ON THIS DAY
IT’S DAY 105 of 2016
THE largest diamond ever found, the Cullinan, weighed 3,106 carats when discovered in 1905 in South Africa. Presented to Edward VII as a birthday gift, it was studied by Dutch diamond cutter Joseph Asscher for six months before he cut it into 105 gems, most of which were used in Britain’s Crown Jewels. THE Chinese perfected the making of paper in 105 AD, using bark, hemp, rags and fish net. Legend has it Han Dynasty court official and eunuch Cai Lun made the breakthrough, inspired by watching wasps gathering fibres from dead wood and plant stems and mixing them with saliva, to construct nests made of gray or brown papery material. A DAY after his 105th birthday in September last year, Japanese centenarian Hidekichi Miyazaki set a new record as the world’s oldest competitive sprinter. Nicknamed the ‘Golden Bolt’, he ran a 100-metre sprint in the over-80s category in 42.22 seconds.
THERE ARE 261 DAYS LEFT
IT’S 261 years since carpet maker Thomas Whitty devised his specialised method of creating luxury carpets, known worldwide as Axminsters after the Devon town where he had his business. Impressed by a Turkish carpet he saw at Cheapside Market in London, he spent months working on one of similar quality. TO BEAT the record for top goalscorer in the history of the English premier league — held by Alan Shearer — you would need to score 261 goals. The closest is Wayne Rooney with 192 goals.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR, 39, the American actress known for her role in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series. As a fiveyear-old she was banned for life from McDonald’s after starring in a controversial TV ad for rival Burger King that sparked a lawsuit between the chains. ROBERT CARLYLE, 55, the Glasgow-born actor best known for the films The Full Monty and Trainspotting. Having left school at 16 with no qualifications, he worked with his dad as a painter and decorator before getting involved in acting. PETER CAPALDI, 58, aka Doctor Who. From Glasgow, he is the only Time Lord to have won an Oscar, for a short film he directed. He tried and failed to use the statuette to get an upgrade on his flight home from LA.
BORN ON THIS DAY
GERRY ANDERSON (1929-2012), the TV producer who brought us Stingray and Captain Scarlet (right). His show Thunderbirds was named after Thunderbird Field air base in Arizona, where his brother Lionel was stationed while training with the RAF. ROD STEIGER (1925-2002). Hollywood leading man who starred with Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront. He admitted making a big mistake after turning down the lead role in Patton: the part went to George C Scott and won him an Oscar. SIR JOHN GIELGuD (1904-2000). Londonborn actor and director who, along with Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, dominated British theatre through much of the 20th century. Of Lithuanian descent, his family had once owned Gielgaudiskis castle on the River Nieman.
ON APRIL 14...
IN 1912, the supposedly unsinkable RMS Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage to New York. More than 1,500 passengers died. In 1950, the Eagle comic appeared, with the adventures of Dan Dare on the front page. The first issue cost 3d and sold 900,000 copies. In 1983, BT introduced the ‘Hawk’ — the first cordless home phone in the uK.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
It Is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.
Harry S. Truman, U.S. president (1884-1972)
JOKE OF THE DAY
HOW did you know my new girlfriend was a vegetarian? We’ve met herbivore.