 (born 28 May 1944)
Soul singer who had a string of hits throughout the '70s with The Pips
Faith Brown, 59 (born 28 May 1947)
Liverpool-born impressionist, singer and actress who formed the group The Carrolls with three of her four brothers before going solo
Steve Strange, 47 (born 28 May 1959)
Visage
Kylie Minogue, 38 (born 28 May 1968)
Australian actress and singer born in Melbourne, Australia who appeared in the soap 'Neighbours.' She recorded 'I Should Be So Lucky' which reached number one in the UK charts and followed this hit up with songs like 'Hand On Your Heart' and 'Never Too Late'
27.5.06
Trivial Pursuit challenge lands in N.S. court
The mother of a Cape Breton man who claims he came up with the idea for Trivial Pursuit testified Tuesday in her son's lawsuit against the owners of the best-selling board game.
David Wall claims the Canadian inventors of the game took his original idea. He is suing to be acknowledged as inventor of the popular game and for a piece of the profitable pie.
"In essence, they did it the way I said," Wall told reporters outside of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Wall's mother testified that she recalled her son asking to borrow $1,000 from her 25 years ago after a phone call from a man regarding a game.
She also said that she found sketches in a drawer many years ago that resembled what turned out to be the board game.
Wall alleges that he and a friend were hitchhiking in Sydney, N.S., and were picked up by one of the game's four owners in 1979.
The Cape Breton plumber claims he shared his idea with Chris Haney during the drive, who was enthusiastic and even promised to keep in touch when they parted ways.
According to Wall, Haney called him about 18 months later to say he was marketing the idea and asked if he wanted to invest.
Wall says he declined, saying he wanted to be named as the sole inventor.
But the lawyers representing Trivial Pursuit dismiss those allegations, saying Wall has changed his story several times, a sure sign that he made it up to exploit the true inventors.
"The truth is the meeting never happened...they never picked up Wall as a hitchhiker...they never met in Cape Breton," Mick Ryan, the game owners' lawyer, told reporters.
According to the owners, Haney and his friend Scott Abbott, both of them Montreal newsmen, hatched the idea during a Scrabble game in Montreal on December 15, 1979.
However, Wall's lawyer Kevin MacDonald said their story is "equally fantastic" and that the court will hear some "interesting version of events."
"They invented it over a game of Scrabble in 45 minutes and went from rags to riches," MacDonald said.
Abbott, a former sports editor with the Canadian Press, and Haney, then a photo editor for the Montreal Gazette, are said to have engaged in a friendly argument over who was the better player.
They took on two more business partners -- Haney's brother John, a former hockey player, and Ed Werner, a corporate lawyer -- before the group launched the game in 1982 to worldwide acclaim.
Since the game hit the market, its owners have earned $50 million from sales in 33 countries.
A potential key witness, who originally claimed to be hitchhiking with Wall and then said several years ago the story was fabricated, won't be testifying.
The trial is expected to last eight months with more than 30 witnesses.
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. Rule 2.25 of the Chelsea Flower Show regulations bans entrants from including garden gnomes in their displays. Bunting, balloons and flags are also banned.
2. Wayne Rooney fills is able to fill his computer-controlled bath by text message.
3. A dinosaur is named after Mark Knopfler because the team of palaeontologists that found it were listening to his music at the time. It's the Masiakasaurus knopfleri.
4. The egg came first.
More details
5. Erotomania is the name of the condition in which a person holds a delusional belief that someone is in love with them.
6. Humans were first infected with the HIV virus in the 1930s.
More details
7. There are 220 million vegetarians in India.
8. Special branch officers guarding former Prime Minister Lord Callaghan were frustrated at an unreliable security system on his Sussex farm that was confused by cattle, pigs and dung heaps and allowed a Jehovah's Witness to get all the way to the house and speak to Callaghan undetected.
More details
9. Dry weather makes for less polluted beaches.
More details
10.There are 64,726 electronically tagged offenders in the UK.
(Sources, where no links are included: 1 - Today programme, 24 May; 2 - News of the World, 21 May; 3 - Times, 24 May; 5 - Daily Telegraph, 25 May; 7 - Guardian, 26 May; 10 - Eastern Daily Press)
Desmond Dekker Dies
Desmond Dekker, who died from a heart attack at his home in Surrey on Thursday aged 64, was a ska and reggae singer and songwriter whose best-known international hit was Israelites in 1969; other hits included 007 (Shanty Town) (1967); It Mek (1968) and You Can Get It If You Really Want (1970).
Dekker was, until the advent of Bob Marley, much the most famous reggae artist internationally, and Israelites was the first reggae song to top the British, and the first Jamaican-recorded music to reach the American, hit parade (where it made No 9). It became familiar to many who knew nothing of the pop charts during the 1990s, when it was used in advertisements for, first, Maxell audio cassettes - which made much of the difficulty of deciphering the patois delivery of the lyrics - and then for the sunflower spread Vitalite.
Dekker's unmistakeable falsetto influenced many other singers, and he bridged the gap from the early days of mento, rocksteady and rudeboy tracks to the ska and Two-Tone revivals of the 1980s and after (in 1993 Dekker recorded with the original members of the Specials).
He was born Desmond Adolphus Dacres on July 16 1941 at Kingston, Jamaica, and his parents died when he was still in his teens. After a childhood spent around Seaforth in St Thomas, young Desmond returned to Kingston, where he found work as a welder, but was soon encouraged by his colleagues to pursue a career as a singer.
In 1961 he auditioned for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, of Studio One, and Duke Reid, of Treasure Isle, but neither saw his potential. He was more fortunate when he was auditioned in front of Derrick Morgan, then the biggest star at Leslie Kong's Beverley record label.
Morgan recommended that the young man be signed up, though kept him waiting "fi two years straight before 'im sing a tune". Dekker's first recording, Honour Your Father and Mother, was a hit in 1963 (and was released in Britain by Chris Blackwell's fledgling Island Records). He followed it with Sinners Come Home and Labour for Learning, and changed his name from Dacres to Dekker.
His next record, King of Ska, turned him into one of Jamaica's biggest stars. In all, he was to notch up a run of 20 Jamaican No 1 hits during this period. He was backed by an outfit called the Cherrypies (also known as the Maytals), but Dekker then recruited four brothers (Carl, Patrick, Clive and Barry Howard) known as the Four Aces. With them, he recorded several hits, including Parents; Get Up Edina; This Woman; and Mount Zion.
At first Dekker's songs addressed respectable, mainstream themes. But in 1967 he appeared on Derrick Morgan's Tougher Than Tough, part of a trend glamourising the violent "rude boy" culture. And with 007 (Shanty Town) Dekker capitalised on this trend; it was a Top 15 hit in Britain, where he established a fan-base on the mod scene.
Further songs included Rude Boy Train and Rudie Got Soul; It's a Shame; It Pays; Sabotage; and Pretty Africa. His first album was 007 (Shanty Town).
In 1969 Israelites made the American Top 10 and was No 1 in Britain. Years later Dekker said: "It all happened so quickly. I didn't write that song sitting around a piano or playing a guitar. I was walking in the park, eating corn. I heard a couple arguing about money. She was saying she needed money and he was saying the work he was doing was not giving him enough. I relate to those things and began to sing a little song - "You get up in the morning and you slaving for bread." By the time I got home it was complete."
Also in 1969, Dekker brought out It Mek, which became a hit both in Jamaica and Britain. Originally titled A It Mek - roughly translated, "That's why it happened" - it had been inspired by his sister Elaine's fall from a wall.
Dekker moved to Britain in the early 1970s, and had a hit with Jimmy Cliff's You Can Get It If You Really Want. In 1975, with the duo Bruce Anthony, he made the Top 10 with Sing a Little Song, but success was now harder to come by.
At the end of the decade he signed with Stiff Records, a punk label linked with the Two-Tone movement, a fusion of punk and ska. He recorded an album, Black & Dekker, featuring previous hits. It was not a commercial triumph. His next album was Compass Point, produced by Robert Palmer.
Dekker was not able, however, to repeat his earlier success, and in 1984 he was declared bankrupt. There was a brief resurgence of interest in 1990, after the Maxell commercial, which had subtitles featuring lines such as "Me ears are alight" and concluded with the line: "I think that's what he's singing, but I need to hear it on Maxell." He re-recorded some old singles, and worked with the Specials on King of Kings (1993).
He had recently collaborated on a remix version of Israelites with Apache Indian, and continued to work; he died only a week before he was due to play a concert. His last gig was at Leeds University on May 11.
Desmond Dekker was divorced, and had a son and a daughter.
26.5.06
Today's The Day - 27th May
27th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Julius the Veteran,
St Eutropius of Orange,
St Restituta of Sora,
and St Melangel.
History Test for May 27th
Whose first record `That'll Be The Day' was released today in 1957? -The Crickets (although not credited on the records, Buddy Holly featured on the hit)
Which glamorous film star - the ex-wife of Orson Welles and star of `Gilda' - married Prince Aly Khan today in 1949? -Rita Hayworth
Name the British company which issued its last newsreel today in 1979. -Movietone
Born today in 1912, Sam Snead achieved fame in which sport? -Golf
What is the name of San Francisco's most famous bridge, opened to traffic today in 1937? -The Golden Gate Bridge
QUOTE
"There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people." - Adam Smith, pioneering economist, 1776.
Events today...
1063 Harold of Wessex began to conquer Wales.
1199 Death of Minamoto Yoritomo, first Shogun of Japan; his followers retained control of government but fought for supremacy.
1199 Pope Innocent III imposed the first direct papal taxation of Clergy.
1299 Peace was negotiated between Genoa and Venice, ending their war (since 1261) to control trade with the Byzantine Empire.
1564 Death of French Protestant reformer John Calvin.
1657 Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell refused parliament’s offer of the title of King of England.
1661 Death of Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, Scottish Covenanter, beheaded,
1703 Russian tsar Peter the Great proclaimed St Petersburg the new capital of Russia.
1707 Death of Marquise de Montespan, mistress of the French King Louis XIV.
1719 Emperor Charles VI founded the Oriental Company in Vienna to compete with Dutch trade in the Orient.
1813 US forces occupied Fort St George, and the British abandoned the entire Niagara frontier.
1840 Death of Niccold Paganini, Italian violinist. Many were convinced that the Devil himself played Paganini's violin for him. His skill was sheer wizardry - he could give stunning performances on only one string - and his music and dark good looks mesmerised audiences, not least people's wives and daughters. He died in Nice aged 58, and surely went to heaven.
1851 Adolf Anderssen of Germany won the first chess International Master tournament, held in London.
1900 Belgium became the first country to elect a government by proportional representation.
1905 Japan won a great naval victory, annihilating the Russian Baltic fleet sent to relieve Port Arthur. Only three of the 38 Russian ships escaped from the Straits of Tsushima in the Sea of Japan, while Japanese admiral Togo Heihachiro's fleet lost just three torpedo boats. Togo outmanoeuvred the Russians and sank all four Russian capital ships - including the Admiral Nakhimov, reputed to have been carrying $2000 million in gold and platinum. The Baltic fleet set sail 18 months earlier for Vladivostok. It was too late to save Port Arthur, which surrendered to Japan on January 2 after a seven-month siege. On March 10 the Japanese routed the 200,000-man Russian army at Mukden. A humiliated Russia now had no choice but to concede defeat.
1910 Death of Robert Koch, German bacteriologist.
1941 The German battleship Bismarck was sunk by the Royal Navy west of Brest.
1949 After a month-long siege, the communist Chinese took Shanghai with hardly a shot fired. The remnants of Chiang Kai-shek's routed Nationalist army were retreating towards Canton in the south and it is only a matter of time before communist leader Mao Tse-tung's victory would be complete. Two years earlier the Nationalists outnumbered the communist forces three to one and had vastly superior firepower, yet even with these advantages they were no match for Mao's guerrillas. A year earlier United States general David Barr reported to Washington that the Nationalists had "the world's worst leadership" and that there was "widespread corruption and dishonesty throughout the armed forces". Large numbers of Nationalists defected to the communist side, which conversely consisted of motivated, disciplined and well-led men - and they have the additional support of China's peasants. Heavy US hacking for the Nationalists could not counter this. Communist rule now stretched from Berlin to Shanghai.
1957 Buddy Holly and the Crickets release their first record.
1958 Southern rock star Jerry Lee Lewis had a whole lotta trouble goin' on. "The Killer" has been in the hot seat ever since his Bible school kicked him out because of the way he played the piano at prayer meetings, when he abandoned the preacher's daughter he'd married when he was 16 and took to playing in rough Southern bars. Then a bunch of good ol' boys insisted that he marry their sister Jane, never mind the preacher's daughter, and the following month he divorced the first wife while the second bore him a son. Meanwhile his electrifying brand of piano rock was getting somewhere. He recorded "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" - which sold six million copies - and "Great Balls of Fire", which sold a million in 10 days. A week ago in 1958, he arrived in London to start a tour, and reporters discovered the young girl with him was not only his cousin but his third wife, Myra, aged only 13. That's not too young for a Southern bride, but widespread public outrage forced the tour to close after only two concerts. "The Killer" was apparently baffled - okay, it was bigamy at first, but he then divorced Jane. The young couple flew back to the US today.
1963 Jomo Kenyatta became the first prime minister of Kenya.
1964 Death of Jawalharlal Nehru, Indian politician.
1977 Punk band the Sex Pistols released the single "God Save the Queen" in the UK.
1988 In Canada, a man was acquitted of murdering his mother on the grounds that he was sleepwalking at the time - even though he managed to drive 14 miles (22 km) to her home, hit her with an iron bar and then stabbed her.
1990 The Kremlin announced its new economic package - and provoked an unprecedented shopping frenzy in the Soviet Union. Hordes of panic buyers emptied shops of everything, and many left empty-handed. The reforms meant the traditional food subsidies would be phased out to create what the Kremlin called a "regulated market economy". Meat prices and sugar doubled and bread was to cost three times as much. But the new package was not law until parliament approved it.
2000 Gillingham beat Wigan in the First Division play-off final at Wembley.
2000 During a weekend of sunshine and heavy hail showers, lightning struck a crane as construction work was being carried out at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport. The whole building shook and was illuminated by the bright blue flash.
2003 Proposals for joint social security and legal systems were unveiled in the second part of the European constitution.
2003 Travellers to and from France suffered chaos amid fresh protests at the government's pension reforms.
2003 In Manchester, giant hailstones leave a hole the size of a football in a plane which had more than 200 passengers on board.
2003 British polar hero Pen Hadow was rescued after being stranded for a week by bad weather at the North Pole.
2003 The single by Eurovision flops Jemini was selling poorly following their disastrous song contest performance.
2003 Actor Kenneth Branagh married his girlfriend Lindsay Brunnock in a "private" ceremony.
2004 Italian police were investigating 4,400 doctors over claims a UK drugs giant ran a cash-for-prescriptions scheme.
2004 Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza was facing 11 terrorist-related charges.
2004 Geoff Hoon announced that 370 extra British troops were being sent to Iraq, bringing the total to 8,900.
2004 Retail entrepreneur Philip Green, owner of store groups BHS and Arcadia, considered a takeover bid for troubled retailer Marks and Spencer.
2004 UK rock band The Darkness were named songwriters of the year at the Ivor Novello songwriting awards.
2004 The two surviving Bee Gees made a "bittersweet" visit to Buckingham Palace and paid tribute to brother Maurice.
2004 Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher led the England tributes after Nasser Hussain quit the game of ricket.
2004 The Republic of Ireland welcome back Roy Keane as they beat Romania 1-0 in Dublin.
2004 Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero lost to Russian Igor Andreev in the French Open second round.
2004 Wales ended Norway's 100% record under coach Age Hareide with an obdurate display in Oslo.
2005 The 13 contestants in the sixth series of reality TV show Big Brother entered the Channel 4 house.
2005 The BBC modified its TV weather map after complaints that it distorted Scotland and the north of England.
2005 Both prosecutors and the defence in Michael Jackson's child abuse trial rested their cases.
2005 Venus Williams lost to 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva in the third round of the French Open.
2005 Man Utd released Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Roy Carroll.
BIRTHDAYS (for 27 May 2006)
Amelia Bloomer, 188 (born 27 May 1818)
American women's rights campaigner who invented the loose trousers gathered at the ankle and worn with a shorter skirt which gained the name `bloomers'.
James `Wild Bill' Hickok, 169 (born 27 May 1837)
American frontiersman and US marshal.
Isadora Duncan, 128 (born 27 May 1878)
American dancer who pioneered a new style which greatly influenced modern dance.
Rachel (Louise) Carson, 99 (born 27 May 1907)
US author ("Silent Spring").
Vincent Price, 95 (born 27 May 1911)
American actor who starred in numerous horror movies.
Sam Snead, 94 (born 27 May 1912)
American golfer who won 135 tournaments between 1936 and 1965.
Henry Kissinger, 83 (born 27 May 1923)
German-born US secretary of state who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 with Le Duc Tho for his part in ending the Vietnam War.
Paul Gasgoine, 39 (born 27 May 1967)
Fat Geordie England Footballer
Quiztime Vault - World Cup Quiz - 2
1. Which South American team beat Holland to win the football World Cup in 1978?
Argentina
2. In the 1982 World cup, which 17 year old Irish man became the youngest ever player in the competition?
Norman Whiteside
3. Which team won soccer's world cup for a record fourth time in 1994?
Brazil
4. Who was the England manager when the side failed to reach the 1994 World Cup finals?
Graham Taylor
5. In the 1966 World cup final what number was on the back of Bobby Charlton’s shirt?
Number 9
6. Which football team lost both the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals?
West Germany
7. Who beat Austria 6-0 on aggregate to win their play-off to make the 2002 World Cup finals?
Turkey
8. Who scored England’s last goal in the 2002 World Cup?
Michael Owen
9. Who scored the first ever goal to be shown on Match of the Day and went on to be a World Cup winner with England?
Roger Hunt
10. Which two teams played in the final of the 2002 Soccer World Cup?
Brazil & Germany
11. Which two Argentinean footballers were bought by Spurs after the '78 World Cup?
Ardiles And Villa
12. Who did Brazil beat in the 1962 soccer World cup final?
Czechoslovakia
13. In which country was the 1962 football World cup held?
Chile
14. Which South American Country beat Holland to win the football World Cup in 1978?
Argentina
15. Brazil have won the World Cup most times, which country did they beat to win it the first time?
Sweden - 1958
16. Within Britain, which member of England’s World Cup winning team was the first footballer to be transferred for £200,000?
Martin Peters
17. The 1982 Word Cup finals were held in which country?
Spain
18. What colour strip did Brazil football team play in BEFORE the 1966 world cup?
All White
19. Which country reached the quarter finals of the 1990 Soccer World Cup without winning a match?
Ireland
20. Name the 8 seeded teams in the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany?
Brazil / England / Spain / Germany / Mexico / France / Argentina / Italy
21. Name the six countries that have won the Soccer World Cup that they were hosting?
Uruguay (1930) / Italy (1934) / England (1966) / West Germany (1974) / Argentina (1978) / France (1998)
22. Name the two brothers who played for England in the 1966 World cup final?
Jack & Bobby Charlton
23. How many times has West Germany won the football World cup?
Three (54,74,90)
24. Which country reached the soccer world cup final in 1974 and 1978, and lost both times?
Holland
25. Brazil's captain during the 1982 World cup finals had the same name as which ancient greek philosopher?
Socrates
26. Who were the three West Ham players in the England 1966 World cup winning team?
Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Bobby Moore
27. How many players did England use in the 1966 Football World Cup Finals - 15, 16 or 17?
15
28. Which country was the first to host the football World cup twice?
Mexico
29. In which country were the 1978 Soccer world Cup Finals held?
Argentina
30. Which of the following championship series is the oldest: The Superbowl (American Football), The World Series (baseball), The World Cup (Football), or Wimbledon (tennis)?
Wimbledon
31. What do the songs 'Back Home' 'This time We'll get it Right' and 'World in Motion' have in common?
England World Cup songs
32. In which American city did Brazil win their fourth World cup?
Pasadena
33. Against who did England gain their first victory at the 1966 World cup?
Mexico
34. Who won the football World Cup in 1994?
Brazil
35. Which country were banned from taking part in the 1990 World cup?
Mexico
36. Which football country were 3rd in the World Cup in 1974 and 1982?
Poland
37. Which country knocked Chile out of the 1998 football World cup?
Brazil
38. What is the link - 1930 - Argentina; 1934 - Czechoslovakia; 1938 - Hungary; 1950 - Uruguay; 1954 - Hungary; 1958 - Sweden?
Losing Football World Cup finalists
39. Which is the only country to have appeared in every football World Cup Finals?
Brazil
40. Which Country will host the 2010 World Cup Finals?
South Africa
Quiztime Vault - World Cup Quiz 1
1. Who missed the final penalty for England in the 1990 World cup semi final?
Chris Waddle
2. When England won the World Cup in 1966, who were the defending champions? Brazil
3. Which Dutch player shot the ball on the post in the 1978 World cup final?
Rob Rensenbrink
4. Andres Escobar was shot after his country failed to qualify for the second stages of the World Cup in 1994 , what country did he play for?
Colombia
5. Name the last two countries to win the football World cup on home soil?
France & Argentina
6. Which country did Italy beat to become the 1982 football World cup winners?
West Germany
7. Which country made their World Cup debut in Italia 90 and beat Scotland in their first match?
Costa Rica
8. What was the name of the dog that found the missing World Cup in 1966?
Pickles
9. What was the former name of the Football World Cup Trophy?
Jules Rimet
10. Who wore the number seven shirt in England's World Cup Victory against West Germany in 1966?
Alan Ball
11. Which nation finished third in the 1966 football World cup?
Portugal
12. Who were the first country to beat England after the 1966 world cup, a) Northern Ireland b) Scotland or c) Wales?
b) Scotland
13. Who managed England to World Cup triumph?
Sir Alf Ramsey
14. Which of the following footballers hasn't scored in a World Cup Final, Zenedine Zidane, Diego Maradona, Paolo Rossi or Pele?
Diego Maradonna
15. Where was the 2002 football World Cup held?
Japan and South Korea
16. Six out of the seven goals scored by England at the 1986 World Cup finals were scored by Gary Lineker, Who scored the other one?
Peter Beardsley
17. Who was the first person to captain and manage a world cup winning football team?
Franz Beckenbauer
18. Which team beat France 1-0 in the opening game of the 2002 World cup?
Senegal
19. In the 1990 soccer World Cup Finals, which national team included the two Biyik brothers, one of whom was sent off, the other scoring the goal in a 1-0 win over holders Argentina?
Cameroon
20. True or false: India qualified for the 1950 football World Cup Finals but withdrew when they weren't allowed to play bare foot?
True
21. Which three players scored the goal in England’s 5-1 defeat of Germany in the qualifying group game for the 2002 World Cup?
Michael Owen, Emil Heskey, Steven Gerard
22. In which decade did the World Cup football tournament begin?
1930's - 1930
23. Hakan Sukur scored the fastest goal in the World Cup in 2002 – Who did he play for?
Turkey
24. Which country was the first to retain the football World Cup?
Italy
25. Which two players scored the most goals for England in the 1998 World Cup Finals?
Alan Shearer and Michael Owen
26. Who was the goalkeeper that was beaten by Maradonna’s “Hand of God” World Cup goal?
Peter Shilton
27. Which two footballers missed penalties to knock England out of the 1998 World Cup?
David Batty, Paul Ince
28. Bobby More captained England in the 1966 world cup, but which football club did he play for?
West Ham United
29. Were the first African team to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup?
Cameroon
30. Which Middle Eastern nation made their first appearance at the World Cup Finals in 1982?
Kuwait
31. The England World cup soccer squad had a number one hit record in 1970 with which song?
Back Home
32. Which football player and member of England’s 1966 World cup winning team, was the first player to be sent off twice whilst playing for England?
Alan Ball 65/73 *** (see comments)
33. Most people know that Uruguay won the first Football World Cup, but who did they beat in the Final?
Argentina (4–2)
34. Who was Scotland’s manager in the 1986 Football World Cup?
Alex Ferguson
35. What colour shirts did England wear in the 1966 World Cup Final?
Red
36. Which country, in 1994, was the first to lose a World Cup Final on penalties?
Italy
37. In the 1966 World Cup Final, Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick, but who scored England’s other goal?
Martin Peters
38. Which country has played in eight soccer World Cup Finals, but has never made it past the first round?
Scotland
39. Which country finished fourth in the 1990 World Cup but failed to qualify for the 1994 tournament?
England
40. What links the football world cup winners of 1930, 1934, 1966, 1974, 1978 and 1998?
They were all host nations
Tiebreaker - How many countries entered for the 2002 World Cup - a)168 b) 189 or c) 198?
c) 198
The Living Field
“Linking science and the environment to enhance the 5-14 environmental studies curriculum”
The Living Field CD was developed by scientists from SCRI in collaboration with Mylnefield Trust, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Scottish Executive Education Department and other Scottish educational organisations and teachers.
The CD has been distributed to all schools in Scotland.
The CD contains more than 300 pages of high quality images, sounds, games, and activity sheets designed to enhance and enrich pupils’ knowledge and interest.
Part 1 Introducing Living things: plants and animals.
Primary 1-3 / Age 5-7 / Level A/B
Part 2 Living on earth: plants, animals, minibeasts.
Primary 4-6 / Age 7-10 / Level B/C
Part 3 Living on earth: plants, animals, the Environment.
Primary 5-7 / Age 9-11 / Level C/D/E
Teacher’s Notes
The Living Field is a combination of illustrations, animations and interactive lessons. Initially a CD release we have made it available for use through the internet. You can
download version of the Living Field CD.
The CD features a wealth of information and as a result it is quite large and will require patience when downloading. The file is 160megabyte in size and will take approximately 43 minutes on broadband and 6 hours 30 minutes on 56k to download completely. Simply unzip the file and burn the contents onto a CD for use over and over again.
At A Glance - Last Week In The News
Friday May 19
British animal rights activists' plans to use a training camp to export their violent tactics to Europe and beyond were revealed. It was alleged that the five illegal immigrants arrested while working as Home Office cleaners had worked there for years. Pope Benedict took disciplinary action against the Mexican founder of the Legionaries of Christ, ordering him to renounce every public duty after a nine-year investigation into claims of sexual abuse. It was revealed that North Korea may be preparing to test a missile capable of reaching America, according to officials in South Korea and Japan who saw satellite intelligence photographs of a launch site.
Saturday May 20
It emerged that a growing number of pregnant women carrying babies with Down's syndrome are being encouraged to have terminations.Voters said Tony Blair should face criminal charges over the "cash for honours" scandal if Scotland Yard's investigation found that Labour broke the law.David Cameron was warned by grass-roots Conservatives that they would stage a messy rebellion if he tried to impose an "A-list" candidate on them in a key by-election.The BBC's Lottery draw was forced off air for five minutes after the studio was invaded by six Fathers4Justice protesters.
Sunday May 21
It was revealed that hundreds of prisoners, including murderers and rapists, have absconded from open prisons in a further embarrassment for the Home Office. The anti-sleaze watchdog said Labour was regarded as being as "sleazy" as John Major's Conservative government because it ignored the importance of upholding standards in public life.Around 140 families who claim that their children were damaged by an epilepsy drug taken in pregnancy began a court action that they say could be "as big as thalidomide".Israel continued its policy of expanding its settlements in the West Bank by approving an extension to the boundaries of four existing projects.
Monday May 22
Tony Blair reached agreement with Iraq's new prime minister on the phased handover of control to civilian authorities which could see British troops stationed there for a further four years.A report showed that Nottingham is Britain's "most dangerous" city, with the highest rates of murder and car crime and some of the worst levels of violence, burglary and gun offences. Europe gained its newest nation as the tiny Balkan state of Montenegro voted to split from Serbia, marking the final break-up of the former Yugoslavia.Norman Balon, the celebrated (and rude) landlord of the Coach and Horses, habitat of bohemians for more than 60 years, pulled his last pint.
Tuesday May 23
Osama bin Laden taunted America in an audio recording released, insisting that Zacarias Moussaoui had "no connection" with the September 11 attacks.It emerged that middle-income earners would be hit by a new stealth tax hidden in the Government's pension reforms.John Reid, the new Home Secretary, delivered one of the most devastating critiques of his own department ever heard from a Government minister, as he denounced the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) as "not fit for purpose".A purple and blue arrangement of naturalistic plants designed by Tom Stuart-Smith for The Daily Telegraph took the top award at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Wednesday May 24
The Home Office was plunged into fresh chaos when John Reid, the new Home Secretary, had to admit that a foreign murderer he told MPs was in jail had been released on bail. The law lords ruled that women who sacrifice their careers for the benefit of their families can seek compensation from wealthy husbands on divorce - rather than just enough to live on. Labour MPs delivered a fresh blow to Tony Blair's authority as they staged the largest rebellion against the third reading of a Government Bill since Labour first entered government in 1924. The veteran entertainer Bruce Forsyth was presented with a CBE by the Queen to mark 64 years in showbusiness. Heston Blumenthal, the chef, and tailor Ozwald Boateng also picked up awards.
Thursday May 25
A YouGov poll showed the Conservatives experiencing their most sustained electoral recovery for more than 14 years.The Government published plans under which workers in their early 40s would not be able to draw their state pension until they are 66.The Metropolitan police commissioner revealed that he sent took 78 police officers to demolish Brian Haw's anti-war protest in Parliament Square in the early hours of Tuesday.There were signs of a breakthrough in the stand-off between the international community and Hamas after the Islamist movement prepared to moderate its hostility towards Israel.
And...
The mystery of how a piano came to be covered by a cairn at the top of Ben Nevis was solved... Lordi, a Finnish "death metal" band, were the unexpected winners of the Eurovision Song Contest... A survey said women claim money is unimportant when choosing a partner... A toy rabbit belonging to fighter ace Douglas Bader was returned to his former RAF base... An occupational therapist was given the right to continue sunbathing naked in her back garden... Crocodiles are being farmed in Britain for the first time... Scientists claim to have discovered a way to become invisible.
Telegraph wins newspaper vote
The Daily Telegraph's 'War on America' front page has been voted the most memorable of the last hundred years in Newsnight's Big-Read-All-About-It initiative.
The front page from September 12, 2001 featured the unforgettable image of New York's Twin Towers ablaze, in a picture that covered almost the entire page of the broadsheet newspaper, together with the simple headline 'War on America'.
It picked up 22.9% of the final vote, followed by the Evening Standard's 'The First Footstep' (15.1%) - reporting the first manned landing on the Moon - and The Sun's controversial 'Gotcha' front page on the sinking of an Argentine cruiser during the Falklands War (9.9%).
The result was announced by Newsnight presenter Martha Kearney at a live broadcast from the British Library in London, where an exhibition, Front Page, was opened by the Queen earlier this week.
The British Library exhibition continues until the autumn.
Learn more about each headline below -
Mrs Pankhurst arrested - Daily Mirror - May 1914
Dunkirk defence defies 300,000 - Daily Sketch - June 1940
Games rocked by black power - Evening News - Oct 1968
The first footstep - Evening Standard - July 1969
Gotcha - The Sun - May 1982
Freddie Starr ate my hamster - The Sun - March 1986
Up yours Delors - The Sun - November 1990
Murderers - Daily Mail - February 1997
He lied and lied and lied - The Guardian - June 1997
War on America - The Telegraph - September 2001
War is over, says IRA - The Independent - July 2005
25.5.06
World Cup 2006
The Computeractive World Cup 2006 spreadsheet is a great way to stay in the know about the positions of all the teams in the 2006 World Cup.
Rather than a paper chart, where you must work out which team has scored the most points in a group, our spreadsheet works this out for you, automatically giving you the table positions and which knockout group a team will be in for subsequent rounds of the competition.
The spreadsheet works with both Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice Calc but not Microsoft Works, because it uses multiple worksheets. There are no macros in the spreadsheet so it will not cause any security problems.
Check out the Computeractive World Cup 2006 feature page for more information and links about the games.
Group A: Germany/ Costa Rica/ Poland/ Ecuador
Group B: England / Paraguay / Trinidad and Tobago / Sweden
Group C: Argentina / Côte d'Ivoire / Serbia and Montenegro / Netherlands
Group D: Mexico / Iran / Angola / Portugal
Group E: Italy / Ghana / USA / Czech Republic
Group F: Brazil / Croatia / Australia / Japan
Group G: France / Switzerland / Korea Republic / Togo
Group H: Spain / Ukraine / Tunisia / Saudi Arabia
Today's The Day - 26th May
26th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Priscus,
St Augustine of Canterbury,
St Philip Neri,
St Lambert of Venice,
St Quadratus of Athens,
and St Mariana of Quito.
History Test for May 26th
Who won the last football Home Championship played today in 1984? -Northern Ireland
Singing trio Wilson Phillips made their chart debut today in 1990. Name the two groups to which their parents belonged. -The Beach Boys and The Mamas and the Papas
Which famous 24-hour race was first held today in 1923? -Le Mans
Born in Lancashire today in 1904 which toothy comedian became a jockey and was later awarded the Order of Lenin? -George Formby
Which actor married the actress Jill St. John today in 1990 - his fourth wedding? -Robert Wagner
QUOTE
"The history of the World is the World's court of justice." - Freidrich von Schiller, German dramatist, on this day, 1789.
QUOTE
"I am not like a lady at the court of Versailles, who said: `What a dreadful pity that the bother at the tower of Babel should have got language all mixed up, but for that, everyone would always have spoken French.’" - Voltaire, French dramatist, in a letter to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, 1767.
Events today...
604AD Death of St Augustine, first archbishop of Canterbury.
735AD The Venerable Bede, English scholar, monk, historian and writer, died shortly after completing his translation of St John into Anglo-Saxon.
1520 Charles V visited Henry VIII at Dover and Canterbury.
1521 The Edict of Wonns imposed on Martin Luther the ban of the Empire.
1538 Jean Calvin was expelled from Geneva and settled in Strasbourg.
1595 Death of Philip Neci, Italian priest, founder of the Oratory.
1659 Aurangzeb formally became Mogul Emperor.
1660 King Charles II of England landed at Dover after a nine-year exile.
1703 Samuel Pepys, a distinguished public servant in King Charles II's government, died at the age of 70. He was twice secretary of the admiralty, and was elected to Parliament in 1679. He was interested in science, and became president of the Royal Society in 1684. He was forced into retirement when William III took the throne. Pepys left a diary which friends said ought to be published. It was a lively, candid account of daily London life from 1660 to 1669, when Pepys stopped writing, fearing for his eyesight. But Pepys was nothing if not prudent - his diaries were written in code.
1791 The French Assembly forced Louis XVI to hand over the crown and state assets.
1798 Income tax was introduced in Britain, as a tax of 10% on all incomes over £200.
1805 Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned King of Italy in Milan Cathedral.
1834 Sikhs captured Peshawar.
1846 Robert Peel repealed the Corn Laws (royal assent given 26 June), splitting the Conservative Party.
1865 The last organised resistance in the US civil war ended when General Kirby Smith surrendered Confederate forces west of the Mississippi. Resistance east of the Mississippi ended on May 4, following General Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9. The Confederate navy still held the port of Galveston in Texas. The war had torn America: half a million were dead and the South was crippled. President Lincoln's death was a severe loss to the post-war healing process; he called for generous reconciliation in his last speech, three days after Appomattox. President Andrew Johnson was instigating plans for amnesty and to bring the rebel states back into Congress.
1868 The US senate found impeached US president Andrew Johnson not guilty - by only one vote. On February 21 Johnson defied the Tenure of Office Act 1967, which Congress passed over his veto the previous year, by firing secretary of war Edwin M. Stanton - who refused to go, barricading himself in his office. Three days later Congress voted to impeach the president. The Senate trial began on March 13 - though the charges fell short of the "high crimes and misdemeanours" required for impeachment. Southern Democrat Johnson's main crime was reconstructing the defeated rebel states "according to his own will". Republican congressmen demanded much tougher measures. It was their "Radical Reconstruction" plans that now went ahead.
1908 A major oil strike began in Persia, the first in the Middle East.
1922 Death of Charles Mayo, US surgeon.
1923 Watched by large crowds, French drivers Lagache and Leonard won the new Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, covering 1373 miles (2209 km) at an average speed of 57 mph (92 kph). The drivers were paired, taking turns at the wheel. Motor-racing had come far since the first race in 1894 between Paris and Rouen. Open-road racing was banned in Europe following an accident in 1903. The Le Mans track opened in 1906, and there were now circuits in most western countries.
1924 Calvin Coolidge signed a bill limiting immigration into the USA and entirely excluding the Japanese.
1924 Death of Victor Herbert, US composer and conductor.
1940 A strange Armada of more than 700 boats set sail from Britain across the English Channel as virtually everything that would float made for the beaches at Dunkirk in France to rescue 380,000 trapped Allied troops. The awesome Nazi war machine took just 10 days to sweep aside Allied defences in France and Belgium. In a lightning push through the Ardennes, German troops cut off the retreating British, French and Belgian armies faced annihilation on the beaches. Helped by RAF air cover, the besieged troops are fighting a fierce rearguard battle to defend the beaches, but the makeshift flotilla of destroyers, ferries, fishing boats and pleasure craft came under heavy fire as they picked up the exhausted troops.
1942 British prime minister Winston Churchill signed a military pact with Russian leader Joseph Stalin, who promised him "close collaboration after the war".
1951 Death of Lincoln Ellsworth, US scientist and polar explorer.
1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono began a "bed-in" for world peace and invited the media to film them in Room 1742 of the Hotel de la Reine, Montreal, Canada.
1975 American stuntman Evel Knievel suffered severe spinal injuries in Britain when he crashed while attempting to leap 13 buses in his car.
1988 Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats opened in Moscow with a British and American cast.
1994 Michael Jackson married Lisa-Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.
1999 Buckingham Palace denounced the topless pictures of Prince Edward’s fiancée Sophie Rhys-Jones, which appeared in a national newspaper.
1999 Manchester United beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in Barcelona to win the European Cup, adding it to the League and FA Cup; The Treble. United’s goals both came in injury time, and from the two subs, Teddy Sherringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaar.
2000 Barry Michael George (aka Barry Bulsara) was being questioned by police over the murder of TV presenter Jill Dando 13 months earlier. He appeared in court a few days later.
2003 India decided to resume a bus service to Lahore and to free Pakistani prisoners as part of continuing peace moves.
2003 Bad weather was blamed for the crash of a Ukrainian plane in Turkey which killed all 75 on board, mostly Spanish troops.
2003 Wolves sealed promotion to the Premiership with a superb 3-0 win over Sheff Utd in Cardiff.
2003 Gus Van Sant's film Elephant, based on the 1999 Columbine school shootings, won the top prize at Cannes.
2003 Jemini, the UK duo in the Eurovision Song contest blamed their failure to score even one point on technical problems.
2003 Sir Paul McCartney performed in the heart of Moscow, fulfilling a lifelong dream for Russian Beatles' fans.
2003 Patrick Vieira claimed he was happy to commit himself to Arsenal for the next five or six years.
2004 Athens said it would bring down any aircraft seeking to wreck the Olympics with an 11 September-style attack.
2004 Russian leader Vladimir Putin delivered the first state-of-the-nation speech since his re-election by a landslide majority in March.
2004 Jose Mourinho's Porto romped to victory against Monaco in the Champions League final.
2004 Art mogul Charles Saatchi spoke of his loss after a warehouse fire destroyed more than 100 artworks.
2004 Welsh singer Bryn Terfel picked up the best album and male artist prizes at this year's Classical Brit awards.
2004 DJ Tommy Vance and athlete Dwain Chambers left ITV1 reality show Hell's Kitchen as ratings dropped.
2004 Jose Mourinho confirmed he was moving to the Premiership after Porto beat Monaco to win the Champions League.
2004 England striker Alan Smith completed his £7m transfer from Leeds to Man Utd.
2005 Otis Ferry and seven other pro-hunt protesters were convicted of violating the Public Order Act after invading the Commons.
2005 A contagious vomiting virus struck about 200 passengers on board a P&O luxury cruise liner.
2005 Bob Geldof announced plans for a Live Aid-style concert to coincide with the G8 summit in July.
2005 More than 200 cinemas across the UK were chosen to receive Lottery money to install state-of-the-art digital projectors.
2005 Liverpool's triumphant players paraded the Champions League trophy to a million people.
2005 The board of Manchester United advised shareholders to accept the controversial takeover bid from US tycoon Malcolm Glazer.
BIRTHDAYS (for 26 May 2006)
John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, 356 (born 26 May 1650)
English statesman and general.
Al Jolson, 120 (born 26 May 1886)
American singer and entertainer who starred in the first movie with sound, The Jazz Singer.
John Wayne (born Marion Michael Morrison), 99 (born 26 May 1907)
American actor who appeared in more than 250 films, winning an Oscar for True Grit.
Sir Mat Busby, 97 (born 26 May 1909)
Football Legend
Peter Cushing, 93 (born 26 May 1913)
British actor best-known for his roles in horror films such as The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula.
Peggy Lee, 86 (born 26 May 1920)
American singer, songwriter and actress with a distinctive smoky voice.
James Arness, 83 (born 26 May 1923)
American actor noted most for his role in the television series Gunsmoke.
Stevie Nicks, 58 (born 26 May 1948)
Fleetwood Mac
Zola Pieters (Budd), 40 (born 26 May 1966)
Athlete
Today's The Day - 25th May
25th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Madeleine Barat,
St Gregory VII, pope,
St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi,
St Urban,
St Zenobius,
St Leo of Mantenay,
St Dionysius of Milan,
St Gennadius of Astorga,
and St Bede.
History Test for May 25th
The operetta `HMS Pinafore' was first performed today in 1878. Who composed it? -Gilbert and Sullivan
Best known for his suite, 'The Planets', which English composer died today in 1934? -Gustav Holst
Today in 1850, an animal arrived in Britain, the first of its kind and a gift from Abbas Pasha. What type of creature was it? -A hippopotamus - his name was Obaysch!
Born today in 1958, who was the lead singer of The Jam and The Style Council? -Paul Weller
British press baron and politician, William Maxwell Aitken, was born today in 1879. What was his title? -Lord Beaverbrook
Events today...
735AD Death of Bede, English monk and historian.
1234 The Mongols took Kaifeng and destroyed the Chin dynasty.
1510 Death of Georges D'Amboise French cardinal and politician.
1524 Henry VIII and Charles V formed a new league to support the Duke of Bourbon in a fresh attack on France.
1657 Louis XIV put forward his name as a candidate for the Holy Roman Empire.
1657 New Humble Petition and Advice created a new House of Lords, and increased Cromwell's power.
1659 Richard Cromwell resigned; the Rump Parliament re-established the Commonwealth.
1675 Death of Gaspard Poussin, French painter.
1694 The ministry in England was remodelled when William III dismissed Tories (except Godolphin and Danby), and introduced Whig Junta of Somers, Russell, Montague, and Wharton.
1703 Death of Samuel Pepys, English diarist.
1768 Captain Cook set forth from England in his ship the Endeavour on a voyage to explore the antipodes.
1850 The first hippopotamus ever seen in Britain arrived at London zoo. (Apparently it had been to the cinema and had some change left.)
1911 Porfirio Diaz resigned as president of Mexico.
1914 The British House of Commons passed the Irish Home Rule bill.
1923 The independence of Transjordan under Amir Abdullah was proclaimed.
1934 Death of Gustav Holst, British composer best-known for The Planets suite.
1935 A 21-year-old black student athlete from Alabama, set five new world records and equalled a sixth, all in the space of an hour. Jesse Owens equalled the 100yds record, then set new records for the long jump, 220yds and 220yds hurdles, relentlessly breaking the 200m records on the way.
1951 Two British diplomats, Donald MacLean and Guy Burgess, who had both held senior Foreign Office positions in Washington, went absent without leave in London.
1953 Denationalisation of road transport in Britain.
1959 The US Supreme court ruled that Alabama's ban on boxing matches between black and white was unconstitutional.
1961 US President Kennedy presented an extra-ordinary state of Union message to Congress for increased funds urgently needed for US space, defence, and air programmes.
1965 Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round of their fight at Lewiston in Maine.
1969 Intrepid Norwegian diffusionist Thor Heyerdahl and a seven-man crew from all over the world set sail to cross the Atlantic in a reed boat named Ra, after the Sun God of the Pharohs.
1986 Worldwide, 30 million people ran a "Race Against Time" for Sport Aid to raise money for the starving in Africa.
1999 British Airways announced that their profits had slumped 61%.
2003 An Israeli government for the first time formally endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, but with a long list of conditions.
2003 In Paris, thousands take to the streets to ratchet up the pressure ahead of a key government meeting on controversial pension reform.
2003 Rangers pipped Old Firm rivals Celtic to the post for the Scottish Premier League title on the last day of the season.
2003 Andy Campbell's extra-time goal gave Cardiff a 1-0 win in the Division Two play-off final against QPR.
2004 Hundreds were missing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti after torrential rains left at least 250 dead.
2004 Investigations resumed into what caused the collapse of a terminal roof at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.
2004 The train drivers' union suspended three of its top officials after an alleged brawl at a barbecue.
2004 England captain David Beckham hit out at media coverage of allegations about his private life.
2004 Mel Gibson's biblical epic The Passion of the Christ won two awards at the Ethnic Multicultural Awards.
2004 Millions of pounds worth of artworks in Charles Saatchi's famous collection were feared destroyed in a warehouse fire.
2004 Martina Navratilova was beaten 6-1 6-3 by Gisela Dulko in her first Grand Slam singles match for 10 years.
2004 Michael Owen was keen to find out the identity of Liverpool's new manager before he agreed to a new Anfield deal.
2005 A US woman who pretended she had been kidnapped on the eve of her wedding faced up to six years in jail.
2005 Oil was to flowed from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean for the first time as a $3.6bn pipeline opened.
2005 Liverpool won the Champions League after beating AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out in Istanbul.
2005 ID cards were needed to stop the soaring costs of identity theft, said Tony Blair as plans for the scheme returned.
2005 Ismail Merchant, co-founder of Merchant Ivory films, died at the age of 68.
2005 The defence in the Michael Jackson trial rested its case after hearing 50 defence witnesses over three weeks.
2005 Singer Katherine Jenkins took album of the year award at the Classical Brits, with Bryn Terfel best male artist.
2005 Celtic manager Martin O'Neill announced he was to leave the club, with Gordon Strachan taking over.
2005 Tim Henman was beaten in four sets by Luis Horna in the French Open second round.
BIRTHDAYS (for 25 May 2006)
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, 128 (born 25 May 1878)
American tap dancer who appeared in several films including Stormy Weather.
Igor Sikorsky, 117 (born 25 May 1889)
aeronautical engineer.
Miles Davis, 80 (born 25 May 1926)
American trumpeter and composer who had a huge influence on jazz music.
Sir Ian McKellen, 68 (born 25 May 1938)
British stage and screen actor.
Paul Weller, 48 (born 25 May 1958)
British pop singer with groups Jam and Style Council.
Julian Clary, 47 (born 25 May 1959)
Camp comic
Mark McGhee, 47 (born 25 May 1959)
Manager of Wolves
Anthea Turner, 45 (born 25 May 1961)
TV Presenter
24.5.06
Multiple Choice Quiz
1. To what trade had highwayman Dick Turpin been apprenticed?
a) Cobbler b) Butcher or c) Thatcher
Answer b) Butcher
2. What breed of dog was Greyfriars Bobby?
a) Skye Terrier b) West Highland Terrier or c) Poodle
Answer a) Skye Terrier
3. Which 1930s US criminal was known as "Public Enemy No 1"?
a) Al Capone b) Bugs Moran or c) John Dillinger
Answer c) John Dillinger
4. Which sport has its headquarters in St John's Wood, London?
a) Football b) Rugby Union or c) Cricket
Answer c) Cricket
5. Which watch is from 8pm to midnight at sea?
a) First Watch b) Dog Watch c) Middle Watch
Answer a) First Watch
6. Which two countries are divided by the Palk Strait?
a) India and Sri Lanka b) Thailand and Indonesia or c) South Korea and Japan
Answer a) India and Sri Lanka
7. What kind of dances are Hamilton House and Petronella?
a) Irish Jigs b) Clog Dances or c) Scottish Country Dances
Answer c) Scottish Country Dances
8. What relation was Mary I to Elizabeth I?
a) Cousin b) Half-Sister or c) Aunty
Answer b) Half-Sister
9. What gas is given off by pouring dilute sulphuric acid on to granulated zinc?
a) Helium b) Hydrogen or c) Methane
Answer b) Hydrogen (Don't try this at home!)
10. What is Cortaderia selloana better known as?
a) Pampas Grass b) Hog Weed or c) Weeping Willow
Answer a) Pampas Grass
11. Which actor's real name was Reginald Carey?
a) Tony Cutis b) David Niven or c) Rex Harrison
Answer c) Rex Harrison (Tony Cutis's real name is Bernard Schwarz)
12. What breed originated in the 1850s when a greyhound was mated with an Irish wolfhound?
a) Bloodhound b) Pointer or c) Kangaroo Hound
Answer c) Kangaroo Hound
(if you don't believe this one - http://dogsonline.anneonline.nl/encyclopedie/ency_K.htm)
13. If you were an LLD what profession would you be involved in?
a) Doctor b) Lawyer or c) Plumber
Answer b) Lawyer - The legal profession (Doctor of Law)
14. Of which country is Baffin Island a part?
a) Canada b) Greenland or c) Iceland
Answer a) Canada
15. What do we call what the Germans call "Strumpfhose"?
a) Boxer Shorts b) Tights or c) Swimming Trunks
Answer b) Tights - so that's 'Men in Strumpfhose' then!!!
16. Who said, "Marriage is a wonderful invention - but so is the bicycle repair kit"?
a) Winston Churchill b) Michael Parkinson or c) Billy Connolly
Answer c) Billy Connolly
17. What is Terry Wogan's real first name?
a) Dermot b) Michael or c) Patrick
Answer b) Michael
18. Which bandmaster composed "The Stars and Stripes Forever"?
a) Glenn Miller b) Aaron Copeland or c) John Philip Sousa
Answer c) John Philip Sousa
19. Which drug is derived from the willow, Salix alba?
a) Aspirin b) Viagra or c) Morphine
Answer a) Aspirin
20. Who bought Queen Elizabeth II her first corgi?
a) Her Father b) Her Husband or c) Her Mother
Answer a) Her father, King George VI
Picture Quiz - 4
Answers - Highlight BelowPicture Quiz - 3
Answers - Highlight BelowPicture Quiz - 2
Answers- Highlight BelowPicture Quiz - 1
Answers - Highlight Below23.5.06
Musical Blockbusters - 6
The First Task is to work out the Artist (Singer or Group).PICTOGRAMS - 6
Answers - Highlight Below
Today's The Day - 24th May
24th May 2006
Commonwealth Day
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St David of Scotland,
St Vincent of Lerins,
Saints Donatian and Rogation,
and St Nicetas of Pereaslav.
History Test for May 24th
What famous Midlands road system opened today in 1972? -Spaghetti Junction
Which prison opened today in 1809 to house French prisoners of war? -Dartmoor
Which religious movement was formed today in 1738, following John Wesley's conversion? -Methodism
Which much-derided, but still popular musical contest was held for the first time today in 1956? -The Eurovision Song Contest
Born today in 1738, who was known as the `Mad King of England'? -George III
QUOTE
"The Catholic Church has always refused and continues today to refuse to make the market the supreme regulator and almost the model or synthesis of social life." - Pope John Paul II, on this day, 1991.
Events today...
1153 Malcolm IV acceded to the Scottish throne.
1530 A list of heretical books was drawn up in London; Tyndale's Bible was burnt.
1543 As he lay dying, the canon of Frauenberg cathedral in Poland was brought the first copy of a treatise he had written that overturned church doctrine on man's place in the universe. According to Nicolaus Copernicus, our world was not the centre about which all else in the heavens turns, as Aristotle and Ptolemy claimed. His book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, claimed that the Earth and the other planets revolved round the sun - which itself doesn't stay in one place. The universe, he said, was much bigger than had been thought - and man's place in it was far from central. In fact Copernicus's scheme of things sounded very plausible. The book was bound to cause immense controversy. Copernicus was aware of this - he first wrote about his theories in 1514, but was very discreet about them.
1612 Death of Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, English politician.
1689 The English parliament passed the Act of Toleration for the relief of Dissenters.
1725 Jonathan Wild, English criminal was hanged.
1726 The first Circulating Library was opened by Allan Ramsay in Edinburgh.
1726 Voltaire landed in England on his liberation from the Bastille (he returned to France 1729).
1794 French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre survived the second attempt on his life in two days when 25-year-old Cecile Renault tried to assassinate him. Robespierre, a slight man with a reedy voice, wielded the power of life and death in France. He demanded the execution of King Louis XVI and of the moderate Girondists, and his election to the Committee of Public Safety the previous year brought bloody repression as he eliminated rival factions.
1809 Dartmoor Prison was opened in England to house French prisoners of war.
1814 Pope Pius VII, exiled by Napoleon Bonaparte, returned to Rome.
1833 Brooklyn Bridge was opened.
1856 American anti-slavery campaigner John Brown led the Free-Staters in a massacre of the pro-slavers at Pottawatamie Creek.
1862 Westminster Bridge across the River Thames in London was opened.
1929 After six years on Broadway, the anarchic lunacy of the Marx Brothers had movie audiences roaring. "Your eyes shine like the pants of my blue serge suit," leered Groucho Marx round his cigar in `The Coconuts’, premiered in New York. Fast-talking Groucho (born Julius) with his bushy eyebrows and thick black moustache, Chico (Leonard), who mostly played an Italian, Harpo (Adolph), who played the harp but doesn't say a word, and fourth brother Zeppo (Herbert) who provided romantic relief, got full Marx for zaniness. The brothers were also making a film version of `Animal Crackers’, which had opened on Broadway the year before. The big money was in the movies - more than 80 million Americans went to the country's 23,000 cinemas every week in the 20s. As Groucho says in The Coconuts, "What's a thousand dollars? Mere chicken-feed - a poultry matter."
1941 The Royal Navy's pride, the 42,000-ton battleship HMS Hood, was sunk in a duel with the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic. Nearly all the crew of 1400 drowned.
1948 The USSR stopped road and rail traffic between Berlin and the West, forcing Western powers to organise airlifts.
1959 Death of John Foster Dulles, US secretary of state under Eisenhower.
1973 In Britain, Lord Lambton and Earl Jellicoe resigned from the government in a call girl/security scandal.
1974 Duke Ellington, one of the greatest of all jazz musicians, died of lung cancer. He was 75. Perhaps more than any other musician, Ellington helped bring jazz out of the black ghettoes of America and put it on the world map - it was through Ellington, Fletcher Henderson and Count Basie and their syncopated big-band arrangements that most white Americans first heard jazz. Ellington won popularity in New York when his 11-piece band took up residence at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem in 1927, and live broadcasts from the club soon made the unique Ellington sound famous. Virtually all the jazz greats had played with Ellington, who usually wrote special pieces to show off their skills. With some 3000 works to his credit, he is now acknowledged as America's greatest composer. He toured Europe, Russia and Latin America three years before his death, and his New Orleans Suite was awarded the title of record of the year.
1987 Death of Hermione Gingold, English actress.
1988 Snow fell on the Syrian desert and on Damascus for the first time in 50 years.
1989 A British jury awarded libel damages of £600,000 to Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of sex killer Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", against the satirical magazine Private Eye. Private Eye had said Mrs Sutcliffe had sold a newspaper the story of her marriage for £250,000. The magazine appealed against the award - the highest in British legal history. Editor Ian Hislop commented, "If this is justice, I'm a banana.".
2000 It was announced that Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley were separating after thirteen years of marriage. Many wondered why she stuck with him five years earlier when he was caught in an uncompromising position in a New York side street. Probably because of a word beginning with a "P" and ending in "ublicity".
2001 Alex Ferguson was offered £3m by Manchester United if he was to retire that summer.
2003 A security guard who shot dead an officer and took six people hostage at Bombay airport gave himself up.
2003 Baghdad electricity workers received their first salary in weeks, as US officials began to pay civil servants.
2003 Sir Paul McCartney performed in the heart of Moscow, fulfilling a lifelong dream for Russian Beatles' fans.
2003 Rugby: Toulouse win their second Heineken Cup with a 22-17 victory over Perpignan at Lansdowne Road.
2003 Fears were growing for the safety of Arctic explorer Pen Hadow who had been stranded on drifting ice for five days.
2003 Unions urged shareholders in HSBC to vote against a deal which would give a top boss £20m if he was sacked.
2003 Bournemouth beat Lincoln City 5-2 in the Third Division play-off final in Cardiff.
2003 Turkey won the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga, Latvia, but the UK entry by Jemini finished last with no points.
2004 Two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire as thousands attended funerals for those killed during Israeli raids in Gaza.
2004 Parts of Charles de Gaulle-Roissy airport were evacuated as cracking sounds were heard a day after a roof collapse killed four.
2004 Michelangelo's statue masterpiece David was unveiled after undergoing an intensive cleaning process.
2004 It was announced that Billie Piper would play Doctor Who's assistant when the cult BBC show returned with Christopher Eccleston.
2004 Nasser Hussain's century led England to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's.
2004 Liverpool dismissed manager Gerard Houllier after six years in charge at Anfield.
2005 The Health Secretary announced proposed laws to ensure hygiene standards were met in England's hospitals and care homes.
2005 The final Star Wars film became the most successful film opening in UK cinema history, making £14m in four days.
2005 The BBC and broadcasting unions agreed to enter into talks through Acas, but the next strike would still go ahead.
BIRTHDAYS (for 24 May 2006)
Jean Paul Marat, 263 (born 24 May 1743)
French politican, radical journalist and physician.
Queen Victoria, 187 (born 24 May 1819)
English monarch whose ideas of duty and discipline influenced the nation for nearly a century.
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, 151 (born 24 May 1855)
British dramatist who wrote highly successful farces and, later, more serious plays about contemporary social problems.
Jan Smuts, 136 (born 24 May 1870)
South African statesman and general, twice prime minister.
Elsa Maxwell, 123 (born 24 May 1883)
introducer of the "scavenger hunt."
Suzanne Lenglen, 107 (born 24 May 1899)
French tennis player who won the women's singles title at Wimbledon eight times.
Duke of Bedford, 89 (born 24 May 1917)
William Trevor, 78 (born 24 May 1928)
Irish novelist and and playwright.
Stanley Baxter, 78 (born 24 May 1928)
comedian
Bob Dylan, 65 (born 24 May 1941)
American rock musician.
Rosanne Cash, 63 (born 24 May 1943)
country singer
Patti LaBelle, 62 (born 24 May 1944)
singer
Pricilla Presley, 61 (born 24 May 1945)
Actress
Dave Peacock, 61 (born 24 May 1945)
singer (Chas & Dave)
Nula Conwell, 47 (born 24 May 1959)
actress
Liz McColgan, 42 (born 24 May 1964)
Runner
Eric Cantona, 40 (born 24 May 1966)
Manchester United Great
Martin McCague, 37 (born 24 May 1969)
cricketer
Why England's team is in mint condition
What smell would you most associate with England? Cut grass, maybe, tea and scones, Marmite, or fish and chips?
Not according to the Germans who say that nothing sums up England better than the smell of an After Eight mint.
A small town in northern Germany claims to have come up with the "smell" of the World Cup by gathering together the "scents" of the football teams to compete in next month's tournament.
Holzminden, home to one of the world's leading industrial producers of smells since 1874, has erected World Cup smelling posts throughout the town and is inviting visitors to "Follow your nose".
"We were going to give England the smell of tea," said Ernst-Adolf Hinrichs, a retired perfume maker who has created the smells tour. "But then we assigned green tea to Japan, and so England got the After Eight, a cult symbol of Englishness for Germans."
The after dinner mint, which has actually been Swiss produced since 1988, is very popular in Germany where it is marketed as "England's finest mint".
The television advert for it is set at a posh English dinner party with the slogan, "In fine English style".
Holzminden's olfactory celebration includes everything from mangoes (Mexico), saffron (Iran) and Chanel No 5 (France) to vodka (Poland) and beef steak (Argentina).
Less unlikely candidates include oak moss, a species of lichen favoured in perfumery as a fixative base and widely found in Serbia and Montenegro, and vetiver, a tropical grass from Angola, which produces an aromatherapy oil. Brazil, the favourites to win the tournament, are represented by the pina colada, while Germany are embodied in the smell of freshly-baked bread. "We wanted to have sauerkraut, but realised that when it's warm it starts to smell very bad," Mr Hinrichs said. Italy smells of pizza, Holland of cheese, the United States of Coca-Cola and Sweden of pine and flat-pack furniture.
Mr Hinrichs also experimented with the smell of a football stadium - a mix of beer, Coke, chips, sausage, mustard, pizza, lemonade, tobacco, grass, muscle creams and sweat.
"But it had the potency to knock me out," he said. However, when he inadvertently mixed all the "team" smells the scent was "heavenly".
Today's The Day - 23rd May
23rd May 2006
Religious events today...
Feast day of Saints Montanus and Lucius,
St William of Rochester,
St Aldhelm,
St Euphrosyne of Polotsk,
St Ivo of Chartres,
St Leontius of Rostov,
St Desiderius of Vienne,
and St John Baptist dei Rossi.
History Test for May 23rd
Name the Fascist and former Labour MP who was arrested and interred as a security risk today in 1940. -Sir Oswald Mosley
Which two gangsters, nicknamed Texas Rattlesnake and Suicide Sal, were killed in a police ambush today in 1934? -Bonnie and Clyde
Which long-serving soap actress received the Royal Television Society's Award for Best Performance today in 1985? -Jean Alexander (Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden)
Which future American President had his first taste of World War Two action today in 1944? -George Bush
Bandleader Artie Shaw was born today in 1910. Which instrument was he renowned for playing? -The clarinet
QUOTE
"One is short of all-male preserves in present-day England." - Roger Hearn, member of the Marylebone Cricket Club, London, on this day, 1991.
Events today...
1498 The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut on India's Malabar coast after almost a year, the first European to reach the Indies by sea. Da Gama sailed his four ships south from Lisbon to the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa, and then up Africa's east coast. The sultan of Mozambique thought the voyagers were Muslims and gave them pilots for the journey north, but hostile Arabs attacked them at Mombasa. Da Gama's reception in Calicut could have been warmer: the gifts he took ashore were more suited to Africa, and Calicut's ruler rejected them.
1568 William of Orange with German mercenaries defeated a Spanish force under Count Aremberg at Heiligerlee; this action marked the beginning proper of the Revolt of the Netherlands.
1618 The Defenestration of Prague, when the Regents, Martinitz and Slawata, were overthrown by the Bohemian rebels, began the Thirty Years' War.
1701 Captain William Kidd was hanged for piracy and murder in London. His trial and sentence were widely publicised in an attempt to deter other seamen from hoisting the Jolly Roger and preying on merchant ships. Kidd, 56, was commissioned as a British privateer to wage war on Spanish and French ships, and became a wealthy man. Five years earlier he turned to piracy, taking rich prizes off the coasts of Africa. Thinking his commission would protect him, Kidd returned to Long Island with his fleet, but he was arrested in Boston shortly afterwards and taken to London for trial. Mystery surrounded The proceeds of Kidd's buccaneering - most of his booty has simply vanished.
1795 In Paris, troops put down an uprising caused by bread shortages.
1863 Death of American frontiersman Kit Carson.
1873 The North West Mounted Police were established in Canada -- the name was changed to The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1920.
1873 The North West Mounted Police are formed in Canada.
1886 Death of Leopold von Ranke, German historian.
1887 The French crown jewels went on sale and raised six million francs.
1906 Death of Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian playwright.
1925 British publishing magnate Sir Edward Hulton died after falling off his penny farthing bicycle.
1926 France proclaimed the Lebanon a republic.
1931 Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire opened.
1934 Bank robbers and murderers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow died in a hail of bullets when they drove their car into a police ambush in Louisiana. More than 50 bullets hit the pair, police said. Parker and Barrow have terrorised the south-western US for four years, killing 12 people in a series of armed raids on small-town banks and gas stations. Barrow was 25, and Parker 23.
1945 Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler's minister of the interior, committed suicide.
1948 The Empire Windrush set sail from Jamaica with the first boatload of West Indian immigrants invited to Britain to help with post-war reconstruction.
1960 Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion announced that Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann had been captured and would stand trial in Israel. Eichmann, the "technician of death", was in command of the Gestapo section charged with exterminating the Jews and supervised the network of death camps where six million Jews died. He escaped at the end of the war. Reports in Israel claimed that Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal tracked Eichmann down in Argentina, where he was living under the name Ricardo Klement. Israeli agents then kidnapped him and brought him back to Tel Aviv in an official plane.
1977 Armed South Moluccan terrorists took the 161 occupants of a Dutch passenger train at Assen and teachers and children at a school at nearby Bovensmilde hostage. They were demanding independence for their homeland, which was part of Indonesia.
1988 Two Danish divers married on an underwater reef in Mauritius, using divers' language to sign their vows to a Mauritian civil servant in a glass-bottomed boat.
1990 Death of Rocky Graziano, American boxer who was world middleweight champion in the 1940s.
1991 A disabled English boy, six-year-old Jonathan Hunt, won "substantial" libel damages from the Sun newspaper - which had dubbed him "the worst brat in Britain". He was the first British child to sue for libel. In an article in July 1989, the Sun said that Jonathan had set the furniture alight, cut his ear off, killed the cat in the washing machine, painted the dog blue and swallowed insecticide, amongst various other crimes. The newspaper failed to mention that the child is registered as disabled by behavioural problems caused by acute neo-natal meningitis. A letter of complaint from his mother, Josephine, yielded a visit by another Sun feature writer - which was followed by an even worse article, this time headlined "Living with Britain's naughtiest boy". In the High Court the Sun apologised to Josephine and her son profusely - and paid compensation. How much was not disclosed.
1991 Chinese authorities marked the fortieth anniversary of their "liberation" of Tibet.
1997 Southampton businessman Peter Mill, who was using his mobile phone seconds before killing another motorist in a head-on crash, was jailed for six months.
2003 The Israeli PM said he would submit a new Middle East peace plan to his cabinet after the US promises to address his objections.
2003 The US administrator in Iraq dissolved institutions of the former regime, while the US military planned to disarm civilians.
2003 US Secretary of State Colin Powell and his French counterpart discussed the future of Iraq with G8 colleagues.
2003 The Swiss authorities withdraw a computer game involving asylum seeking characters after complaints from charities.
2003 A British lorry driver jailed in Greece for transporting illegal immigrants was freed on bail.
2003 The fourth series of Big Brother began - with producers picking younger contestants for the surveillance gameshow.
2003 EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou's cut price cinema opened for business without any Hollywood blockbusters.
2003 Russian pop duo Tatu remained the favourites to win the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga later that week.
2004 President Chirac demanded an inquiry after at least five people died in the collapse of a new Paris airport building.
2004 Opposition protesters clashed with police in Blantyre after the Malawi ruling party's candidate was named president.
2004 The Home Office rejected moves from Europe to bring in random breath tests for drivers.
2004 Crowds of teenage girls greeted Daniel Radcliffe at a New York Harry Potter premiere.
2004 A compact and uncomfortable fourth Big Brother house was revealed as the producers attempted to boost ratings.
2004 A last-gasp try from scrum-half Robert Howley handed Wasps the Heineken Cup after a 27-20 win over Toulouse.
2004 Michael Schumacher's winning run ended as Jarno Trulli claimed victory at the Monaco GP.
2005 The BBC called on unions to return to talks as a day of strike action disruptted TV and radio networks.
2005 Madonna made a surprise appearance at the UK premiere of Sin City.
2005 Kylie Minogue's spokesman denied reports that she and her boyfriend Olivier Martinez were to marry.
2005 Jonny Wilkinson's last-gasp kick gave the British and Irish Lions a 25-25 draw with Argentina in Cardiff.
2005 Shareholders of Manchester United were told they had until 13 June to sell up to majority owner Malcolm Glazer.
2005 England's Andrew Strauss capped his first 12 months in Test cricket by being named Vodafone player of the year.
2005 The Football Association charged Graeme Souness for criticising referee Barry Knight.
BIRTHDAYS (for 23 May 2006)
Tamerlane the Great, 671 (born 23 May 1335)
Mongol leader
Elias Ashmole, 389 (born 23 May 1617)
English antiquarian
Carl von Linné (Linnaeus), 299 (born 23 May 1707)
Swedish botanist who established the principles for classifying and naming plants and animals.
William Hunter, 288 (born 23 May 1718)
Scottish anatomist and obstetrician
Eriedrich Mesmer, 273 (born 23 May 1733)
Austrian physician
Sir Charles Barry, 211 (born 23 May 1795)
English architect who designed the Houses of Parliament.
Otto Lilienthal, 158 (born 23 May 1848)
German aviator
Douglas Fairbanks, 123 (born 23 May 1883)
American actor who specialised in swashbuckling roles.
Edmund Rubbra, 105 (born 23 May 1901)
English composer
Hugh Casson, 96 (born 23 May 1910)
British architect
Artie Shaw, 96 (born 23 May 1910)
(Died 2004) Jazz Clarinettist
Humphrey Lyttelton, 85 (born 23 May 1921)
jazz musician and broadcaster
Rosemary Clooney, 78 (born 23 May 1928)
singer
Nigel Davenport, 78 (born 23 May 1928)
actor
Joan Collins, 73 (born 23 May 1933)
British actress who had her biggest success in the television series Dynasty.
Robert Moog, 72 (born 23 May 1934)
Died 2005. Inventor of the Moog Synthesizer
Anatoly Karpov, 55 (born 23 May 1951)
Russian chess champion. World champion from 1975-85
Gerry Armstrong, 52 (born 23 May 1954)
(soccer) -- Former Northern Ireland striker
Marvin Hagler, 52 (born 23 May 1954)
boxer
Graeme Hick, 40 (born 23 May 1966)
(cricket) -- Worcestershire and England batsman
Mark Alleyne, 38 (born 23 May 1968)
(cricket) -- Gloucestershire captain
Richard Hill, 33 (born 23 May 1973)
(rugby union) -- England and Saracens back-row forward
Darren Maddy, 32 (born 23 May 1974)
(cricket) -- Leicestershire and England batsman
22.5.06
Crazy hit reaches chart milestone
Gnarls Barkley's hit Crazy has become the first single for 12 years to spend eight weeks at the top of the UK singles chart.
The last track to stay on top for eight weeks was Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around - which went on to spend 15 weeks at number one in 1994.
US hip-hop duo Gnarls Barkley have now become the 20th act to spend at least two months at number one.
The Beatles, Cliff Richard, Madonna and Elton John have not achieved the feat.
Gnarls Barkley first went to number one on digital sales alone, but have since continued their run thanks to combined CD and download sales.
UK TOP FIVE SINGLES
1. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
2. Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
3. LL Cool J ft Jennifer Lopez - Control Myself
4. Christina Milian and Young Jeezy - Say I
5. Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me
Source: Official UK Charts Company
Gnarls Barkley are producer Danger Mouse (real name Brian Burton) - who produced the Gorillaz album Demon Days - and vocalist Cee-Lo Green.
They held off a challenge from dance track From Paris To Berlin by Infernal, which moved up one place to number two.
LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez dropped a place to number three with their song Control Myself.
Christina Milian and Young Jeezy jumped to number four, with Beatfreakz at five and Busta Rhymes at six.
The highest new entry was I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker by Sandi Thom at number 15.
She got a record deal after webcasting gigs from her living room, claiming global audiences of more than 100,000.
In the album chart, the Red Hot Chili Peppers stayed on top for a second week with Stadium Arcadium.
The Raconteurs - the new band featuring Jack White of The White Stripes - entered at number two, followed by Feeder's The Singles at three.
Flying from where?
Louis Armstrong has one - as does John Lennon. Bob Hope was jealous of John Wayne because he had one. Now the late football star George Best is getting his - an airport named after him.
Best, who died in November 2005, already has a plane bearing his image, but on 22 May, Belfast City airport is to be renamed in his honour.
Naming airports after the great and the good has been going on since the early days of commercial aviation - an early example came in 1947, when New York's LaGuardia airport was named after Fiorello LaGuardia, the city's mayor who built it in the 1930s.
Cultural heritage
Since then, more than 50 major airports have been renamed in honour of statesmen, members of the royalty, artists, composers, writers, and revolutionary heroes.
Usually the honour is reserved for the dead, but Poland's Solidarity leader Lech Walesa (Gdansk airport) and George Bush senior (Houston, Texas) buck this trend.
Airports are the front door of the communities in which they are located, so it makes sense to use the opportunity to highlight the greatest local achievers.
In Europe, a number of cities showcase their cultural heritage: Lyon Saint-Exupery (author of the children's classic The Little Prince), Warsaw Frederic Chopin, Rome Leonardo Da Vinci, Venice Marco Polo.
But one person's hero can be another's tyrant.
Passengers landing at Mongolia's international airport could be forgiven for feeling somewhat nervous. Last year, officials renamed it after legendary warrior Genghis Khan.
But political in-fighting can be an obstacle.
In Nicaragua, a row over the renaming of the main airport is the latest in a three-decade-old ideological war over the renaming of places like theatres and stadiums.
It has already been re-named three times in as many decades. It was inaugurated in the late 1960s as Las Mercedes International Airport, renamed in honour of guerrilla leader Augusto C Sandino in the 1980s when the leftists Sandinistas took power and renamed in the late 1990s Managua International Airport when they lost it.
Now, the government proposes to rename the airport after Ruben Dario, considered by many to be the country's greatest poet. The Sandinistas, a powerful opposition party that could be re-elected in November's election, have their own favoured option: Sandino.
All change
A proposal by the African National Congress in South Africa to rename Johannesburg International Airport after former ANC president Oliver Tambo is part of a part of a national drive to make place names sound more African. But, the plan has met with some resistance.
The airport was only renamed in the mid-1990s from Jan Smuts - the former Afrikaner nationalist leader - after it was decided that airports should be named after their localities and not politicians, so as to make them acceptable to all.
Now critics says the proposed rename is a waste of money, confusing and will undermine reconciliation.
Similarly, in Ghana, there is an on-off debate to change the name of its main international airport, which is named after Major-General Emmanuel Kotoka.
Kotoka led the coup against Kwame Nkrumah, who is viewed as the father of African nationalism. Some political activists have argued that the name change would "portray a more positive picture of the country's democracy".
The decision to rename Washington's National airport after former president Ronald Reagan in 1998 caused a huge political fuss, with critics saying that the goal was to turn the airport into a political billboard to greet visitors.
Though he's now rated as one of the greatest American presidents, some still refuse to use the full name on political grounds.
Mark Lieberman, a director of Interspace Airport Advertising in the US says officials should be wary of renaming airports after local dignitaries or celebrities.
Local heroes
"I can understand why a community would want to name an airport after someone it has an emotional attachment to," he says. "But, the problem with this is that is can turn out to be not very practical."
Airports, he says are the key economic portals into a community, the place where its gets most of its global investment.
"The name should quickly communicate what it offers - what it's all about and where it is. For example, you need to think about the tour operator in, say China, who wants to know immediately where these places are."
In the US, there has been a trend to rename major airports after noted black Americans - entertainer Louis Armstrong in New Orleans, murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in Baltimore and Mayor Maynard Jackson in Atlanta.
Mr Lieberman says that while this will raise awareness of a community's local heroes, it can be a headache from a marketing point of view.
"Names shouldn't been too long," he says.
Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport is unlikely to be used in full, he says, and how many, he says, would be able to quickly locate Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport?
Oh Lordi! Finn metal is new face of Eurovision
In 41 days the Finns assume the EU presidency and, if the Eurovision Song Contest is anything to go by, the subsequent six months will be more interesting than previously expected.
Lordi, a Finnish "death metal" band whose motto is "Europe Get Ready to Get Scared", were the unexpected winners of the continent's most excruciatingly wonderful cultural event.
Eurocrats everywhere will be curious to see how the nation's politicians follow up this mixed blessing of a publicity bonanza.
Suspicions were deepened by the sudden conversion of Matti Vanhanen, 50, the Finnish prime minister, who said yesterday that he quite likes rock and "heavy music".
Lordi, a foursome from the small town of Rovaniemi just north of the Arctic Circle, do not appear in public without their latex horror masks.
They claimed on their website before the event to be "the most rocking Eurovision entry since Abba's Waterloo".
Few would argue after witnessing what proved to be a tectonic shift in Eurovision fashions.
Self-styled "meat-eaters in a vegetarian cafe", Lordi's studded-leather costumes, blood-spurting chainsaws and spine-tingling lyrics left the traditional spangle-suited, love-ballad-singing entrants strewn around the Olympic Stadium in Athens like extras in a zombie film.
It was Finland's first win in 40 years of competition.
In fact, it was Finland's first non-disaster in 40 years of competition.
The words "music" and "Finland" have rarely been associated since the death of Sibelius in 1957, a year after the birth of the Eurovision Song Contest (although the two events were not related).
Finnish entries have come last a record eight times, and younger Finns had begun to think that "Finland Nul Points" was how foreigners translated "Suomi".
In fact, Lordi's total of 292 was greater than the accumulated points of all Finland's entries since 1985.
Conspiracy theorists pointed to the fact that Finns had been muttering about boycotting the competition in which their best placing since 1990 was 15th.
This time, the argument went, it wasn't just the bloc votes of one region of Europe voting for its neighbours, described on the BBC by Terry Wogan as the "Balkan two-step".
No, this time the whole thing had been fixed so the Finns didn't go off in a huff and make other countries wonder if there was actually anything in their constitutions that meant they had to send an entry into Eurovision.
But a more practical explanation may be that the hundreds of millions of people who watch Eurovision had just got tired of sequins.
While Lordi turned Eurovision on its head, dragging the whole concept from the glittery, tingly feelgood early 1970s to the raucous, demonic, bat-eating, late 1970s, there was less surprise about the British entry.
Teenage Life, a rap song performed by the whiter-than-white Daz Sampson, finished 19th out of 24, showing that, like most competitive sports, we are a bit off the pace on this damp old island.
Lordi's victory was also a triumph for those who had argued in favour of Finnish musicians singing in English (as they have done only since 2000), the tongue of choice for almost all recent winners.
Certainly, on Saturday night, so many songs were sung in our native tongue that Oscar Wilde might have described Eurovision as an entire continent divided by a common language.
Despite the popularity of the event with television audiences, many will still find themselves agreeing with the sentiments of the New Zealand humorist Joe Bennett that Eurovision "makes one long for war".
Today's The Day - 22nd May
22nd May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Helen of Camvon,
St Rita of Cascia,
St Julia of Corsica,
St Aigulf of Bourges,
St Romanus,
Saints Castus and Aemilius,
St Humility,
St Joachima de Mas,
and St Quiteria.
History Test for May 22nd
Which famous series of wars started today in 1455 with the Battle of St Albans? -The Wars of the Roses
Which Jewish poet and folksinger celebrated his bar mitzvah today in 1954? -Bob Dylan
Today in 1849 who became the only American President to be awarded a patent? -Abraham Lincoln (for a life-belt device)
Released today in 1992, which film features two heavy metal dudes presenting a TV show from a basement? -`Wayne's World'
Born today in 1946, which footballer once remarked, "If I'd been born ugly, you'd never have heard of Pele"? -George Best
Events today...
337 AD Constantine the Great, who in 313 AD issued the Edict of Milan which established toleration of Christians, was baptized on his deathbed, becoming the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.
853 A Greek expedition captured Damietta, in Egypt.
853 Olaf the White, son of the King of Norway, received the submission of Vikings and Danes in Ireland and made Dublin his capital.
1455 In the first battle of the English Wars of the Roses, the Yorkists were defeated by the Lancastrians. The Nevilles attacked the court at St Albans, capturing Henry VI and killing Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset.
1498 A death sentence was pronounced on Savonarola, former Prior of St Mark's and effective ruler of Florence, who had been excommunicated in June 1497 for attempting to seek the deposition of Pope Alexander VI.
1746 Death of Thomas Southerne Irish playwright.
1795 Scottish explorer Mungo Park set forth on his first voyage to Africa.
1856 Death of Augustin Thierry, French historian.
1865 In the aftermath of the US civil war, Jefferson Davis, the fugitive president of the defeated Confederate states, was caught today by Union cavalry colonel Benjamin Pritchard in Irwinville, Georgia. He was disguised as a woman. There was a handsome reward of $100,000 for his capture to collect. President Andrew Johnson publicly accused Davis of complicity in President Lincoln's assassination. Davis fled from Virginia the previous month as the confederacy collapsed, with the intention of organising a government in exile. He now awaited indictment in prison at Fort Monroe.
1885 French novelist, dramatist, poet and national literary hero Victor Hugo died in Paris aged 83.
1908 Wilbur and Orville Wright patented their flying machine, four years after their historic first powered flight at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. That day the "Flyer I" made four flights, the longest lasting a minute and covering 852 ft (259m). They still used the same machine, very much improved, to make flights of 40 minutes, travelling up to 25 miles (40 km) at altitudes of 150 ft (46 m) or more. Strangely the brothers were hardly known in America, except to a few hundred enthusiasts. But now their pioneering work was starting to bear fruit: In 1907 the US Army Signal Corps contracted the Wrights to build a two-man aircraft capable of flying 125 miles (201 km), and the brothers were planning to take their aircraft on tour in France - hence the patent.
1912 The Reichstag (German parliament) was adjourned following Socialist attacks on German emperor.
1914 Britain acquired control of oil properties in Persian Gulf from Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
1915 A troop train collided with a passenger train at Gretna Green in Scotland, killing 227 people.
1921 The Flying Finn, Paavo Nurmi, who won two gold medals at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, broke the world 10,000 metres record in a race in Stockholm - knocking 18 seconds off the old record set 10 years earlier.
1923 Stanley Baldwin formed the Conservative ministry, with Neville Chamberlain as Chancellor of Exchequer.
1925 Death of John French, Earl of Ypres, British soldier.
1932 Death of Irish dramatist Lady Augusta Gregory who, with W. B. Yeats, founded the Irish Dramatic Movement, a theatre company that moved into the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1904.
1939 Death of Ernst Toller, German poet and playwright.
1972 Death of Cecil Day Lewis, English poet.
1972 In a historic moment, Richard M. Nixon arrived in Moscow, the first US president ever to visit the USSR. He was met by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. The two world leaders would hold talks on arms limitation and the avoidance of military confrontation. Nixon's policy of detente with the communist world was beginning to bear fruit - the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) that he started with the Soviets in 1969 resulted in agreements that the two leaders would sign during Nixon's week in Moscow. He was also expected to address the Soviet people on television.
1974 After seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E. Street Band at Charley's Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts, rock critic Jon Landau wrote "I saw rock and roll future - and its name is Bruce Springsteen".
1980 British foreign secretary Lord Carrington publicly apologised to ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia for a film shown on Britain's Independent Television the previous month. The film, Death of a Princess, investigated the public execution of a Saudi princess convicted of adultery. The Saudis were incensed by the film's allegations of loose living behind the strictly orthodox face of the Sunni Muslim state. In spite of a formal British apology, the Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers threatened to expel the British ambassador, break off diplomatic relations and use the immense Saudi oil wealth to apply economic measures.
1981 Peter Sutcliffe, nicknamed the "Yorkshire Ripper" was found guilty at London's Old Bailey of the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of seven others.
1990 New Zealand boats took the first three places in the Whitbread Round the World yacht race.
1991 Ethiopian president Mengistu Haile Mariam fled to Zimbabwe as rebel forces closed in on the capital, Addis Ababa. Mengistu's long civil war was largely held to blame for the environmental ruin which brought the famines of the 1980s. When Mengistu's Marxist regime came to power 40 per cent of Ethiopia was forested, but now only a tiny fraction of the trees are left and huge areas are uninhabitable. Mengistu spent 919 billion on Soviet arms to put down rebellions in Eritrea, Tigray and Oromo in the north, while only 3 per cent of the budget went to Ethiopia's farmers. The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front rebels now on the verge of victory, however, worked with western agencies to help peasants and protect the environment in the areas they controlled.
1991 Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian leader was assassinated.
2000 The actor Sir John Gielgud died, aged 96. Celebrated English actor of stage and screen, in films since 1924. A grand-nephew of Ellen Terry he appeared on stage in `The Good Companions' in 1931 and became a leading Shakespearian player and director.
2003 The Security Council approved a landmark resolution lifting sanctions, and giving US and UK forces interim control of Iraq. The new resolution was hailed by Tony Blair as a sign of new world unity as he met Germany's chancellor.
2003 The Al-Qaeda trial opened in Belgium. Twenty-three alleged Islamic extremists face charges which include the murder of a top Afghan opposition leader.
2003 David Beckham suffered a fractured wrist as England beat South Africa 2-1 in Durban.
2003 Coldplay were named songwriters of the year at the Ivor Novello Awards - the ceremony for the best compositions.
2003 The working manuscript for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony fetched more than £2.1m at auction in London.
2004 Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
2004 Crown Prince Felipe married a former TV anchorwoman in a service dedicated to victims of the Madrid train attacks.
2004 A 48-year-old man was charged with murder after a police officer was stabbed to death in Birmingham.
2004 Pop singer Britney Spears was removed as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a man found guilty of stalking her.
2004 Five people were named as alleged fellow conspirators in the case against Michael Jackson.
2004 Man Utd won FA Cup. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored twice as Man Utd beat Millwall 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium.
2004 Brendon McCullum hit his highest Test score to give New Zealand the advantage in the Lord's Test.
2004 Henrik Larsson scored twice in his final game for Celtic as they beat Dunfermline 3-1 to win the Scottish Cup.
2005 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he wanted an election within months, after his party suffered a key defeat.
2005 US First Lady Laura Bush was heckled by both Jews and Muslims during a visit to Jerusalem's holy sites.
2005 Oasis returned to the top of the UK singles chart with Lyla, ending Akon's two-week reign at number one.
2005 Rangers pipped rivals Celtic to become SPL champions.
2005 McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen won the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Williams' Nick Heidfeld.
BIRTHDAYS (for 22 May 2006)
Richard Wagner, 193 (born 22 May 1813)
German composer famed for the operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 147 (born 22 May 1859)
Scottish novelist who created the great detective Sherlock Holmes.
Laurence Olivier, 99 (born 22 May 1907)
British actor, producer and director of such stature he was made a peer of the realm, the only actor ever to be honoured in this manner.
George Best, 60 (born 22 May 1946)
Manchester United
Brian Kidd, 57 (born 22 May 1949)
Manchester United
21.5.06
Quiztime 210506
1. What percentage of your brain is water — 45, 55, 65 or 75?
Around 75 per cent
2. A gymnast would perform a crucifix using what type of equipment?
The rings
3. What is 2006 in Roman numerals?
MMVI
4. Spell “mouse” using the NATO alphabet?
Mike Oscar Uniform Sierra Echo
5. Who lived at 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, Liverpool, in his youth?
Paul McCartney
6. How many shapes make up the British Telecom logo?
Six. Five ovals and a circle
7. If a Cockney gave his cheddars to his skin and blister at the Colonel Gadaffi what would he have done?
Given his keys to his sister at the cafe
8. What can be an industry, a cheese or a loaf?
Cottage
9. Which fish grow to become pilchards?
Sardines
10. Against which three football team are England playing friendlies before the World Cup?
Belarus, Hungary and Jamaica
11. True or False - mountain biking is an Olympic sport?
True - since 1996
12. Anagram - WHEN I’M IN CLEAR is a well known British film director and producer?
Michael Winner
13. What part of your body might be affected by comedones?
Your skin, they’re blackheads
14. "I'm With Stupid" is which bands first top 10 hit in six years?
Pet Shop Boys
15. Which is further by road — Inverness to Newcastle-upon-Tyne or Newcastle to London?
Newcastle to London
16. What is a bindi to a Hindu?
An ornamental dot worn on the forehead
17. In which sport do you “clean the bar”?
Weightlifting
18. In the Government, who is currently the Minister for the Civil Service?
Tony Blair. His full title is Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service
19. Pat Simmons, Brian Cobby and Lenny Henry have all recorded the voice of what?
The Speaking Clock. Pat Simmons was a former voice, Brian Cobby currently does it and Lenny Henry did it a few years ago for Comic Relief
20. Family Fortunes Question - Top Answer Required - Name something husbands borrow from wives?
Money / Comb / Hairdryer / Car Keys / Deodorant
21. One point each - Name the six football players who have been FIFA World Player of the Year since 1991, whose names end in the letter “O”?
Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Figo, Rivaldo, Romario, Baggio
22. In the Roadrunner cartoons which company supplies Wile E. Coyote with equipment?
Acme
23. Who is the current British number one tennis player, with a World ranking of 40?
Greg Rusedski
24. Apart from Sherlock Holmes, which other fictional detective lived in Baker Street?
Sexton Blake
25. Coming from the Norse for a landslide what word is given to a collection of rocks on slopes or at the bottom of cliffs?
Scree
26. Which king in a standard pack of playing cards doesn’t have a sword?
King of Diamonds
27. Which car company uses the advertisement “mediocrity is a sin”?
Alfa Romeo
28. Which Australian state is the country’s Sunshine State?
Queensland
29. Sunlight is responsible for the production of which vitamin in the human body?
D
30. In the children’s books, whose favourite food is “haycorns”?
Piglet in Winnie The Pooh
31. True or False - Colonel Sanders of KFC restaurant fame was a real military colonel?
False - the title was honorary. The Governor of Kentucky, who enjoyed eating at his restaurant, made him a Kentucky Colonel
32. Which popular dance means “a crack of a whip” in Portuguese?
Lambada
33. Who was the top scorer for Chelsea in the 2005/2006 Premiership season?
Frank Lampard with 16
34. Which pop singer or group has the most fan clubs worldwide?
Elvis Presley - There are 613 active fan clubs with a combined membership of around 510,000 worldwide
35. Which part of the human body would be of most interest to a Pygophile?
Buttocks
36. What word for a hollow on a Scottish hillside is also a term of affection for a popular TV soap? Corrie (Coronation Street)
37. Which Bond actor played Professor Donald Kessler in Mars Attacks!?
Pierce Brosnan
38. What’s the smallest brass instrument in an orchestra?
Trumpet
39. How often is a census taken?
Every 10 years
40. We call the edge of the pavement the kerb. What do they call it in the USA?
The curb
Tiebreaker - How many Pope's have their been including Pope Benedict XVI?
266
I give 2 points per correct answer, for individual questions where there are several answers it is one point each.
I calculate that this quiz was out of a possible 88 points.
The 'younger' teams scored 31 & 35, whilst the older teams were 55, 56 & Winners on 57
I would appreciate your comments as to whether you thought this Quiz to be 'Hard' 'Medium' or 'Easy' - in other words, how would you have done?
Multiple Choice Quiz
1. Where was the Titanic Built?
a) Belfast b) Liverpool c) Grimsby
Answer = a) Belfast
2. What is Sleeping Beauty's real name?
a)Princess Ardalla b)Princess Teena c)Princess Aurora
Answer = c)Princess Aurora
3. The first ever match shown on BBC's 'Match of the day' on August 22,1964 was between which two teams?
a) Spurs & Chelsea b) Man City & Leeds Utd c) Arsenal & Liverpool
Answer = c) Arsenal & Liverpool
4. What is an Ecdyiast's job?
a) Computer chip inspector b) Striptease artiste c) Astrologer
Answer = b) Striptease artiste
5. What is the name of Dennis the menace's baby sister?
a) Delia b) Meena c) Bea
Answer = c) Bea
6. Who had a hit record in the early 70's (it was re-released) called 'Jungle Rock?
a) Hank Mizell b) Hank Snow c) Hank Marvin
Answer = a) Hank Mizell
7. In which year was the dishwasher invented?
a) 1855 b) 1907 c) 1921
Answer = a) 1855
8. Which two colours are Mandrills bottoms?
a) Yellow & red b) Red & blue c) Blue & yellow
Answer = b) Red & blue
9. For how many years was the decimal halfpenny legal tender?
a) 14 years b) 16 years c) 18 years
Answer = a) 14 years (1971 - 1985)
10. Which fruit is Spain's national symbol?
a) Plum b) Pear c) Pomegranate
Answer = c) Pomegranate
11. Where does Desperate Dan live?
a) Cowville b) Cactusville c) Desertville
Answer = b) Cactusville
12. What is the christian name of the man who invented Braille?
a) Gerard b) Antoine c) Louis
Answer = c) Louis
13. Apipophobia is a fear of what?
a) Flowers b) Bees c) Monkeys
Answer = b) Bees
14. What per centage of the Sahara Desert is sand?
a) 28% b) 34% c) 46%
Answer = a) 28%
15. What illness killed Oliver Cromwell?
a) Chicken pox b) Scarlet fever c) Malaria
Answer = c) Malaria
16. Lucien B Smith invented which anti-theft device?
a) Barbed Wire b) Electric fence c) Car Krooklock
Answer = a) Barbed Wire
17. CH is the international car registration for which country?
a) Chile b) Czechoslovakia c) Switzerland
Answer = c) Switzerland
18. What is Cassata?
a) Aromatic herb b) Italian Ice Cream c) Cheese
Answer = b) Italian Ice Cream
19. Which vehicle is named after a Hindu god?
a) Juggernaut b) Taxi c) Landau
Answer = a) Juggernaut
20. In which card game would you 'meld'?
a) Canasta b) Gin Rummy c) Bridge
Answer = a) Canasta
Singer Freddie dies in hospital
Freddie Garrity, who died on Friday aged 69, was the diminutive lead singer in the 1960s novelty act Freddie and the Dreamers, whose infuriatingly catchy hits included I'm Telling You Now and You Were Made For Me, light, sunny pop tunes that propelled them to chart success in 1963.
With his hallmark horn-rimmed glasses and shock of dark curls, Freddie Garrity bore a glancing resemblance to Buddy Holly, but his act and his material could not have been more different.
Garrity was a clown who cavorted on stage like a demented marionette in a series of exaggerated dance steps that were intended to send up the choreographed routines of Cliff Richard's backing group, the Shadows.
While rival bands attempted to exude glamour and sex appeal, the signature of Garrity's zany humour was his characteristic high jump, hoisting him well above his natural height of 5ft 4in, legs folded beneath him.
He leapt, lunged and larked through every show.
Frederick Garrity was born in Manchester on November 14 1936. He learned to play guitar in the skiffle craze of the 1950s and, with his brother Derek, performed in a makeshift group called the Red Sox, and later the Kingfishers.
While working as a milkman, Garrity recruited four fellow Mancunians to form the Dreamers, auditioning for BBC Radio in 1961. Having followed the Beatles to Hamburg with a residency at the Top Ten Club, they turned professional in 1962.
The band found chart success at the first attempt in May 1963 with an unlikely waltz-time cover version of James Ray's If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody.
Garrity's high-pitched vocal line gave it a bluesy feel, but the band's two follow-ups - a brace of hits written by Mitch Murray, I'm Telling You Now and You Were Made For Me - offered a unique new sound on the nation's airwaves.
It was a sound redolent of music hall and vaudeville, but Garrity literally kicked new life into it with his visual antics, particularly the leaping splits that became his trademark.
Television shows such as Top of the Pops and Thank Your Lucky Stars framed a weekly showcase for Garrity's acrobatics and happy-go-lucky personality.
Freddie and the Dreamers toured Britain with Roy Orbison and appeared in the film What A Crazy World, cementing their reputation as one of the leading British bands of the day.
Three more hits followed in 1964, Over You, I Love You Baby and I Understand.
The following year the group made a breakthrough into the American market with the release of I'm Telling You Now, which topped the US charts and launched them on a coast-to-coast tour.
They briefly popularised a dance - the "Freddie" - and had an America-only Top 20 hit with Do The Freddie that earned the excited approval of Chubby Checker: "Are you ready? Let's do The Freddie! Move your hands to the sky. Kick your legs out high."
A world tour followed, but the hits dried up as unsophisticated pop tunes were swamped by serious rock and psychedelia; Freddie and the Dreamers never really moved beyond a wide-eyed bounciness that suddenly looked embarrassing and sounded dated.
Nevertheless, Garrity had caught the wave in time to enjoy all the trappings of a pop star lifestyle. He exchanged his two-up, two-down terraced house in Manchester for an eight-bedroomed mansion in Dorset, with a swimming pool and a four-car garage to house his growing collection of sports cars.
His first extravagance on hitting the big time was to buy an E-type Jaguar costing three times the price of his old house.
Garrity claimed to have enjoyed the inevitable distractions of life on tour, although he conceded that he was no sex symbol. He found groupies hard to resist: "I suppose I thought I could do anything I liked," he once explained, "so long as I didn't take it home with me."
Although the original band split in 1971, when Garrity went solo, he re-formed the group in the mid-1970s with new personnel and toured the country with revival concerts; in the mid-1990s he played an exhausting 58 dates in a two-month tour of seaside resorts.
He considered himself an entertainer, as much at home at the end of the pier as in the studio; he presented a children's television show, made guest appearances in soap operas and sitcoms, and starred in pantomime.
"In this business," Garrity told one interviewer, "when you've had hit records, the hardest thing is to come to terms with not making hits any more. If you do come to terms with that, and if you live along those lines, it's a big help."
Dismissed by many rock critics as harmless popsters, Garrity and his group never took themselves too seriously, and could claim to have been among the first to take offbeat, wacky material and hammer it into hits.
A falling-out with his new Dreamers hastened Garrity's career decline, and he was the subject of tabloid tales in the early 1990s about his alleged use of a pre-recorded voice track during his concerts. He claimed that the failure of his second marriage had caused him such stress that he lost his voice, but he never used tapes again.
In later life, Freddie Garrity's health failed. He suffered from systemic sclerosis and emphysema, and was latterly confined to a wheelchair.
He was married three times, first to his childhood sweetheart, Josie; they divorced in 1975. His marriage to his second wife, Dee, was also dissolved. His met his third wife, Chris, 19 years his junior, while performing at Butlins in 1989, and they married the following year. Freddie Garrity had three daughters and a son, all of whom survive him.
20.5.06
Today's The Day - 21st May
21st May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Godric,
St Collen,
St Andrew Bobola,
and St Theophilus of Corte.
History Test for May 21st
Today in 1927, who became the first man to make a non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic? -Charles Lindbergh
Born today in 1917 which actor was 'Perry Mason' and 'A Man Called Ironside' on TV? -Raymond Burr
Today in 1979, who became the first Western rock star to play in the USSR? -Elton John
Which tough guy movie star married Lauren Bacall today in 1945 - and cried throughout the whole ceremony? -Humphrey Bogart
Born today in 1688, which poet stood only 4' 6" tall and was known as `The Wasp of Twickenham'? -Alexander Pope
Events today...
1471 King Henry VI of England died in the Tower of London, probably the victim of murder instigated by King Edward IV.
1542 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, the first European to cross the Mississippi, died on the return journey.
1553 Lady Jane Grey, great-granddaughter of Henry VII, was forced to marry Lord Guildford Dudley, son of the Duke of Northumberland, who had ambitions for the throne of England.
1618 Death of Italian physician Hieronymous Fabricius ab Aquapendente, who discovered one-way valves in veins.
1639 Death of Tomaso Campanella, Italian philosopher.
1650 Death of James, Marquess of Montrose, Scottish general.
1662 Charles II married Catherine de Braganza, daughter of John IV of Portugal.
1671 Death of Edward Montagu, Earl of Manchester, Parliamentarian leader in the English Civil War.
1674 John Sobieski was elected King of Poland as John III.
1724 Death of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, British politician.
1767 Townshend introduced taxes on imports of tea, glass, paper, and dyestuffs in American colonies to provide revenue for colonial administration.
1786 Death of Karl Wilhelm Scheele, Swedish chemist.
1804 Pere Lachaise cemetery was opened in Paris.
1840 Britain claimed complete sovereignty over New Zealand.
1851 Gold was first discovered in Australia.
1894 Queen Victoria opened the Manchester Ship Canal.
1924 Two Chicago teenagers kidnapped and murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks - for "thrills". Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, both 19 and sons of millionaires, were arrested and confessed all.
1946 A world wheat shortage led to bread rationing in Britain.
1965 Death of Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer.
1966 Cassius Clay remained The Greatest - British contender Henry Cooper failed to deprive him of the world heavyweight boxing title. Clay knocked down Cooper in the sixth round in a bout in London.
1975 The Baader-Meinhof terrorist gang went on trial in Stuttgart.
1979 Flamboyant English rock star Elton John played a concert in Leningrad - the first western rock star to play in the USSR. The concert, the first of eight in Leningrad, was sold out. His final number was the Beatles' hit Back in the USSR. After Leningrad John went to Moscow for further concerts. At the beginning of the month he was the first western rock star to play in Israel, performing as part of the country's independence festivities.
1980 Joe Strummer of punk group The Clash was arrested at a gig in Hamburg after smashing his guitar over the head of one of the audience.
1990 An Israeli soldier went berserk and killed seven Palestinians.
1990 Ion Ilescu won the first free elections in Romania.
1991 Rajiv Gandhi, the former prime minister of India was blown up by a woman terrorist suicide bomber at an election rally in South India. He was 46. Gandhi's party, campaigning in the general election, had just arrived in the small town of Sri Perumbudur, where party officials and well-wishers rushed forward to greet him with garlands. A young woman knelt to kiss his feet, and as Gandhi stooped to help her up a powerful bomb strapped to her body exploded, killing both of them and many others. Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers militants were suspected, since Gandhi's Congress Party planned to close down the Tigers' camps in India, but they denied the charge. Rajiv Gandhi became India’s prime minister when his mother, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her bodyguards in 1984. He had been an airline pilot and entered politics when his brother Sanjay, groomed for Power, died in an air crash in 1980. The leaderless Congress Party was now in disarray.
1999 There were 13-mile tailbacks on the M56 in Greater Manchester as officials carried out a traffic census at the Princess Parkway turn off.
1999 The funeral of Jill Dando took place in Weston-Super-Mare. The TV presenter had been murdered in her own dorway earlier in the month.
2000 Death of Dame Barbara Cartland. English romantic novelist born in Birmingham. A very prolific author with well over 400 best-selling books and an ardent champion of fitness and health foods.
2003 A taped message apparently by Bin Laden's deputy called on Muslims to attack Western and Israeli interests.
2003 A US court backed five cigarette companies' appeal against a record $145bn compensation award.
2003 Paris unveils its bid to host the 2012 Olympics.
2003 Mary Bell, who was convicted of killing two young boys when she was 11, was granted lifelong anonymity in the High Court.
2003 Porto won the UEFA Cup with a 3-2 victory against Celtic after extra-time in Seville.
2003 Keanu Reeves and the stars of The Matrix Reloaded braved the weather for the film's UK première.
2003 Golf: Seve Ballesteros was fined an undisclosed amount and "severely reprimanded" after his row with the European Tour.
2004 The World Health Organisation drew up a diet which frowned on junk food and extolled exercise in a bid to tackle obesity.
2004 The last Spanish troops in Iraq quit their base and headed to Kuwait, while a captured Spanish journalist was released.
2004 The German opposition party's choice of a Nazi-era judge to help select a new president attracted heavy criticism.
2004 Mark Thompson was appointed director general of the BBC, describing it as a "unique treasure".
2004 A 48-year-old man was in custody after a policeman was stabbed to death in Birmingham while making an arrest.
2004 Police say they were no longer treating skydiver Stephen Hilder's death as murder.
2004 Entertainer Michael Barrymore filed for bankruptcy over an Inland Revenue bill.
2004 Britt Ekland finally gave her approval to a film about the life of her former husband Peter Sellers.
2004 England reached 246-2 in the first Test after Andrew Strauss's century on debut.
2004 Leeds turned down a one-year loan offer by Galatasaray for striker Mark Viduka.
2004 Aston Villa completed the £3m signing of AC Milan's Danish centre-back Martin Laursen.
2005 Angry relatives of 45 Chilean soldiers missing in the Andes accused army officers of neglecting their loved ones.
2005 Musicians from 24 nations competed in the 50th Eurovision Song Contest in Ukrainian capital Kiev.
2005 Belgium's L'Enfant won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the Cannes film festival.
2005 Doctors said that singer Kylie Minogue was feeling fine after successful surgery in Australia for breast cancer.
2005 Arsenal won the FA Cup after beating Man Utd 5-4 on penalties after extra-time.
BIRTHDAYS (for 21 May 2006)
Plato (Aristocles), 2432 (born 21 May 427BC)
Albrecht Durer, 535 (born 21 May 1471)
German painter, engraver, draughtsman and woodcut designer.
Alexander Pope, 318 (born 21 May 1688)
English poet, satirist and translator of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
Henri Rousseau, 162 (born 21 May 1844)
French naive painter and customs officer (hence his name `Le Douanier’).
Thomas `Fats’ Waller, 102 (born 21 May 1904)
American jazz pianist and composer.
Andrei Sakharov, 85 (born 21 May 1921)
Russian physicist and civil rights campaigner who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965.
Finland Win 51st Eurovision
The entry for Finland were the extremely heavy metal band called Lordi, who won the national contest for Eurovision and performed its song, Hard Rock Hallelujah. The band is a visual as well as listening experience, with its members looking more like horror movie villains than musicians. Lordi has a loyal following in Finland and elsewhere in Europe. The band’s play-acting includes fake names such as Ox, a drummer who plays in a cage and a guitarist in a rubber loincloth.
But the band had created some trepidation back in Finland, including calls for the country’s president Tarja Holonen to use her power to deny the band a slot in the international contest.
They’ve been accused of everything from being Satan worshipers to be being secret KGB agents from Russia sent to destabilze Finland.
But in the end, they might be just a bunch of rockers who know that a gimmick never hurts.
Even if that gimmick includes blowing up meat on stage, performing with 8-foot wings, and coming up with songs entitled Chainsaw Buffet.
For Your Enjoyment! - DOWNLOAD MP3
1. Finland - 292 points
2. Russia - 248
3. Bosnia and Herzegovina - 229
4. Romania - 172
5. Sweden - 170
6. Lithuania - 162
Bosnia and Herzegovina's entrant Hari Mata Hari was in third place, followed by Romania's Mihai Traistariu.
Carola, from Sweden, who was the bookmakers' favourite before the contest and won in 1991, came fifth.
Sixth place went to Lithuania's LT United, six men in suits singing: "We are the winners of Eurovision."
Hosts Greece came ninth with Anna Vissi, who had also been hotly tipped.
She was followed by Ireland's Brian Kennedy, who rounded off the top 10 with Every Song Is A Cry For Love.
Daz Sampson - one half of dance duo Uniting Nations - only gathered 25 points from the 35 countries that took part in the vote.
No country failed to get off the mark - Malta's Fabrizio Faniello came last with one point.
The other contenders included a German country and western singer, Israeli gospel and a Latvian a capella group.
Some 18,500 fans packed the arena in the Olympic stadium complex, with 2,000 journalists and 3,000 police officers on duty.
The result means Finland will host the competition next year.
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. More women read the heavy metal bible Kerrang! than men.
2. The Japanese get through 25 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks a year.
3. Sir Paul McCartney is only the second richest music millionaire in the UK - Clive Calder, is top.
Who? More details
4. Publishers have coined the term "Brownsploitation" for the rash of books that have sprung up in the wake of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code blockbuster.
More details
5. NBC has acquired the rights to develop and screen a US version of the Eurovision Song Contest in which the 50 US states will compete against each other.
6. Noel Edmonds dyes his goatee.
7. Cloud seeding - putting chemicals into clouds - was reportedly used during the 1976 drought in an effort to make it rain.
More details
8. Modern teenagers are better behaved than their counterparts of 20 years ago, showing "less problematic behaviour" involving sex, drugs and drink.
More details
9. You can be prosecuted for putting non-recyclable rubbish into your household recycling bin.
10. Children are smuggling junk food such as crisps and sweets into schools which have banned unhealthy food.
More details
(Sources, where no links are included: 1 - Guardian, 15 May; 2 - Guardian, 15 May; 5 - Slate, 19 May; 6 - Press Gazette; 9 - Times, 18 May)
Yorkshire Quiz
What connects the Doncaster St Leger, with the United States of America?
They both began in 1776.
Which steam locomotive built in Doncaster at a cost of £7,944 was in 1934 the first Steam Engine to reach 100 M.P.H?
No 4472 the Flying Scotsman
There are only three civic a mansion houses in the country; London has one, the other two are in Yorkshire, where are they?
York and Doncaster.
Yorkshire has many fine racecourses, one of the best being located on the Knavesmire, which one?
York.
The ‘National Railway Museum’ is located just behind which Yorkshire railway station?
York.
Judy Dench, Guy Fawkes and Steve Mcclaren were all born in which Yorkshire city?
York.
The Bronte sisters lived in a Parsonage in which Yorkshire Village?
Haworth.
The ‘National Museum of Photography, Film and Television’ is located in which
Yorkshire City?
Bradford.
Which Hull woman made the first solo flight to Australia in 1930?
Amy Johnson
Peter Sutcliffe, known as the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ was convicted of killing how many women?
Thirteen.
Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1890, Percy Shaw was the inventor of which visual aid to road safety?
Cats eyes.
What are the four ingredients of Yorkshire Pudding?
Flour, Salt. Eggs and Milk. Fat is only used to grease the tin.
Where in Yorkshire is ‘The National Coal Mining Museum located?
Caphouse colliery, Wakefield.
Two of Britain’s most famous modern sculptors, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth were both born in which Yorkshire town?
Wakefield.
Which fast food chain with outlets in Saudi Arabia and Walt Disney world Florida began in Guiseley near Leeds in 1928?
Harry Ramsdens (Chip shops)
Conisbrough Castle midway between Doncaster and Rotherham, is mentioned in which famous novel by Sir Walter Scott?
Ivanhoe.
Which Yorkshire coastal town is connected with Captain Cook, Dracula and Jet, a rare Mineral only found there?
Whitby.
Situated on the North York’s Moors what is the name of the early warning station that was famous for its ‘Golf Ball’ radars?
Fylingdales.
Famous for his furniture making, particularly for Churches, how did Robert Thompson ‘Sign’ his furniture?
He carved a little mouse on everything he made.
Which great campaigner for the abolition of slavery was born in Hull?
William Wilberforce.
Thankyou for the submission of this quiz and if you would like to write 20 Questions about your county I will gladly publish them on the Weblog for all to enjoy. Please include a Name & Location.
The Big Music Quiz (Updated 02/06/06)
MY APPOLOGIES! PART 2 & PART 3 CONTAINED SAME TRACKS. ALL HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED WITH NEW UPLOADS. ENJOY!
DOWNLOADS - RIGHT CLICK & SAVE AS
ANSWERS - 'Right Click' Pictures & 'Open In New Window' to enlarge
DOWNLOAD PART 1 (MP3 Tracks - 17.85MB)
DOWNLOAD PART 2 (MP3 Tracks - 11.96MB)
ALL TRACKS ARE CONTAINED IN A ZIP FILE WITH A COPY OF ANSWERS
(Courtesy of Pat at The Bell & Bear, Rowley Regis, West Midlands)
You need friends to win in Eurovision
The latest act in the Yugoslav drama plays out when tiny Montenegro votes on independence from Serbia. And while Croatia's tragic schism with the Serbs was provoked by football rivalry, the final nail in the federation's coffin is karaoke.
These old allies, who fought together against Croats, Albanians and Nato, are on the point of rupture over their joint representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, held tonight in Athens. In the Serbian version of A Song For Europe, Montenegrin judges were accused of tactically voting for compatriots No Name ahead of Serbian favourites Flamingoes, leading to uproar from a hostile Belgrade crowd and the terrified Montenegrin boy band being escorted out by security.
With typical Balkan bloody-mindedness, the Serbians withdrew altogether, and neither country got to appear. To add insult to injury, their place was allotted to the best semi-finalist… Croatia.
Controversy has been a staple of Eurovision, established 50 years ago by the European Broadcasting Union in the spirit of fostering European unity. And while the British treat Eurovision as a joke, for Europe's small nations it is their moment in the sun. After wins for Estonia in 2001, Latvia in 2002 and Ukraine in 2004, tomorrow Armenia arrives on the big stage, and nationalist controversy is already rampant. Neighbouring Azerbaijan is none too happy that Armenian entrant André has listed his place of birth as "Republic of Nagorno Karabakh". An Armenian MP has also complained that the song, containing Turkish words, is not "Armenian enough".
But really, instead of trying to absorb Nagorno, Armenia's government should establish it as a separate state, thereby creating a voting buddy. That's the way Eurovision works: a Cypriot entry could simply walk on stage and belch, and still be sure of 12 votes from the Greeks.
Various research papers have identified patterns of voting blocs, including the Viking, Slavic and Balkan groups and even an impressive-sounding Spanish-Andorran alliance. Lordi, Finland's entry and the contest's first-ever death-metal band, may not do for all tastes, but they can be confident the Swedes will help out, as they did for most of Finland's previous attempts, including Chirpy Chirp, the mysterious Pump Pump and the bizarre, accordion-led reggae interpretation Reggae OK.
Likewise, seven-times winner Ireland can always rely on a generous score from the UK, almost as if it were a clause in the 1921 Treaty. And Germany often favours its eastern neighbours with guilt points (there probably is a German word for it), while everyone in Europe gives generously to Israel's interesting renditions. (No one is exactly sure why Israel is even in Eurovision, save for the suspicion that it would not do well in a Middle Eastovision, least of all with a trans-sexual diva like Dana International.)
So if Eurovision is all about friends, what about Le Royaume-Uni? As with the Common Market and European Football Championships, Britain failed to enter the first Eurovision, which subsequently developed a French feel. Indeed, we have long suspected that the whole thing is a continental carve-up.
Back in 1988, Scott Fitzgerald was way ahead of his Swiss rival with just two votes to go, but failed to get any reward from the Yugoslav or French panels. The following day on radio phone-ins many callers claimed that communist Yugoslavia had favoured neutral Switzerland over Nato Britain, while no explanation was needed for the French decision.
And with ever greater eastern participation, Britain has declined from annual favourite to third-rate mediocrity, the low point coming in 2003 when Jemini's Cry Baby left the UK pointless, although everyone was too busy focusing on Russian teen lesbians Tatu, who finished third behind a Turkish "oriental-style rap" and a Belgian entry sung in an imaginary language (an good way to settle the Flemish-Walloon conflict).
The Belgians could do this because the restriction on singing in a foreign language, designed to protect national culture but in reality a Canute-style Francophone struggle against Americanisation, was dropped in 1999. It worked: Poland was first to break the Old Europe stranglehold by singing in the language of rock and roll, and came second on its debut.
At the other end of the scale, the Swiss had one of their worst results when they performed a number in the country's tiny Rhaeto Romantic tongue.
In retrospect, the greatest tragedy of Eurovision was that it gave the world the "Swiss" representative Celine Dion. (French-Canadian Dion is not the only foreigner to have triumphed: in 1980 and 1987 Ireland won with Australian Johnny Logan, while Estonia's winner was a West Indian who could not speak a word of the language, and remains the only black singer to ever win Eurovision.)
So how can Britain take back the title? Or - a better question - do we in fact want Daz Sampson's Teenage Life to bring the prize back to Blighty? With the expense involved in hosting Eurovision, winning has become something of a white elephant. In one episode of Father Ted, the Irish judges deliberately choose an abysmal dirge by Craggy Island's finest to lose for Ireland.
This trick was strongly rumoured to have actually happened in 1979, when the Spanish judges gave maximum points to main rivals Israel. So do not fear if we are left without friends in Europe; in the long term it will cost us less.
Today's The Day - May 20th
20th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Bernardino of Siena,
St Ethelbert of East Anglia,
St Basilla,
St Austregisilus,
St Baudelius,
and Saints Thalelaeus, Asterius, Alexander, and Others.
History Test for May 20th
What unpopular fiscal policy was declared unconstitutional in the USA today in 1865? -Income tax
Which English footballing hero won the first of his 108 caps today in 1962? -Bobby Moore
Premiered today in 1970, what was the Beatles' last film? -`Let It Be'
Born today in 1946, which singer and actress won an Oscar for her role in `Moonstruck'? -Cher
Born today in 1799, which French novelist - author of 'Comedie Humaine' - always wrote on blue notepaper so as not to hurt his eyes? -Honore de Balzac
Events today...
1191 Richard I 'the Lion Heart' conquered Cyprus from its independent Greek ruler then joined the Crusaders before Acre.
1347 Popular Roman leader Cola di Rienzo, having gained the support of the people against the nobles, attempted to restore Rome as a republic.
1449 Afonso V of Portugal defeated a rebellion by his brother, Peter, who was killed, at Alfarrobeira.
1506 Christopher Columbus, Genoese navigator, died at Valladolid in Spain, virtually penniless, and still believing he had reached Asia. He was 55. The Spanish court still had not paid him the royalties owed him from his discoveries in the New World 14 years earlier. Columbus spent seven years persuading Spain's Queen Isabella I to finance an expedition to search for a westward route to the Orient. Three months after leaving Europe his three ships reached the Bahamas. Columbus sailed back and forth across the Atlantic on three further voyages, none successful. On the third voyage he was returned to Spain in chains for having seven rebellious settlers hanged, and on his last voyage he was marooned on Jamaica for a year. But he was a master mariner: his discovery of favourable winds in both directions opened up the New World to European exploitation.
1506 Death of St Bernardino of Siena.
1509 Death of Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forli.
1588 The Spanish Armada set sail from Lisbon on its mission to conquer the English.
1609 The sonnets of dramatist William Shakespeare were published.
1631 Flemish commander Count Tilly's imperialist army sacked Magdeburg; terrible carnage ensued and the city caught fire, leaving only the cathedral standing.
1726 Death of Nicholas Brady, Anglican clergyman.
1802 France restored slavery and the slave trade in her colonies.
1823 An estimated 100,000 people jammed the Union Course on Long Island to see a horse race with a difference - and a purse of no less than $20,000. Sir Henry, a top Southern horse, was the challenger against American Eclipse, champion horse in the North, over three heats. Sir Henry lost the first heat, won the second - and lost the third. The result caused widespread gloom in the Southern states.
1864 Death of John Clare English poet.
1867 Queen Victoria layed the foundation stone of the Albert Hall in London.
1895 In the USA, income tax was declared unconstitutional.
1896 Death of Clara Schumann, German pianist.
1910 Thousands of people prepared for the world’s end as the Earth passed through the fiery tail of Halley's Comet. In America, "comet pills" had been on sale, claiming to offer protection against the comet's effects, and miners refused to work, not wanting to die underground. Many people stayed at home to meet the end with their families. The comet lit up the night sky, passing its closest to the Earth on this day - 13 million miles away. The comet was first observed in 1682 by the English astronomer Edmond Halley, who predicted it would return every 76 years.
1927 By the treaty of Jeddah, Britain recognised the independence of Saudi Arabia.
1939 In London, approximately 200,000 people attend the first Chelsea Flower Show, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital.
1939 Pan-American Airways began its first commercial flights between the USA and Europe.
1941 British ministerial changes, with Brendan Bracken as Minister of Information and R. A. Butler as President of Board of Education.
1941 German forces invaded Crete.
1944 Nazi officers attempted to assassinate Hitler at a staff meeting.
1946 A bill for nationalisation of British coal mines passed the Commons stage.
1950 The US Senate committee denied Senator Joseph McCarthy's charges of Communist infiltration of the State Department.
1956 Death of British caricaturist and writer Sir Max Beerbohm, author of Zuleika Dobson.
1961 The "king of trains and the train of kings", the once-luxurious Orient Express, set off from Paris on its final journey to Istanbul. From its inauguration in 1883 until World War II stopped the service, the Orient Express was renowned as the epitome of luxury travel. It was used as the background to Graham Greene's Stamboul Train in 1932, and two years later was the setting for one of Agatha Christie's famous murders. Sadly since the route reopened after the war, the standard of service has not been that preferred by kings - and these days, they fly.
1970 The Beatles' film Let It Be was premiered in London.
1975 British sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth was killed by a fire in her St Ives studio.
1979 A 23-year-old British nurse, Helen Smith, was found dead in Jeddah, having apparently fallen six floors from the balcony of a flat. A drinks party was being held there by surgeon Richard Arnot, in breach of Saudi law. There were rumours that the death may not have been accidental.
1987 British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor admitted using rent boys.
1999 Robert Knievel, son of the dare-devil Evel Knievel, Jumped 300 metres over the Grand Canyon, crash landing on the other side.
2000 The Prime Minister’s wife, Cherie Blair gave birth to a baby boy named Leo.
2000 Chelsea beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup Final.
2003 The US went on "high" alert citing possible terrorist attacks at home and in Saudi Arabia, as embassies there shut down.
2003 War crimes prosecutors were given an extra 100 days to build their case against ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
2003 The UK supermarket, ASDA, lost its battle to sell ham under the Parma name when the meat is sliced and pre-packed in Britain.
2003 Shani Rhys James was awarded the £30,000 Jerwood Painting Prize for 2003 at a ceremony in London.
2003 Aston Villa appointed David O'Leary as their new manager on a three-year deal.
2004 The US president met Republican lawmakers amid concern over Iraq, as the US approaches elections.
2004 The Foreign Secretary warned Spain over its refusal to allow cruise ships which have visited Gibraltar to dock in Spanish ports.
2004 Brussels subjected Greece to harsh criticism of its fiscal policy, accusing it of imprudence in managing its budget and its debts.
2004 Two men were charged with using threatening behaviour following a flour bomb attack in the House of Commons.
2004 Railway workers voted to strike in a dispute over pay and pensions.
2004 Fire Service bosses said they had new proposals to resolve a dispute that led to unofficial action.
2004 The former file-sharing pioneer Napster returned to the UK with a paid-for music download service.
2004 Channel 4 pulled a documentary about Bradford social workers after police warn it could increase racial tension.
2004 Bafta-winning UK sitcom The Office failed to get nominated for the Emmys, the US TV equivalent of the Oscars.
2004 New Zealand reached 284-5 after day one of the first Test against England.
2004 Brighton sealed their place in the Division Two play-off final thanks to a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Swindon.
2004 All charges were dropped against three Leicester City players accused of sexual assault in Spain.
2004 France and Brazil drew 0-0 in the Fifa Centenary match at the Stade de France in Paris.
2005 Saddam Hussein was planning to sue after a British newspaper published photos of him half-naked in his prison cell.
2005 Administrators for MG Rover considered offers from five possible buyers and said there was a slim chance that car production could resume at Longbridge.
2005 The final Star Wars film took an estimated $16.5m (£9m) at debut screenings across the US.
2005 West Brom were reported to have offered £2m plus Robert Earnshaw for Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnson.
2005 Everton were set to sign Wales midfielder Simon Davies from Tottenham for £4m.
BIRTHDAYS (for 20 May 2006)
William Thornton, 247 (born 20 May 1759)
American architect who created the Capitol in Washington.
Honore de Balzac, 207 (born 20 May 1799)
French novelist whose life's work was the cycle "La comédie Humaine".
John Stuart Mill, 200 (born 20 May 1806)
English philosopher, economist and social reformer.
William Fargo, 188 (born 20 May 1818)
American co-founder of the freight-carrying company Wells Fargo.
James Stewart, 98 (born 20 May 1908)
American actor whose many films include the Oscar-winning The Philadelphia Story.
Cher, 61 (born 20 May 1945)
American singer and actress.
19.5.06
The Airbus A380
Looking more spacecraft than aircraft, the world's biggest passenger plane touched down in Britain for the first time yesterday.
Despite its massive size - 239 ft long with a 261 ft wingspan - the Airbus A380 landed gently, gracefully and surprisingly quietly.
And the double-decker superjumbo - with British test pilot Ed Strongman at the controls - arrived at Heathrow on the dot of its scheduled 1.20pm arrival time from the Berlin Air Show.
Captain Strongman flew two Union Flags from the open cockpit windows as he taxied to a three- storey terminal building especially adapted to accommodate the plane's massive bulk.
Big crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the £200million plane.
En route from Berlin, Captain Strongman and his crew had taken a leisurely detour to pass over two Airbus UK plants.
The giant jet first filled the skies over Broughton in North Wales, where it wings are made, then went on to Filton in Bristol.
After that, it made a lower than normal descent - 3,000ft rather than 5,000ft - over central London to give onlookers a better view as it approached Heathrow.
Despite comments by some that it looked squat and dumpy, the A380 was instantly declared 'beautiful' by former British Airways chief Concorde pilot Mike Bannister.
See the amazing video footage here
Quiztime Themed Quiz Index
QUIZTIME THEMED QUIZZES
All Links Open In A New Window
More Quiztime Quizzes Added Regularly
In The News - Last Week At A Glance
Friday May 12
Proposals to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives were derailed by the House of Lords.
Nisha Patel-Nasri, 29, a special constable, was stabbed to death after she went in her pyjamas to investigate a disturbance outside her home.
Financial stock markets across the globe were shaken by fears that rising inflation would force up interest rates.
Federal agents raided the home and office of the CIA's outgoing number three in a dramatic deepening of corruption investigations at America's premier spy agency.
Saturday May 13
It emerged that ten thousand crimes are being committed every month by offenders still under the "supervision" of the Probation Service.
Tony Blair accused animal rights extremists of "stooping to appalling depths" after he defended animal testing. For the royal family of staunchly Muslim Brunei, which once prided itself on its discretion, recent allegations of money siphoning proved cataclysmic.
A diary, whose cryptic notes may prove to be the downfall of both the President and the prime minister of France, was found in the home of a former French intelligence officer.
Sunday May 14
Defence sources said that the lives of troops would be put at risk if the Ministry of Defence went ahead with plans to refurbish a fleet of vintage helicopters.
Tony Blair admitted he might have to amend Labour's flagship human rights laws amid growing fears that they had become a criminals' charter.
Fears that Basra is slipping beyond control were fuelled when the governor suspended the city's police chief, who is a strong supporter of British attempts to purge the force of militia elements.
A YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph exposed a widening North-South divide, with the Tories piling up votes in London but not making any significant inroads north of the Trent.
Monday May 15
It was revealed that Florida is in the grip of an alligator scare unprecedented in its history, after a spate of attacks by the reptiles left three women dead in less than a week.
Tony Blair admitted he failed to sort out the criminal justice system during nine years in power and has left the public at risk from violent offenders.
America announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with Libya, declaring the former terror sponsor an "excellent" ally against extremism.
The Environment Agency said water supplies may be reduced to standpipes in the streets this summer as ministers granted the first drought order in England and Wales for 10 years.
Tuesday May 16
Turner Prize judges nominated a self-confessed 'pervy potter' , Rebecca Warren, for the art world's most famous award.
A new generation of nuclear power stations will have to be built to meet energy needs and avoid dependence on foreign imports, Tony Blair told business leaders.
Sir Ian Blair, the beleaguered Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, faced an unprecedented barrage of public criticism from rank-and-file officers in his force, who said they have "no confidence" in him.
Children go hungry in Tanzania despite it being a fertile country that has not suffered badly from drought.
Wednesday May 17
Sir Paul McCartney signalled the end of his four-year marriage to Heather Mills, raising the prospect of Britain's biggest ever divorce payout.
Almost one third of the matches at next month's football World Cup are at high risk of being attacked by terrorists, according to a German police report.
Councils in picturesque rural areas would get a veto over houses being bought up as second homes under proposals made by a Government commission.
The Home Office faced fresh controversy after ministers were accused of accidentally repealing the law which makes it an offence to have a forged passport.
Thursday May 18
Police force mergers in England and Wales will cost up to £600 million to carry out and will 'destroy' Government plans to extend neighbourhood policing, according to a confidential paper.
After six months and 29,100 miles alone at sea, Dee Caffari has become the first woman to sail solo non-stop the "wrong" way round the world.
Two Venezuelans who tortured and murdered a British couple at a remote Spanish villa have each been jailed for more than 50 years.
More than 100 people died as Taliban fighters and Afghan forces clashed in the fiercest fighting since British troops arrived in southern Afghanistan last month.
And...
A Cadbury's chocolate finger found itself in court for not being big enough... Tourists visiting Naples are to receive cheap plastic watches as part of an scheme to protect visitors from "Rolex-snatchers"... The Chinese are learning the intricacies of producing a cup of coffee... A record number of films containing extreme violence and explicit sex are making it onto the big screen without any cuts... A scientist predicted the worst moment of the year for hayfever sufferers... A new treatment for restless legs syndrome was launched... Open top tour buses in Bath may become a thing of the past as a move to restrict them was announced... A man died after being scratched by his cat, an inquest was told… Volunteers who were clearing up litter on the summit of Ben Nevis found a piano inside a stone cairn.… Baked beans on toast is about to become even more convenient... Harry Potter's flying Ford Anglia has touched down... Girls are now more badly behaved than boys - though they're still better than their parents were.
Scribbles
- The Football Association hopes the Team England brand will be boosted at the World Cup - they will be the only team there without a shirt sponsor
- ITV is to screen a series featuring Rio Ferdinand playing tricks on his England team-mates called Rio's World Cup Wind-Ups
- The BBC has scrapped plans for a celebrity pole dancing show after protests from women's groups
- Steve Coogan takes on the persona of an angry ex-roadie for his new BBC2 series
- The Guardian named daily newspaper of the year in the London Press Club Awards
- Google is UK's most-loved brand while Pot Noodle is the most hated
- An email security firm is closing after being victimised by spammers
- Saudi newspapers have been told to stop using pictures of women
- The Carry On franchise is to be resurrected starring Shane Ritchie
- Tom Cruise has failed to prevent an episode of South Park, in which he is locked in a closet, from being shown in this country
- Thief nicks the "R" sign from the Rovers Return on the Coronation Street set
- Rebecca Loos has landed a job as a World Cup TV reporter
- Tottenham Hotspur signs a 34m pound shirt sponsorship deal with Mansion
- Pete Doherty squirts a syringe of his own blood at an MTV camera crew
- Tamzin Outhwaite's medical drama Vital Signs will not run to a second series
- Just one Cornetto - Britain's most popular TV jingle
- Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen has written a sex manual
- Michael Portillo has lost his theatre critic post on the New Statesman to Rosie Millard, former BBC arts correspondent
- ITV1 axes Celebrity Fit Club, It Will Be Alright on the Night and Rosemary and Thyme
- Meanwhile, The Professionals is being brought back
- Pickles, a drama about the dog that found the stolen World Cup trophy in 1966, will appear soon on ITV
- The loathed Radio 4 phone in programme Down the Line is a spoof created by the Fast Show team
And Finally ...
Magician David Blaine has dried himself off after seven days in an aquarium and announced his next stunt: "I'm planning to love harmoniously among wild beasts. And I'd like to do it alone in the jungle." Wouldn't it be just awful if he got gobbled up by a lion?
Eurovision 2006 - Update
The Eurovision Song Contest hopes of 13 countries have ended after the competition's semi-final in Athens.
The biggest shock was the elimination of Belgian singer Kate Ryan, one of the favourites for this year's prize.
But other hotly tipped performers from Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia did make it through.
Finland's masked metal band Lordi will also be in Saturday's final, as will Ireland's Brian Kennedy. The UK did not have to compete in the semi-final.
France, Germany, Spain and the UK automatically qualified for the final as the four largest countries in the event.
Rapper Daz Sampson will represent the UK on Saturday with his song Teenage Life.
Hosts Greece and nine top-scoring nations from last year's contest were also already guaranteed places in the final.
Some 23 countries took part in the semi-final, with just 10 final places up for grabs.
The winners and losers were chosen by a public text and phone vote.
Belfast-born singer Brian Kennedy will represent seven-time Eurovision winners Ireland in the main event.
His semi-final success will come as a relief after the country was unexpectedly knocked out at this stage last year.
Finnish rock band Lordi, whose masks, armour and jets of flame attracted widespread attention before the event, will also repeat their performance on Saturday.
Of the underdogs, Lithuania - whose act comprises six men in suits singing "we are the winners of Eurovision" - were surprise qualifiers for the final.
The other qualifiers from Thursday's semi-final were the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Turkey and Armenia.
But Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, Slovenia, Albania and Andorra were knocked out.
The Netherlands, Poland, Belarus, Bulgaria, Monaco and Portugal were also unsuccessful in the semi-final.
Here are the results of the Semi-Final:
Going Into the Final: IRELAND, SWEDEN, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, FINLAND, RUSSIA, FYR MACEDONIA, LITHUANIA, TURKEY, UKRAINE & ARMENIA.
Out Of The Competition: BULGARIA, SLOVENIA, ANDORRA, BELARUS, ALBANIA, BELGIUM, CYPRUS, MONACO, POLAND, NETHERLANDS, PORTUGAL, ICELAND & ESTONIA.
World Cup Quiz - PDF Compilation
The 2006 World Cup is nearly here.Musical Blockbusters - 5
The First Task is to work out the Artist (Singer or Group).The Initial Letters are all from that artists Greatest Hits.
Can You Work Your Way Across from Left to Right with the Songtitles?
Answers - Highlight Below
Pictograms - 5
18.5.06
Today's The Day - 19th May
19th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Dunstan,
St Pudentiana,
St Peter Celestine,
Saints Calocerus and Parthenius,
St Ivo of Kermartin,
St Crispin of Viterbo,
and St Peter Monone.
History Test for May 19th
Which hero and traveller died today in 1935, six days after a motorcycle crash? -Lawrence of Arabia (T.E. Lawrence)
Born today in 1942, which TV presenter was once a Labour MP? -Robert Kilroy-Silk
Which Oueen of England was beheaded on Tower Hill today in 1536? -Anne Boleyn
First seen today in 1985, which TV drama series features writer and super sleuth Jessica Fletcher? -`Murder, She Wrote'
Born today in 1926, who presented the TV record review programme `Juke Box Jury' in the sixties? -David Jacobs
Events today...
1312 After a fortnight's siege at Scarborough Castle in Yorkshire, Piers Gaveston, favourite of King Edward II, was taken prisoner.
1536 Anne Boleyn, English King Henry VIII's second wife, was beheaded in London. She was 29. She had been charged with incest with her brother and four counts of adultery, but her real crimes were to let the king tire of her, and to fail to bear him a male heir. She gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, soon after they were married in 1533. Earlier in 1536 Henry had her arrested after the stillbirth of a boy. He had meanwhile become infatuated with Anne's lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour, and with Anne out of the way, an immediate marriage was planned. Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, died in January. When she failed to bear him a son he tried to have the marriage annulled, and when Pope Clement VII refused Henry broke with the Roman church so that he could marry Anne. In fact they had already married in secret.
1585 English shipping in Spanish ports was confiscated as a reprisal for depredations across the Line; this served as a declaration of war on England.
1643 The Confederation of New England was formed by Connecticut, New Haven, Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay.
1649 England was declared a Commonwealth by the Rump Parliament.
1662 The Act of Uniformity gave consent to the revised English Prayer Book and denied the right to take up arms against the king; Presbyterianism in the Church was destroyed and many ministers who did not confirm were ejected. A Licensing Act forbade imports of literature contrary to Christian faith.
1795 James Boswell, biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson, died at the age of 54.
1802 Napoleon instituted the title Legion d'honneur, which would be the highest honour awarded for civil and military distinction.
1864 Death of Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer.
1898 British statesman William Ewart Gladstone, elected Liberal prime minister four times, died aged 88.
1900 The 169 islands collectively known as the Kingdom of Tonga, or the Friendly Islands, become a British protectorate.
1906 The 12-mile (19 km) Simplon Tunnel linking Italy and Switzerland through the Alps was officially opened.
1930 White women were enfranchised in South Africa.
1935 Retired hero T. E. Lawrence died, five days after sustaining a fractured skull in a road accident. He was racing his motorcycle down a Dorset lane when he swerved to avoid two boys on bicycles and crashed. He never regained consciousness. During World War I Lawrence of Arabia won popular fame as the dashing young intelligence officer who led the Arabs in a guerrilla war against the Turks and finally captured Damascus. In 1922 he dropped from sight, changing his name to Shaw and joining the Tank Corps and then the RAF. Lawrence unsuccessfully championed the Arab cause at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Though his friend Sharif Hussein of Mecca had fought for Arab independence and was backed by Britain, the Arab lands emerged as British and French colonies. Maybe this was what Lawrence meant when he told Irish writer W. B. Yeats: "I was an Irish nobody. I did something. It was a failure. And I became an Irish nobody again." Lawrence refused to publish his book on Arabia, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, in his lifetime. It was later published posthumously.
1954 Death of American experimental composer Charles Ives.
1964 The USA complained to Moscow about microphones concealed in its Moscow embassy.
1971 Death of American humorist Ogden Nash.
1980 At least 15 people were killed when a long-dormant volcano in the US exploded. About 900 people were evacuated when Mt. St Helens in south-western Washington State started smoking a few weeks earlier, but geologists did not expect the sudden violence of this eruption, which started fires, mudslides and floods in areas thought to be safe. About 120 square miles (310 sq km) were devastated. The volcano sent up a huge column of smoke and ash, darkening the sky 100 miles (160 km) away.
1982 The Italian actress Sophia Loren was jailed for tax evasion. She would spend a month in a women's prison near Naples. Loren, 47, had not paid £2500 ($4600) in tax in 1970 - "through a little error", she said. She also had to pay a large fine.
1984 Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, gentle social satirist, died aged 78.
1991 Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space, blasted off with two Soviet cosmonauts for a rendezvous with the Soviet Mir space station.
2003 At least three people died in a suicide bombing at a shopping mall in Afula, northern Israel - the fifth in three days.
2003 The Algerian army denied reports that more European tourists have been released from captivity in the Sahara.
2003 Europe's biggest drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline suffered a historic defeat when shareholders voted against directors' pay packages.
2003 The world's first penny lottery was among games announced by Camelot to raise £750m towards a London Olympics.
2003 Turkish author Orhan Pamuk won the £71,000 Impac literary award for his novel "My Name Is Red".
2004 The US military disputed reports of an air strike against a wedding party in western Iraq that left dozens dead.
2004 The Indian president invited Manmohan Singh to be the next prime minister after Sonia Gandhi turned down the post.
2004 The Swiss air traffic control firm Skyguide apologised for errors which led to a mid-air collision two years earlier.
2004 The European Commission approved one variety of genetically modified corn for human consumption.
2004 Valencia won the Uefa Cup with a goal either side of half-time in Gothenburg.
2004 A major review of security was under way after a condom full of purple flour was thrown at Tony Blair as he faced MPs in the House of Commons.
2004 Firefighters in Greater Manchester were to be balloted on strike action, after unofficial action spread across the UK.
2004 A security guard from south Wales was shot dead while travelling on a road in northern Iraq.
2004 Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's personal papers fetched £948,000 at auction.
2004 UK TV journalist Martin Bashir was hired by US TV's ABC News as a correspondent for its 20/20 news show.
2004 Businessman Sir Alan Sugar was to star in the UK version of hit reality TV show The Apprentice.
2004 A late Rob Edwards goal sent Huddersfield into the Division Three play-off final.
2005 British scientists said they had successfully cloned a human embryo - the country's first.
2005 The prime minister was treated in hospital for a slipped disc.
2005 Copies of the final Star Wars film appeared on an internet file-sharing network hours after it went on release.
2005 Preston North End booked their place in the Championship play-off final after drawing at Derby.
2005 Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood claimed Ashley Cole wanted his salary tripled to stay with the club.
BIRTHDAYS (for 19 May 2006)
Dame Nellie Melba, 158 (born 19 May 1848)
Australian operatic singer of world renown
William Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount, 127 (born 19 May 1879)
English politician and proprietor of the Observer.
Ho Chi Minh, 116 (born 19 May 1890)
North Vietnamese revolutionary leader.
Malcolm X (Malcolm Little), 81 (born 19 May 1925)
American Black Muslim leader.
Edward de Bono, 73 (born 19 May 1933)
British doctor who developed the concept of lateral thinking.
Robert Kilroy-Silk, 64 (born 19 May 1942)
Ex-politician and TV host
Pete Townshend, 61 (born 19 May 1945)
British guitarist with pop group The Who.
Grace Jones, 54 (born 19 May 1952)
Singer
Victoria Wood, 53 (born 19 May 1953)
Comedienne
Yazz, 43 (born 19 May 1963)
Singer
Eurovision Picture Quiz
Click to enlarge QuizAnswers - Highlight Below
ARTIST / SONG TITLE / YEAR
1. Bucks Fizz / Making your mind up / 1981
2. Sonia / Better the devil you know / 1993
3. Michael Ball / One step out of time / 1992
4. Katrina and the waves / Love shine a light / 1997
5. Brotherhood of man / Save your kisses for me / 1976
6. Samantha Janus / A message to your heart / 1991
7. Jemini / Cry baby / 2003
8. Black lace / Mary Ann / 1979
9. Olivia Newton John / Long live love / 1974
10. Gina G / Ooh Aah just a little bit / 1996
11. Jessica Garlick / Come back / 2002
12. Clodagh Rogers / Jack in the box / 1971
13. Cliff Richard / Congratulations / 1968
14. Matt Munro / I love the little things / 1964
15. Lulu / Boom bang a bang / 1969
Eurovision Songs Quiz
EUROVISION
I WILL GIVE YOU THE YEAR, THE ARTIST & THE PLACE IT FINISHED...
THE ANSWER IS THE SONG TITLE - Highlight for Answers
• 1968 - CLIFF RICHARD -2ND - CONGRATULATIONS
• 1970 - DANA - 1ST – ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING
• 1996 – GINA G - 7TH – OOH AAH JUST A LITTLE BIT
• 1981- BUCK’S FIZZ - 1ST - MAKING YOUR MIND UP
• 1977 – LYNDSEY DE PAUL & MIKE MORAN - 2ND – ROCK BOTTOM
• 1997 - KATRINA & THE WAVES - 1ST – LOVE SHINES A LIGHT
• 1969 - LULU -1ST – BOOM BANG A BANG
• 2002 - JESSICA GARLIC- 3RD – COME BACK
• 1974 - OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN -2ND – LONG LIVE LOVE
• 1973 - CLIFF RICHARD -3RD – POWER TO ALL OUR FRIENDS
• 1976 - BROTHERHOOD OF MAN- 1ST – SAVE ALL YOUR KISSES FOR ME
• 1971 - CLODAGH RODGERS- 4TH – JACK IN THE BOX
• 1974 - ABBA -1ST – WATERLOO
• 1980 - JOHNNY LOGAN -1ST – WHAT’S ANOTHER YEAR
• 1993 – SONIA- 2ND – BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
Quiztime Mexico Quiz
1. Mexico City is built on the ruins of the capital of which empire?
The Aztec Empire
2. What is Mexico’s national dish of beef and beans called?
Chilli con Carne
3. What was the name of the fort where, in 1836, a force of 180 hold out for 11 days against 6,000 Mexican troops?
The Alamo
4. In which two years were the football World Cup Finals last held in Mexico?
1970 & 1986 - the first to host the football World cup twice / Were banned from taking part in the 1990 World Cup
5. Which river forms the border between Mexico and the USA (Texas)?
Rio Grande / Rio Bravo del Norte
6. Which small dog derives it's name from a town in Mexico?
Chihauhau
7. True or False - Mexico once had three Presidents in one day?
True
8. Which Elvis Presley film was set in Mexico?
Fun In Acapulco
9. Which alcoholic drink is named after a town near Guadalajara in Mexico and made from the Agave cactus?
Tequila
10. Name the cartoon character who was ‘the fastest mouse in all Mexico'?
Speedy Gonzales - slowest was Slowpoke Rodriquez
11. What name is given to a thin Mexican pancake?
Tortilla
12. Which Mexico town on the Pacific coast, is best known for its cliff divers?
Acapulco - known as the 'Latin Riviera'
13. Which two animals are shown on the flag of Mexico?
Eagle & Snake
14. What nationality was Maximilian, the Emperor of Mexico, who was executed in l867?
Austrian (Austrian archduke who became ruler of Mexico in 1864 with the support of the French under Napoleon III and, following their withdrawal, was captured and executed near Queretaro in 1867)
15. Mexico is the worlds largest producer of which precious metal?
Silver
16. What Is The Mexican Dish Consisting Of A Tortilla Filled With Meat Or Cheese, Served In A Chili Sauce?
Enchilada
17. Which town on the American / Mexico border was immortalised by Marty Robbins on a 1959 million-selling hit record that won a Grammy Award?
El Paso
18. Daracuitin, El Chichon, and Junuilo in Mexico are what geographical feature?
Volcanoes
19. In which film does Marlon Brando become president of Mexico?
Viva Zapata
20. What is the Mexican name of the blanket with a hole in it that is worn as a cloak?
Poncho
21. Which hot pepper sauce is named after a state in Mexico?
Tabasco
22. Which US state declared itself independent of Mexico in 1835?
Texas - Mexico engaged in war against the United States between 1846-9
23. How many teams are relegated after a complete season in the Mexican league, 0,1,2 or 3?
One
24. Which Mexican plant is called the Flower of the Holy Night?
Poinsettia
25. What is Mexico's largest seaside resort?
Cancun
26. In Mexico what name is given to a fried stuffed pancake?
A Taco
27. Which Russian revolutionary leader was exiled by Stalin and murdered in Mexico?
Leon Trotsky - killed with an Ice Pick in 1940
28. Name the mountain ranges that are southern extensions of the Rocky Mountains and which border the Mexican plateau?
Sierra Madre
29. What is the red food colouring made from small Mexican beetles?
Cochineal
30. In which year were the Summer Olympics held in Mexico City?
1968 - XIX Olympiad
31. Which is the largest and most powerful feline found natively in Central America?
Jaguar
32. Who or what is “The Mexican” in the 2001 film starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts?
Antique Pistol
33. What is the national flower of Mexico?
Dahlia
34. Name the city and major seaport, located on the Gulf of Mexico, that was founded in 1519 by Hernan Cortes?
Vera Cruz
35. What was significant about the 1992 Mexican Grand Prix, last one to be held in country, the president waved the chequered flag or a donkey was spotted on the track during practice?
Last one in Mexico
36. What is the main ingredient of the Mexican beer Pulque?
Cactus
37. Which female singer was killed by a speedboat in Mexico in 2000?
Kirsty MacColl
38. Which five American states are situated on the Gulf of Mexico?
Texas, Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida
39. 'Esto' and 'La Prensa' in Mexico are what - Railway Companies, Daily Newspapers or TV Channels?
Daily Newspapers
40. Who, in song, lived high on a mountain in Mexico?
Angelo - Brotherhood Of Man
- The "chupacabra" is a legendary creature said to kill animals in Puerto Rico and Mexico. What is the English name for this creature?
Goat Sucker
- What is the name all Mexican wrestlers are labelled with?
Lucha Libre
- Against who did England gain their first victory at the 1966 World Cup?
Mexico
- In Mexico it is illegal for the police to sell what - Their Uniforms, Their Guns or Their Radios?
Their Guns
Mexican Call My Bluff
1. Zapote - a) A Tropical Tree, b) A Curved Knife or c) A Toilet?
a) A Tropical Tree & its fruit
2. Nopal - a) A Cat, b) A Donkey Cart or c) An Edible Cactus?
c) An Edible Cactus
3. Guajolote - a) A Village Hut, b) A Turkey or c) A Small Child?
b) A Turkey
4. Jitomate - a) A Type Of Tomato, b) A Cage Made From Sticks or c) A Flying Beetle?
a) A Type Of Tomato
5. Tecolote - a) A Thief, b) A Wooden Coffee Cup or c) A Type Of Owl?
c) A Type Of Owl (Zopilote is a Vulture)
Tiebreaker - How many people are estimated to have been killed in Mexico by the 1985 Earthquake?
20,000
Captain Cook's Endeavour found off coast of America
The ship in which Captain James Cook claimed Australia for the British crown is resting at the bottom of an American harbour, archaeologists said yesterday.
The Endeavour ended her days as part of the British war effort against rebellious American colonists in Newport, Rhode Island.
Marine archaeologists say the ship was renamed the Lord Sandwich and pressed into service during the successful defence of the town against the French in 1778. Endeavour was one of 13 vessels scuttled in the harbour entrance to keep the French at bay.
"The Lord Sandwich was the Endeavour and she was in the fleet of 13," Kathy Abbass, the project director, said after research at the Public Record Office in Kew.
Coincidentally, another of Capt Cook's famed vessels, the Resolution, also sank in Newport a few years after the Endeavour. That vessel's remains are now resting under a block of flats. But the Endeavour is still under water, about 300ft from the shoreline and about 20ft below the surface.
Mrs Abbass said that researchers had used a mixture of documentary and high-tech research including sonar to find six of the ships.
Further work is expected to reveal the other seven sunken ships. Excavation will begin so that the Endeavour can be identified and explored. Mrs Abbass said the upper parts of the ships had rotted away but the keels had been preserved in the silt of the harbour.
"What we have is ballast piles pinning down the remains of the vessels," she said.
"We could find textiles, leather and wood from the bottom of the ship."
The archaeologists said excavation would be a slow and expensive process because the risk of damaging the ship's fragile remains was high.
Endeavour, a 105ft converted collier, was chosen by Cook for his first circumnavigation of the world in 1768 and taken into the Royal Navy. Proud of his first command and her robust sailing qualities, the young Lt Cook remarked that "no sea can hurt her". The barque proved to be tough, eventually becoming the first British vessel to reach New Zealand in 1769 and Australia in 1770 - but by 1776 the Admiralty had no further use for the 370-ton vessel, and she was sold back into merchant service.
Renamed Lord Sandwich, the ship was used to transport Hessian mercenaries to America at the start of the Revolution. It was later converted to a prison ship and used to hold prominent American rebels.
By 1778, as the Americans and their French allies planned to attack Newport, its British defenders began to fear that the deep water channel nearby provided the French navy with a means to bombard the town, so the mass scuttling followed.
About 15 years later Resolution, renamed La Liberte, limped into Newport harbour in dire condition.
Unable to sail, she fell into ever greater disrepair and eventually sank. Hearing of the Cook connection, many local people chipped off pieces of wood and even the stern post as relics.
Many were mistakenly sold on as having come from the Endeavour.
The interest of enthusiastic souvenir seekers has continued through the centuries. A few years ago, amateur divers began to explore the wrecks and did serious harm to some of the wooden remains.
17.5.06
Today's The Day - May 18th
18th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Elgiva,
St John I, pope,
St Eric, King of Sweden,
St Eelix of Cantalicio,
St Potamon,
and Saints Theodotus and Thecusa.
History Test for May 18th
The foundation stone of which British financial institution was laid today in 1801? -The Stock Exchange
Born today in 1912 which singer had a UK Number One hit in 1958 with 'Magic Moments'? -Perry Como
Which Nobel Prize-winning philosopher, peer and pacifist was born today in 1872? -Bertrand Russell
Today in 1927, Norma Talmadge became the first celebrity to take part in an impressive Hollywood tradition. What was she required to do? -Preserve her hands and foot prints in cement outside Mann's Chinese Theatre
Born today in 1919, which ballerina received a record 89 curtain calls after a performance of 'Swan Lake' in 1964? -Dame Margot Fonteyn
Events today...
1302 A French garrison was massacred in the `Matins of Bruges', when the Flemings revolted against the French occupation.
1652 Slavery was banned in Rhode Island.
1692 Death of Elias Ashmole, English antiquarian.
1764 The British Parliament amended the Sugar Act from a commercial to a fiscal measure, to tax American colonists.
1799 Death of Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright.
1803 Britain abandoned the Treaty of Amiens, which was signed only the year before, and declared war on France.
1803 Death of Johann Gottfried von Herder, German critic and poet.
1878 Colombia granted a French company a nine-year concession to build the Panama Canal.
1900 Tonga became a British protectorate.
1909 Death of English poet and novelist George Meredith.
1911 Death of Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer.
1935 Death of Paul Dukas, French composer.
1936 An army revolt under Emilio Mola and Francisco Franco began the Spanish Civil War.
1940 At Japan's request Britain prohibited the passage of war materials for China passing through Burma.
1941 Death of Werner Sornban, German economist.
1944 Monte Cassino, Italy, was taken by Allied forces.
1954 The European convention on Human Rights came into effect.
1975 Unstoppable Japanese climber Junko Tabei was the first woman to reach the summit of the world's highest peak, the treacherous 29,078ft Mount Everest in Nepal.
1980 Mount St Helens, USA, erupted for the first time since 1857, devastating an area of 600 sq km/230 sq miles.
1987 Iraqi Exocet missiles hit the US naval frigate Stark, killing 26 - Baghdad said it was an accident.
1997 At a Press Conference held at Old Trafford, it was announced that Frenchman Eric Cantona had quit football; retiring at the age of 31.
2003 The army closed Israel's borders with Gaza and the West Bank, in response to the latest suicide attacks in Jerusalem.
2003 Indonesia's president put the Aceh province under military rule after peace talks with separatist rebels fail.
2003 Pope John Paul II marked his 83rd birthday with a ceremony in Rome, which included the creation of four new saints.
2003 Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt claimed victory for his governing Liberal-Socialist coalition in the general elections.
2003 Soul singer Barry White suffered a stroke while awaiting a kidney transplant.
2003 Michael Schumacher insisted he was not worried by the pit-stop fuel fire that briefly interrupted his victory charge in Austria.
2004 India's Congress party leader said she would not become prime minister, despite her surprise election win.
2004 London was chosen to go up against Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow in the battle for the 2012 Olympics.
2004 Crimean Tatars marked the 60th anniversary of their mass deportation by Stalin during World War II.
2004 Seven men were charged with robbery and firearms offences following a failed armed robbery at Heathrow Airport.
2004 Artwork inspired by Osama Bin Laden was one of the pieces nominated for the Turner Prize.
2004 Michael Moore's controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 was tipped to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
2004 West Ham were to face Crystal Palace in the First Division play-off final after beating Ipswich 2-0.
2004 Leeds turned down two bids from Manchester United for striker Alan Smith.
2004 Former Danish player Frank Arnesen was to be Tottenham's new director of football.
2005 It was anounced that singer Kylie Minogue was to begin treatment for breast cancer amid an outpouring of support.
2005 Bobby Zamora scored twice to send West Ham into the Championship play-off final.
2005 CSKA Moscow came from behind to beat favourites Sporting Lisbon to win the UEFA Cup.
BIRTHDAYS (for 18 May 2006)
Nicholas II, 138 (born 18 May 1868)
Russian tsar who was forced to abdicate at the beginning of the revolution and was subsequently executed.
Bertrand Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, 134 (born 18 May 1872)
British philosopher, mathematician and pacifist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, who claimed that "longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for mankind" were the ruling passions of his life.
Frank Capra , 109 (born 18 May 1897)
Italian-American director whose films include the Oscar-winning It Happened One Night and You Can't Take It With You.
Perry Como, 94 (born 18 May 1912)
Legendary Crooner
Dame Margot Fonteyn, 87 (born 18 May 1919)
British ballerina whose most famous performances were in partnership with Rudolph Nuryev.
Pope John Paul II, 86 (born 18 May 1920)
Died 2005.
Nobby Stiles, 64 (born 18 May 1942)
Former England footballer and member of the cup-winning side in 1966
Reggie Jackson, 60 (born 18 May 1946)
baseball player.
Rick Wakeman , 57 (born 18 May 1949)
British pop musician.
Toyah Willcox, 48 (born 18 May 1958)
Singer and actress
Holly Aird, 37 (born 18 May 1969)
Actress
Gamers to help create web record
A website that aims to record the history of videogame innovation is calling on games fanatics for help.
The Game Innovation Database (GIDb), as the website is known, has been developed by a team at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University.
The online encyclopaedia is similar to Wikipedia and allows users to browse and edit the site's content.
The developers hope that games fanatics can start to build a complete picture of the last 35 years of games history.
Difficult questions
When complete, the team behind the site believe it will be the first complete online record of a rapidly changing industry and a useful resource for those who don't know their Pong from their Pac-man.
"We have created the Game Innovation Database in order to create a historical record of which innovations appeared when, and why they are important," said Professor Jesse Schell of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center, and one of the team behind the site.
This database will be able to serve as a historical record and a teaching tool Professor Jesse Schell
"So many videogame innovations have occurred so fast that there is a danger that many fascinating and important innovations will be forgotten."
The website currently has nearly 400 entries that describe the first appearance of a new experience in a videogame or feature on a games machine.
Entries range from when barrels and crates were first used as obstacles in games to the arrival of the first hard drive in a games console.
The site also has a section where users can "ask and solve life's most difficult questions" such as which game had the first jump button.
Game custodians
As well as providing a quick fix for games trivia fans, the site also hopes to be used as a serious tool for those people developing the next generation of video games.
"This database will be able to serve as a historical record and a teaching tool, as well as a helpful resource for designers who want to study what has come before," said Professor Schell.
The team are now appealing to games fans to get involved with the site by contributing entries or correcting errors.
Users with a strong interest in the development of gaming can also apply to the site's editorial board.
If accepted, they will act as custodians of computer games history and will be expected to know that Donkey Kong was the first game with that all important red button.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/4986688.stm
On This Day - 17th May 1943: RAF raid smashes German dams
An audacious RAF bombing raid into the industrial heartland of Germany last night has wrecked three dams serving the Ruhr valley.
The attack disrupted water and electricity supplies in a key area for the manufacture of Germany's war munitions.
The Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, called the raid "a trenchant blow for victory".
The mission, known as Operation Chastise, has been planned for months.
The crews were specially selected for the job, and have been training in absolute secrecy.
The bombs themselves were invented specifically for the task by the aircraft engineer Dr Barnes Wallis, the designer of the Wellington bomber.
They were barrel-shaped, and used the principle of a "ducks and drakes" stone bouncing on the water to bypass the defences around the dams.
The Lancaster bombers flown by 617 Squadron were extensively modified, and the crews trained to fly at less than 100ft (30.48m) above the water, the height required to drop the bombs successfully.
The mission began yesterday evening, under the command of Wing Commander Guy Gibson.
The targets were three huge water barrage dams - two on the rivers Möhne and Sorpe, and a third on the River Eder.
The Möhne and Sorpe dams control about 70% of the water supplied to the Ruhr basin, and were built to prevent water shortages during the summer.
Wing Commander Gibson led the attack on the Möhne dam personally.
A flight lieutenant who watched what happened at the Möhne dam described the scene:
"The wing commander's load was placed just right and a spout of water went up 300 feet (91.44m) into the air," he said.
"A second Lancaster attacked with equal accuracy, and there was still no sign of a breach.
"Then I went in and we caused a huge explosion up against the dam. It was not until another load had been dropped that the dam at last broke.
"I saw the first jet very clear in the moonlight. I should say that the breach was about 50 yards (45.72m) wide."
The Eder dam - the largest in Europe - was also breached in two places.
Reconnaissance flights showed flood waters sweeping through the Ruhr valley, damaging factories, houses and power stations.
The power station at the Möhne dam has been swept away, rivers are in full flood, and railway and road bridges have disappeared.
In Context
The mission became popularly known as the Dambusters raid, and was immortalised in a 1954 war film.
It was one of the most famous air operations of World War II.
Casualties for the raid were high.
Eight of the original 19 Lancaster bombers were damaged or shot down, and of the 133 aircrew, 53 were killed and three captured.
On the ground, too, almost 1,300 people were killed, including 749 Ukrainian prisoners of war based in a camp just below the Eder dam.
The Möhne and Eder reservoirs poured about 330 million tons of water into the western Ruhr valley. The flood waters spread for about 50 miles (80km) from the source.
The spectacular, daring nature of the raid was a significant boost to British morale.
But militarily, it was a failure. The squadron failed to breach the Sorpe dam; and the disruption to the German war production was minimal. Water supply in the Ruhr valley was back to original levels six weeks later.
The aircrew, however, became famous as war heroes, and the leader of the raid, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, was awarded the Victoria Cross.
He died less than 18 months later, shot down at the age of 26 in September 1944.
16.5.06
Today's The Day - 17th May
17th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Madron,
St Paschal Baylon,
and St Bruno of Wünburg.
History Test for May 17th
Which famous London fast-food restaurant was opened with a star-studded party today in 1993? -Planet Hollywood
Born today in 1961, which singer topped the UK pop charts with `Orinoco Flow'? -Enya
Born today in 1935, which English dramatist wrote `The Singing Detective' and `Lipstick On Your Collar'? -Dennis Potter
Name the organiser of the world's first package holiday, which set off today in 1861. -Thomas Cook
Comedian Arthur Lucan died today in 1954. What was the name of his popular character? -Old Mother Riley
QUOTE
"Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down." - Robert Frost, American poet, in a speech at the Milton Academy today, 1935.
Events today...
1215 The English barons in revolt against King John took possession of London.
1510 The great Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli died in his native Florence aged 65. Botticelli had hardly painted in recent years, and lived in poverty. He was at the height of his career when the downfall of his Medici patrons in 1494 brought disaster, in the shape of the Black Friar, Girolamo Savonarola. The Black Friar preached that art was immoral, and also accused Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci of sodomy. After they were acquitted Leonardo left Florence, but Botticelli stayed, and suffered. Botticelli was the foremost of a new wave of Italian artists. He was only 25 when he was noticed by Lorenzo de'Medici, under whose patronage he did some of his finest work, including The Birth of Venus. He was taught by master of perspective Fra Filippo Lippi and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio.
1527 Archbishop Warham began a secret inquiry at Greenwich into Henry VIII's marriage with Catherine of Aragon, the first step in divorce proceedings.
1536 Archbishop Cranmer declared Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn invalid; she was executed on the 19th.
1575 Death of Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury.
1729 Death of Samuel Clarke, English philosopher.
1742 Frederick II defeated the Austrians at Chotusitz.
1838 Death of Charles de Talleyrand-Perigord, French politician.
1861 The first colour photograph was exhibited at the Royal Institution in London.
1885 Germany annexed Northern New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago.
1890 Comic Cuts, the first weekly comic paper, was published in London by Arthur Harmsworth.
1900 Extraordinary scenes of rejoicing swept across Britain as a cable from South Africa brought news that the 217-day siege of the British garrison at Mafeking had been broken. London's streets filled with huge crowds of revellers as the tide turned in the Boer War following a humiliating string of defeats for the British forces. Reinforcements under Lord Roberts attacked the Boers from two sides, overwhelming the besieging army. Hero of the day was cavalry officer Colonel Robert Baden-Powell, the British commander in Mafeking. His unwielding defence tied down thousands of Boer troops and he has captured the British imagination.
1934 Death of Cass Gilbert, US architect.
1935 Death of Paul Dukas, French composer, teacher and critic, best-known for his orchestral scherzo The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
1939 Sweden, Norway and Finland rejected Germany's offer of non-aggression pacts, but Denmark, Estonia and Latvia accepted.
1960 The Kariba Dam, Rhodesia, was opened.
1962 Hong Kong put up its own "Berlin wall" to keep out Chinese migrants.
1964 Bob Dylan made his first major London appearance at the Albert Hall.
1969 Dubliner Tom McClean set off from Newfoundland to Blacksod Bay in County Mayo, Ireland, becoming the first person to make a transatlantic crossing in a rowing boat.
1973 America watched in fascination as televised Senate hearings on the Watergate affair opened on this day. Senator Sam J. Irvin, Democrat of North Carolina, virtually accused the Watergate burglars of trying to steal America's "right to vote in a free election" when he opened public sessions of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. White House denials that President Richard M. Nixon's administration knew about the break-in at Democratic Party headquarters eleven moths beforehand, had worn thin as the scandal unfolded. A week earlier senior Nixon aides John Mitchell and Maurice Stans were indicted for perjury. The first witness testified that Nixon's re-election campaign leader, had hidden vital papers within hours of the burglary.
1978 Charlie Chaplin's coffin was found 10 miles (16 km) from the Swiss cemetery from which it was stolen on March 2.
1989 The communist government of Czechoslovakia freed dissident playwright Vaclav Havel after only three months of a nine-month jail term.
1990 US speech researchers said they had proof that three of Winston Churchill's most famous wartime speeches were recorded by an actor. They were the promise to the nation of nothing but "blood, toil, tears and sweat", the Dunkirk rallying call "We shall fight on the beaches, in the fields, in the streets and in the hills", and the "finest hour" speech predicting the Battle of Britain. Churchill made the speeches himself in parliament, but the famous words broadcast to the public and sent to the US to rally war support were recorded in the BBC studios. Actor Norman Shelley long ago claimed he had done the job because "Churchill was too busy". This was later confirmed by a BBC archivist. Researchers at Sensimetrics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, tested Churchill's speeches with a computerised system they developed for verifying tapes used as court evidence - and said the speeches in question were "quite different" to Churchill's.
2003 Security was tightened after suicide bombers killed at least 41 people in Casablanca, Morocco's commercial capital.
2003 Israeli and Palestinian leaders held landmark talks after a suicide bomber killed two Jewish settlers in Hebron.
2003 Thousands of people gathered for the state funeral of Walter Sisulu, a hero of the anti-apartheid struggle, in Soweto.
2003 A coach carrying German tourists crashed on a motorway in southern France, killing at least 28 people.
2003 Thousands of people at Portsmouth docks welcomed the aircraft carrier Ark Royal home from the Gulf.
2003 Robert Pires was the match-winner as Arsenal beat Southampton 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
2003 Wasps overcame Northampton 19-10 to reach the Zurich Premiership play-off final against Gloucester.
2004 Two lesbians were among the first same-sex couples to get married in the US state of Massachusetts.
2004 Tony Blair insists there would be no 'quick exit' from Iraq as he condemned the killing of the head of the country's governing council.
2004 Police said they had thwarted an attempt to steal £80m worth of gold bullion and cash from a Heathrow warehouse.
2004 A man was arrested for allegedly impersonating a police officer at Windsor Castle.
2004 Madonna confirms a Manchester date the following August - her first since playing the Hacienda 20 years earlier.
2004 Ten-man Crystal Palace went through to the play-off final after a sudden death shoot-out win over Sunderland.
2004 Sir Clive Woodward rested Will Greenwood, Ben Kay and Jason Robinson from England's tour Down Under.
2004 Ledley King, Jamie Carragher and Joe Cole were included in England's 23-man squad for Euro 2004.
2004 FIFA confirmed a revamped Club World Championship was to be held in Tokyo from December the following year.
2005 UK MP George Galloway went on the offensive at a senate hearing over accusations that he profited from Iraq oil.
2005 A British man accused of urging Muslims to wage a holy war faced extradition to the US after a court ruling.
2005 Messages of support poured in for Kylie Minogue, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
BIRTHDAYS (for 17 May 2006)
Erik Satie, 140 (born 17 May 1866)
French composer famed for his eccentricities and for the nonsensical titles he gave to his compositions.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, 106 (born 17 May 1900)
Iranian religious leader.
Maureen O'Sullivan, 95 (born 17 May 1911)
Irish actress who played Jane in six Tarzan movies.
Birgit Nilsson, 88 (born 17 May 1918)
Swedish operatic soprano best-known for her roles as Brunnhilde, Turandot, Salome and Elektra.
Dennis Hopper, 70 (born 17 May 1936)
American actor and director who first came to prominence with Peter Fonda in Easy Rider.
Grace Jones, 51 (born 17 May 1955)
Jamaican-born model turned pop singer with a menacingly decadent and androgynous image.
Sugar Ray Leonard, 50 (born 17 May 1956)
American boxer who has won world champion welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight titles.
Enya, 45 (born 17 May 1961)
Singer
Vernie Bennett, 35 (born 17 May 1971)
Singer with `Eternal'
Today's The Day - May 16th
16th May 2006
Religious events today...
Feast Day of St Brendan the Navigator,
St Carantoc,
St Peregrine of Auxerre,
St Simon Stock,
St Domnolus of Le Mans,
St Honocatus of Amiens,
St Germerius,
St John Nepomucen,
St Possidius,
and St Ubaldus of Gubbio.
History Test for May 16th
Which famous showbiz awards were first presented today in 1929? -The Oscars
Born today in 1919, which flamboyant entertainer started his career as Walter Busterkeys? -Liberace
Kim Carnes reached Number One in the American pop charts today in 1981 with a song about which Hollywood legend? -Bette Davis
Born today in 1966, who released an LP called 'Rhythm Nation'? -Janet Jackson
Born today in 1955, which popular Soviet gymnast won gold medals at the 1972 Olympics? -Olga Korbut
QUOTE
"Men are not in any sense irreplaceable, except in one's private life." - Edith Cresson, who became France's first woman prime minister today, 1991.
Events today...
1152 Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine.
1164 Death of Peter the Lombard, Bishop of Paris.
1203 Baldwin Count of Flanders, was crowned Latin Emperor of Constantinople.
1220 Henry II laid the foundation stone of a new Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, thus beginning the new abbey-church (1245).
1703 Death of the French writer of fairytales Charles Perrault, whose collection Conte de ma mére l'Oye was translated into English as Tales of Mother Goose.
1770 The Dauphin of France (later Louis XVI) married Marie Antoinette, daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
1804 Napoleon was declared Emperor.
1811 The US warship President attacked a British sloop.
1862 Death of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, British colonial politician.
1866 Root beer was first made by C.E. Hires.
1875 A large crowd watched jockey Oliver Lewis ride Aristides to victory in the maiden event of a prestigious new annual race, the Kentucky Derby, held at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The organisers intended the Derby to be one of the premiere Thoroughbred races of the American season, along with the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Maryland, already in its third year, and the Belmont Stakes at Jerome Park, New York, running since 1867. Horse-racing, the ancient sport of kings, was now the most popular spectator sport in America, with big prizes in the Thoroughbred stakes.
1888 Emile Berliner gave the first demonstration of a flat recording disc to members of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
1892 Death of Edward Augustus Freeman, English historian.
1907 The Pact of Cartagena was declared between Britain, France, and Spain to counter German designs on the Balearic and Canary Islands.
1929 Paramount’s Wings won the award for best film of the year in a glittering ceremony as Hollywood presented its new Academy Awards for achievement in the movie industry. Janet Gaynor was Best Actress for her role in Seventh Heaven, and German Emil Jannings won Best Actor for The Way of All Flesh. Douglas Fairbanks presented the 12-inch (30 cm) gold-plated statuettes of a naked man plunging a sword into a film reel. The Academy was founded two years earlier by Louis B. Mayer and other producers to enhance the prestige of the American film industry.
1942 Death of Bronislaw Malinowski, Polish anthropologist.
1943 The Ruhr Valley, the industrial heart of Nazi Germany's war machine, was crippled by two RAF bombs. The raid breached two huge dams, the Mohne and the Eder, sending walls of water down the valley, sweeping away everything in their path. Dortmund and Mulheim ground to a halt, their steel plants swamped and the coal mines flooded. The Eder dam, the biggest in Europe, was still emptying. The low-flying Lancaster bombers dropped special bombs that bounced like skipping stones over the surface of the dams and sank behind the walls before exploding. Bombing the walls the conventional way was useless- they were simply too strong. The British aircraft designer Dr Barnes Wallis had the idea of bombing the inside of the walls, since explosions under water have much more force. With this in mind he designed his special bouncing bombs. The cost of the raid to the RAF's 617 Squadron was heavy - sadly less than half the bombers returned. But the pilots' lives were not lost in vain - the cost of the raid to Germany is incalculable.
1949 Chinese Nationalists organised a Supreme Council under Chiang Kai-shek, which began to remove forces to Formosa.
1969 Pete Townshend, guitarist with British pop group The Who, spent a night in jail in New York after kicking a policeman off stage.
1980 Dr George Nickopoulous was indicted in Memphis on 14 counts of over-prescribing drugs to 11 patients, including Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
1983 Diana Ross reunited with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong to appear as the Supremes during a spectacular to celebrate Motown Records' 25th birthday.
1984 Death of popular American author Irwin Shaw.
1989 The first successful hole-in-the-heart operation to be performed on an adult was carried out on 66-year-old Eileen Molyneaux at the Brook Hospital at Greenwich in London.
1990 A Japanese businessman paid $82.5 million for a Van Gogh in New York, the highest price ever paid for a painting at auction. Paper manufacturer Ryoei Saito was the successful bidder for Portrait of Dr Gachet at Christie's (whose commission was included in the price). It was one of Van Gogh's last paintings before he shot himself. Mr Saito had not yet finished his buying spree - he was planning to attend Sotheby's New York sale the next day and was said to have his eye on the superb Au MouLin de la Galette, Renoir's famous painting of models and artists at a Montmartre dance hall, which critics said could fetch almost as much as the Van Gogh.
1990 American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr died of throat cancer.
1991 France had its first woman prime minister. Socialist president François Mitterand announced that Edith Cresson would replace the unpopular Michel Rocard, who had been dismissed. "Life is hellish for a woman in politics unless she is elderly and ugly," she told an interviewer. Cresson was neither of those - she was an elegant redhead of 57 and didn't look at all like a grandmother, though she is one. She was also a tough customer. Mitterand dubbed her his "little soldier" because of her record for taking on the worst tasks and winning. Cresson was Minister for European Affairs, and previously for Trade. She had pushed an aggressive trade policy to put France's exports on the map. Now she faced a recession and rising unemployment - and the task of rallying a sagging socialist vote before the next elections. But Cresson appeared to relish the prospect.
1999 Kevin Keegan was appointed full-time England soccer coach.
1999 Manchester United earned their fifth League Championship title in seven years, beating Spurs 2-1. United’s scorers were Andy Cole and David Beckham.
2003 The Irish Government asked countries affected by SARS not to send teams to the Special Olympics in June.
2003 The prime minister and the chancellor insisted they were united over the euro in a rare joint statement.
2003 Nadine Milroy-Sloan was found guilty of lying about being a victim of a sex attack by ex-MP Neil Hamilton and his wife.
2003 A "potential stalker" was thrown out of the Top of the Pops studio while Madonna was recording a performance.
2003 Phil Tufnell, winner of "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here", became a team captain on "They Think It's All Over".
2004 Allies of India's Congress Party voted unanimously to support Sonia Gandhi as the next prime minister.
2004 Fifteen died and 20 were injured when a goods train hit a bus at a level crossing near the port of Odessa.
2004 The chairman of a factory where nine people died after an explosion admitted an oven was built from lorry parts.
2004 Michael Moore accused the White House of trying to stop the making and release of his new film.
2004 A single said to be a response from singer Eamon's former lover was the number one in the UK singles chart.
2004 Arsenal fans took to the streets to celebrate as their record-breaking side paraded the Premiership trophy.
2004 Sven-Goran Eriksson named his 23-man England squad for Euro 2004.
2004 Ice-cool Henrik Larsson broke down in tears after his last competitive game at Celtic Park.
2005 Linda Walker, freed after being jailed for firing a pellet gun near a group of youths, was sacked from her job.
2005 Malcolm Glazer now owned a more than 75% share in Manchester United, allowing him to take full control.
2005 The final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, was screened in the UK, ending a day of celebration in London.
2005 Censors prevented children under 12 buying a Doctor Who DVD which shows a Dalek being tortured.
2005 Kelly Holmes was crowned Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year in Estoril.
BIRTHDAYS (for 16 May 2006)
Charles IV, 690 (born 16 May 1316)
Holy Roman Emperor
Maria Gaetana Agnesi, 288 (born 16 May 1718)
Italian scholar
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, 246 (born 16 May 1760)
French soldier who wrote the Marseillaise
John Sell Cotman, 224 (born 16 May 1782)
English watercolourist
Henry Fonda, 101 (born 16 May 1905)
American actor whose most notable films include The Grapes of Wrath, Twelve Angry Men and On Golden Pond, for which he was awarded a posthumous Oscar.
Studs Terkel, 94 (born 16 May 1912)
American writer and broadcaster.
Woody Herman, 93 (born 16 May 1913)
American jazz clarinettist who was leading his own band by the time he was only 23 years old.
Liberace, 87 (born 16 May 1919)
American pianist and kitsch entertainer.
Roy Hudd, 70 (born 16 May 1936)
Comedian writer and entertainer
Olga Korbut, 51 (born 16 May 1955)
Soviet gymnast who stole the show at the Munich Olympics in 1972, winning two gold medals and one silver.
15.5.06
Today's The Day - May 15th
15th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Berchtun,
St Dympna,
St Pachomius,
Saints Bertha and Rupert,
St Isidore of Chios,
St Gerebernus,
St Hallvard,
St Isias of Rostov,
St Hilary of Galeata,
St Peter of Lampsacus,
St Isidore the Farmer,
and St Toryuatus and his Companions.
History Test for May 15th
What sexy item of women's clothing went on sale for the first time today in 1940? -Nylon stockings
The first British jet aeroplane - the Gloster E28/39 - had its test flight today in 1941. Who designed it? -Sir Frank Whittle
Who represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest today in 1993 with 'Better The Devil You Know'? -Sonia
What powerful weapon was patented today in 1718 by James Puckle? -The machine gun
What name was given to the New York vigilantes who began patrolling the London Underground today in 1989? -The Guardian Angels
Events today...
1567 Mary Queen of Scots married Bothwell in Edinburgh.
1649 The Levellers were defeated at Burford.
1718 London lawyer James Puckle patented the machine gun.
1740 Death of Ephraim Chambers, English encyclopedist.
1782 Death of Richard Wilson, Welsh landscape painter.
1800 James Hatfield attempted to assassinate King George III at Drury Lane Theatre, London.
1829 The US Congress designated the slave trade as piracy.
1833 Death of English actor Edmund Kean, who had his first big success as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.
1843 Far from being "mad", as some critics have recently claimed, the English painter J. M. W Turner was as great an artist as the Old Masters - or so said young Oxford graduate John Ruskin in his new book, Modern Painters. It was Turner's departure from "realism" that offended the critics - his Snowstorm at Sea, exhibited at the Royal Academy the previous year, was much derided for its indistinct, swirling chaos. Ruskin said Turner's paintings were "true to nature", the greatest test of art, he claimed - but this was the truth of the imagination, not merely the surface truths of the eye. In Snowstorm at Sea Turner used both imagination and his eyes - he actually had himself lashed to the mast during a storm at sea. You can't be more realistic than that.
1847 Death of Daniel O'Connell, Irish leader.
1848 A communist rising began in Paris, after news of suppression of Polish revolt; workers overturned the government and set up a provisional administration which immediately collapsed.
1862 A new kind of sports field opened in Brooklyn. The Union Grounds are exclusively for baseball. The game had become immensely popular in the US since the Knicker-bocker Baseball Club was organised in New York 20 years earlier and formal rules were drafted. Up to now, baseball had been played at recreation grounds, race courses, or anywhere available. With the Union Grounds the game came of age.
1886 Death of Emily Dickinson, US poet.
1895 Death of Joseph Whitaker, English publisher of Whitaker's Almanac.
1902 Portugal declared itself bankrupt.
1918 The world's first regular air mail service began between Washington and New York.
1922 Death of Leslie Ward (`Spy'), English caricaturist.
1922 Germany ceded Upper Silesia to Poland.
1928 Medical care went airborne in Australia with the launching of a Flying Doctor Service. Dr K. St Vincent Welch of the Australian Inland Mission launched the service, to cover the vast area of Central Australia and Queensland. A DHSO aircraft and a pilot had been provided by QANTAS - the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. Dr Welch would be called to emergency cases by means of a radio transmitter-receiver with a 300-mile (482km) range. He was based in Cloncurry and was to serve 250,000 square miles (647,500 sq km) of the Australian outback - previously covered by only 10 doctors.
1930 The first-ever air hostess, registered nurse Ellen Church, takes care of 11 passengers on a flight from Oakland, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
1936 Aviator Amy Johnson arrived in England after a record-breaking flight from London to Cape Town and back.
1937 Muslim rising in Albania.
1946 US President Truman signed a bill of credit for $3.75 billion for Britain.
1948 Egyptian troops intervened in Palestine on the side of the Arabs.
1957 Britain exploded the first British thermonuclear bomb in megaton range at Christmas Island, in the Central Pacific.
1972 George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, was fighting for his life in a Washington hospital following an assassination attempt. Wallace, known for his racist and segregationist policies, was campaigning for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in Maryland when a young white man shouted "Hey George" - and fired five shots at him at close range. Wallace was hit in the stomach, leg and in the spine. Doctors were confident Wallace would survive the shooting, but feared his spinal cord may have been damaged and he could be paralysed. The gun-man, Arthur Bremer, 21, was arrested at the scene.
1987 American actress and dancer Rita Hayworth died after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
1988 The USSR began evacuating troops from Afghanistan.
1989 Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev shook hands with China's leader Deng Xiaoping in Peking's Great Hall of the People, breaking the ice in the long-standing quarrel between the two nations that has split the Communist world. But the historic occasion was upstaged by the extraordinary events that deliberately occurred just outside the Great Hall as half a million Chinese gathered in Tienanmen Square demanding democratic reform. The demonstrations, which started in April, were led by student protesters, some 3000 of whom are on hunger-strike. So far the demonstrations had been peaceful. China's leaders had been severely embarrassed in front of the Soviet leader by these massive demonstrations. To the Chinese leader they constituted a great loss of face.
1990 Lindi St Clare, retired brothel keeper - previously known by her professional name of Miss Whiplash - lost a 15-year legal battle against Britain's Inland Revenue, who had sued her for back taxes. She had refused to pay, supposedly for the Inland Revenue's own protection, claiming it would mean the government department would be breaking the law by living off immoral earnings. The judge ruled against her.
2003 Flights between the UK and Kenya were suspended because of an "imminent" threat to British planes.
2003 A 69-year-old reportedly shot dead his wife and two doctors in Ludwigshafen, Germany before killing himself.
2003 The British Government gave the go-ahead to London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
2003 Trains on the West Coast Main Line were disrupted after a glider crashed on to the line near the M6 motorway.
2003 Robert Stack, the actor who played Eliot Ness in the TV series The Untouchables, died age 84.
2003 The Football Association named former Tranmere player Mark Palios as its new chief executive.
2003 Fulham confirmed Chris Coleman as their new full-time manager after his successful temporary spell in charge of the club.
2004 Tens of thousands of Israelis attended a rally in Tel Aviv calling for a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
2004 South Africa saw off the challenge of Morocco to win the right to host the World Cup in 2010.
2004 Condoleezza Rice had talks with President Putin in Moscow as the US saught a new UN resolution on Iraq.
2004 Twenty four countries battled it out at the Eurovision Song Contest taking place live in Istanbul.
2004 French arts industry protesters briefly brought the fourth day of the Cannes film festival to a halt.
2004 A man was charged in connection with the theft of documents relating to the release of Maxine Carr.
2004 Champions Arsenal went unbeaten all the way through a Premiership season with a 2-1 win over Leicester.
2004 Actress Gwyneth Paltrow gave birth to her first child - a girl called Apple - at a London hospital.
2004 St Helens swept aside Wigan in Cardiff to win the Powergen Challenge Cup.
2004 Newcastle held on for a draw at Liverpool that earned them a place in the Uefa Cup. Man Utd duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy dashed Aston Villa's UEFA Cup hopes.
2005 The final Star Wars movie received its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
2005 West Brom defeated Portsmouth to dramatically preserve their Premiership status.
2005 Southampton's 27-year stay in the top flight ended after they lose to Man Utd.
BIRTHDAYS (for 15 May 2006)
Lyman Frank Baum, 150 (born 15 May 1856)
American children's author best-known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Katherine Anne Porter, 116 (born 15 May 1890)
American writer mainly of short stories, whose only novel, Ship of Fools, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962.
Joseph Cotton, 101 (born 15 May 1905)
American actor whose films included Citizen Kane and The Third Man.
James Mason, 97 (born 15 May 1909)
English actor who appeared in more than 80 films.
Susan Hampshire, 64 (born 15 May 1942)
Actress
Brian Eno, 58 (born 15 May 1948)
Musician and composer formerly with Roxy Music
Mike Oldfield, 53 (born 15 May 1953)
British composer and instrumentalist who had a big hit with Tubular Bells.
14.5.06
Today's The Day - 14th May
14th May 2006
Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Mary Mazzarello,
St Pontius of Cimiez,
St Carthage the Younger,
St Erembert,
St Matthias,
St Gemma Galgani,
and St Michael Garicoits.
History Test for May 14th
To which American President was a memorial at Runnymede unveiled today in 1965? -John F. Kennedy
Born today in 1926, John Bartholomew was the real name of which bespectacled comedian? -Eric Morecambe
Author Sir Henry Rider Haggard died today in 1925. Which of his novels was made into a film starring Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr? -'King Solomon's Mines'
Born today in 1934 which actress was once married to Peter O'Toole? -Sian Phillips
Released today in 1993, which film tells the story of a man offering another man $1m to sleep with his wife? -`Indecent Proposal'
Events today...
1080 Walcher, Bishop of Durham and Earl of Northumberland was murdered; William (the Conqueror) consequently ravaged the area; he also invaded Scotland and built the castle at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
1147 Conrad and the German crusaders departed from Regensburg.
1264 The English barons under Simon de Montfort defeated Henry III at the Battle of Lewes.
1565 Death of Jean Grolier, French diplomat and bibliophile.
1610 France's Good King Henry IV was murdered as he rode in his carriage in Paris. A fanatical Catholic monk, François Ravaillac, jumped on to the carriage wheel when the coach stopped in the traffic and plunged a dagger into the King's chest. Ravaillac's aim was to stop the King's planned war against Catholic Spain and Austria. Henry ended 50 years of religious war in France and won wide popularity through his reconstruction of the devastated country. He was succeeded by his son, Louis XIII, who was eight.
1796 British physician Edward Jenner carried out the first successful vaccination against smallpox.
1801 Pasha Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli declared war on the US.
1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from St Louis to find an overland route to the Pacific.
1847 HMS Driver arrived at Spithead on the south coast of England, completing the first round-world voyage by a steamship.
1871 Death of Daniel Auber, French composer.
1897 By treaty with Ethiopia, Britain abandoned certain claims in Somaliland but Emperor Menelek refused to surrender his claims to lands near the Nile.
1900 The second modern Olympic Games opened in Paris - and this time women were allowed to compete.
1912 Death of August Strindberg, Swedish playwright.
1921 29 Fascists returned in Italian elections.
1925 Death of Henry Rider Haggard, English novelist.
1939 Hollywood film producer Sam Goldwyn took control of United Artists after buying out Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, who founded the movie corporation in 1919 with director D. W. Griffiths. Goldwyn sold his interest in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1924, and had since been an independent producer. He was busy producing Wuthering Heights with director William Wyler. A Polish immigrant, Goldwyn was famous for his unusual turn of phrase.
1948 As the British mandate in Palestine came to an end, a Jewish provisional government was formed in Israel with Chaim Weizmann as president and David Ben-Gurion as premier.
1948 Atlantic Records was founded in the USA by Ahmet Ertegun, son of the Turkish ambassador to the USA.
1948 With eight hours still to run before the British mandate in Palestine ran out, the torn nation's 400,000 Jews proclaimed the Zionist state of Israel and threw open the doors to Jewish immigrants, banned since 1944. US president Harry Truman immediately recognised the Jewish state. Meanwhile battle raged on between Jews and Arabs in a civil war that claimed thousands of lives, and the Arab armies ranged around the new state prepared for invasion. With Britain’s troops withdrawing, the 30,000-strong Jewish defence, Haganah, was on a full-scale war footing.
1955 The Eastern bloc signed the Warsaw Pact.
1956 A British frogman disappeared while bugging the underside of President Khruschev's warship in Portsmouth.
1959 American jazz saxophonist Sydney Bechet died on his 65th birthday.
1964 Egypt's president Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev pressed a button, a huge sand barrier exploded, and the River Nile changed its course. The river had to be diverted to build the next stage of the Aswan High Dam which was being funded by the USSR. It was to cost $1 billion, but the dam would turn nearly a million acres of desert into irrigated farmland and would double Egypt's electricity output. Work started four years earlier and the huge wall - 17 times the size of the Great Pyramid - would be finished in 1970. The dam was going to create a lake 6 miles (9.5 km) wide and 350 miles (503 km) long, displacing about 100,000 people - and inundating many of the ancient sites of the Pharaohs. Egypt put the needs of the people before its historic remains. However, an international appeal was raising funds to have the temples and tombs moved to safety.
1968 French workers went on a one-day strike to support demonstrating students.
1973 Space exploration entered a new era as the US space station Skylab 1 blasted off for orbit. Successive three-man crews were to live on the space station for weeks on end. Skylab was the converted third stage of a Saturn 5 rocket.
1979 Death of Jean Rhys, British novelist.
1987 A coup took place in Fiji, aimed at curbing the influence of Indian migrants in government.
1990 Anti-Semitism resurfaced in France with the desecration of a Jewish grave at Carpentras cemetery.
1997 The writer and poet, Laurie Lee died aged 82. He was probably best-known for his autobiography `Cider With Rosie’.
1998 Singer Frank Sinatra died, aged 82.
2000 Caroline Aherne won a TV Bafta for her role in The Royle Family.
2003 Seventeen tourists arrived back in Europe after a long kidnap ordeal in the Sahara desert - but others were still missing.
2003 Author Michael Morpurgo was honoured for more than 30 years of writing by being named children's laureate.
2003 Juventus beat holders Real Madrid 3-1 to set up an all-Italian Champions League final against AC Milan at Old Trafford.
2003 Graham Taylor resigned as Aston Villa manager, citing "much wider issues than playing matters".
2004 Concerns about supply and instability in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher in London and to recorded levels in New York.
2004 Prime Minister-designate Marek Belka lost a vote of no confidence in the Polish parliament.
2004 A nationwide campaign was launched in Russia aimed at fighting prejudice and fear surrounding HIV and Aids.
2004 Danish Crown Prince Frederik wed his Australian fiancee Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in Copenhagen.
2004 Mirror editor Piers Morgan was sacked as the newspaper conceded photos of soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake.
2004 The British film industry is to get £7.5m to help improve the quality of movie scripts, it was announced at Cannes.
2004 The last episode of Frasier was broadcast in the US, ending the comedy's 11 years of being broadcast.
2004 Andy Johnson's 32nd goal of the season handed Palace the advantage in the first leg of their play-off semi-final.
2004 Steve McClaren was to replace Brian Kidd on the England coaching staff for Euro 2004.
2005 Amir Khan signed off his amateur career with a superb win over Olympic conqueror Mario Kindelan.
2005 Wasps won their third straight league title with victory over Leicester in the Premiership final at Twickenham.
BIRTHDAYS (for 14 May 2006)
Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, 320 (born 14 May 1686)
Prussian physicist (introduced the mercury thermometer).
Thomas Gainsborough, 279 (born 14 May 1727)
English painter of portraits, landscapes and sentimental rural genre scenes.
Otto Klemperer, 121 (born 14 May 1885)
German conductor particularly renowned for his interpretations of Beethoven symphonies.
Eric Morcambe, 80 (born 14 May 1926)
British comedian. Partner of Ernie Wise.
Bobby Darin, 70 (born 14 May 1936)
American pop singer who reached the charts with `Splish Splash' and `Mack the Knife'.
13.5.06
In The News - Last week At a Glance
Friday May 5
Tony Blair carried out his biggest and most brutal Cabinet reshuffle as he attempted to shore up his position after one of Labour's worst ever local election performances.
Charles Clarke, at the height of his career, became the latest politician to fall victim to the curse of the Home Office.
The director of the CIA quit after less than two years in the job, throwing the troubled organisation into deeper turmoil.
Darfur's main rebel faction signed a government peace plan - but other armies rejected the deal, casting doubt on whether it would end three years of fighting.
Saturday May 6
Five British servicemen died when an Army helicopter crashed in Basra, southern Iraq, apparently after being hit by an insurgent missile.
Tony Blair was poised to spark civil war in the Labour Party by refusing to put a date on his departure from Downing Street.
The Law Society launched an investigation into David Mills, the former lawyer for Silvio Berlusconi and estranged husband of Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary.
Prince William's relationship with his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, moved a significant step forward when they appeared together for the first time at a family wedding.
Sunday May 7
The BBC dominated the Bafta TV Awards, with Bleak House, Doctor Who and EastEnders taking the top prizes.
Television pictures of mobs in Basra cheering the deaths of British servicemen killed in a helicopter crash should be taken in context, the Defence Secretary has said, amid claims the city is spiraling out of control.
Labour was plunged into its worst infighting for a generation after Downing Street issued a warning of a plot by rebel MPs to oust Tony Blair and take the party back to the Left.
Israeli police stormed a Palestinian house occupied by Jewish squatters as the prime minister signalled that his government would not be cowed by West Bank settlers.
Monday May 8
Theo Walcott, the 17-year-old footballing prodigy, who has yet to make an appearance in the Arsenal first team, was named in Sven Goran Eriksson's provisional World Cup squad.
The first British servicewoman to be killed in overseas combat since the Second World War was among the five whose helicopter was shot down in Iraq.
Two Australian miners trapped 3,000ft underground for 14 days have emerged into the light looking tired but well after rescuers pulled them out of their prison.
Animal rights activists threatened small shareholders in GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical company, with public exposure unless they sold their shares within two weeks.
Tuesday May 9
The manufacture of HP Sauce, a staple of British tables for more than 100 years, is to be moved to Holland, it was announced.
Tony Blair, who broke all records for public approval when he entered No 10 nine years ago, is now the most unpopular Labour Prime Minister of modern times, according to a YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph.
Ruth Kelly declared war on middle-class families resisting government plans to build hundreds of thousands of new homes.
Margaret Beckett indicated that the environment would be the big new theme of her tenure as Foreign Secretary.
Wednesday May 10
An overfilled petrol storage tank was to blame for the Buncefield oil depot explosion in December last year, a new report found.
Nine Afghan asylum seekers who hijacked a plane to get to Britain should have been allowed to live and work here, the High Court ruled.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, likened the US to a voracious wolf and declared that the arms race is not yet over.
Television chef Antony Worrall Thompson was taken to task for criticising the standard of service offered by Eastern European waiters and waitresses in British restaurants.
Thursday May 11
A report into the July 7th bombings stated that three of the four suicide bombers were known in some form to MI5 but that the security service had failed to follow up the leads.
Chris Langham, the award-winning comedian, was charged with downloading child pornography from the internet.
New research suggested that one to three cups of coffee a day may protect people from heart disease and strokes.
Sri Lanka moved closer to all-out war when a troop ship was rammed by Tamil Tiger suicide bombers and the government responded with air strikes.
And...
Gunther von Hagens, who exhibits preserved human corpses, launched a nationwide body pick-up service to provide him with specimens... A survey found that Britain's leading museums and art galleries are temples of lust, ideal places to pick up a stranger or go for a date... Prince Charles was repaid in kind for his description of China's ageing Communist leaders as a bunch of "appalling old waxworks"... The Ministry of Defence has admitted that there are unidentified flying objects in our skies... Women are finally breaking into the world of poker and some are beating the men at their own game... Whitby was voted Britain's top seaside resort… Restaurants should be forced to display the results of hygiene inspections, Which? said… Kevin Spacey vowed to carry on running London's Old Vic theatre but he will adopt a lower profile role…Ringtone rage hit the Iraqi parliament...Michelle Dewberry became The Apprentice . . . The copper in 2p coins may be worth 3p.
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. Dolphins communicate like humans by calling - more accurately, whistling - each other by "name".
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2. Fidel Castro is worth $900m according to Forbes although he insists his net worth is zero.
3. The short xylophone ditty that Apple Mac computers play is called Sosumi - a contraction of So Sue Me - Apple's cheeky riposte to the Beatles' Apple Corps.
4. George Bush's personal highlight of his presidency so far is catching a 7.5lb (3.4kg) perch.
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5. The architect of Centrepoint - London's most obvious modernist landmark - built more buildings in the capital than Sir Christopher Wren. His name was Richard Seifert.
6. Britain is still paying off debts that predate the Napoleonic wars because it's cheaper to do so than buy back the bonds on which they are based.
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7. In Japan, boys in secondary school wear an outfit modelled on 19th Century Prussian army uniforms.