FORGOTTEN ANNIVERSARIES
A big thankyou once again to Peter in South Shields who keeps my knuckles well and truly rapped by sending me frequent reminders of all the important or just quirky anniversaries I keep on missing. Tonight’s list was typical......11 November 1790: chrysanthemums are introduced to England from China ( - I thought they came from Japan?)......12 November 1956: the world’s largest glacier is discovered ( - it’s 208 miles long and 60 miles wide, but Peter doesn’t say where it is).....13 November 1002: King Ethelred (the Unready one?) orders all the Danes in England to be slaughtered ( - why?).......14 November 1896: the urban speed limit is raised from 4mph to 14mph.....15 November 1923: German hyperinflation peaks at 4,200,000,000 marks to the dollar!
I don’t know where Peter gets his information. Perhaps he has his own database of anniversary trivia. Keep them coming Peter!
Brian in Kenton telephones me once in a while too - with anniversaries of Britain’s worst railway accidents - an admittedly mawkish but nevertheless fascinating subject. He called me this morning to remind me about the Lewisham Disaster of 1957. Three trains were involved and there were 199 casualties, including 90 deaths. I’m meant to mention it on its anniversary day, 4 December. That, however, is my birthday - so I thought I’d mention it today instead!
If you think I’ve missed any important - or utterly trivial - anniversaries, do what Peter and Brian do. Get in touch.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The rock band UB40 took their name from the old unemployment benefit signing-on card. Thanks to Loz for expanding on the answer via email. Apparently, the band’s first album was called Signing Off and its cover was a facsimile of a UB40 card. Loz even sent me a picture of it.
From now on, the questions will all be about local place-names, starting with.....which local place’s name means ‘hill-island’?
TRUCKSHUNTER GEMS
The first ‘special track’ I played today was Swingin’ On A Star performed by Big Dee Irwin and Little Eva. It was released in 1962 and I played it for no other reason than I found it when I was digging around in my collection of 45s the other day. Did you remember it? And what became of Dee and Eva?
Our Listen To The Banned track this week was Nellie The Nudist Queen. It was performed by Ross and Sargent (whoever they were) and was released - and promptly banned by the BBC - in 1933.
MARY HOPKIN
Blogster and listener Pat shares my enthusiasm for the sweetness of Mary Hopkin’s voice and tells me she’s still going strong. I’m really glad to hear it, Pat. Her version of No Business Like Show Business (on the Post Card album) is truly awesome. Her website is at: www.maryhopkin.com.
MIND-TEASER
Here's another of Kev's 'mind-teasers'.
Take a look at this. What TWO words can you see?
CONTACT MEPost comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
3 comments:
I see that you managed to get one of your pet topics involved in the place name question ie St Cuthbert
In 995 A.D after years of wandering the north, the carriers of St Cuthbert’s coffin came to a halt at a hill called Warden Law. Here the vehicle on which the coffin was transported came to stand still and despite the efforts of the whole congregation of followers who tried to push, the coffin would not move. After a period of intense meditation their prayers were finally answered when St Cuthbert appeared in a vision to a monk called EADMER. St Cuthbert instructed Eadmer that the coffin should be taken to a place called DUN HOLM. The monks had not heard of Dun Holm, but may have been aware that its name meant HILL ISLAND. Dun was an Anglo-Saxon word meaning `hill’, Holm meaning island is a word of Scandinavian origin. Dun Holm was later called DURESME by the Normans and was known in Latin as DUNELM. Over the years the name has been simplified to the modern form - DURHAM
Ian, since you mentioned your birthday is Dec 4th here are some facts:
Births
1840 Crazy Horse
1912 Jimmy Jewel
1930 Ronnie Corbett
1949 Pamela Stephenson
Events
1154 The only Englishman, Nicholas Breakspear, ever to be elected Pope
1619 The first American Thanksgiving Day
1680 A hen in Rome laid an egg inprinted with the image of a comet that was not discovered until December 16th (A psychic chicken!!!!)
1872 The Marie Celeste was found
1935 Charles Darrow invented the game of Monopoly
1937 The Dandy was first published
However if you were a Martian you would only be 30.8 martian years old and, if you were from Venus, you would be 94.2 venusian years old
Kev....I am in GENUINE awe. Yes, you're right of course about 'dun-holm' and the lovely story of St Cuthbert's coffin. But you missed out an important element - the milkmaid! You MUST be aware that a sculpture of her - complete with the Dun Cow - adorns an outside column of the Chapel of the Nine Altars. As for the 4 December - WOW! I never knew all that!
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