May 15th

It is The International Day of Families, so let's remember all our Families, no matter how dysfunctional they may be!

1536 Anne Boleyn was put on trial charged with treason,adultery and incest. She was found guilty and sentenced to death by a 'specially selected jury,( Henry VIII really liked to keep things stacked in his favour!).

Politics. The Education Secretary Michael Govesays we should learn from the 'Boko Haram 'Militants in Nigeria. He told a gathering of Conservative activists in Birmingham," they should go out and terrorise and persecute those teachers and Heads who disagree with my beautiful Free Schools Crusade, and send them all to Hell in a Handcart ".

The duel this morning at dawn between the aforementioned Michael Gove  and the deputy PM ,Nick Clegg , ended in farce when both their Seconds,namely, Jeremy Hunt and Vince Cable, both overslept and missed the duel. After several minutes of posturing and tongue- sticking,Messrs Give and Clegg were ushered away by their wives to save further embarrassment.

1856 Wizard of Oz author Frank L. Baum was born.

1888 American poet Emily Dickinson died aged 55yo.

1905 American actor Joseph Cotten was born, he came to prominence in Orson Welles masterpiece, Citizen Kane, also starring alongside Welles in the iconic ,''ThevThird Man".

1909 James Mason was born in Huddersfield ,West Yorkshire, he was awarded a Golden Globe for his role in thev1955 version of A Star is Born.

1928 Mickey Mouse premieres in his first movie, Plane Crazy.

1937 American actor and singer Trini Lopez is born in Dallas,Texas.

1941 Magical Jim Williams, British Vaudeville's worst ever magician, dies aged 56yo, on stage in Bradford when his " Cutting Himself in Half " trick goes tragically wrong when his glamorous assistant, BeckyTrikon, uses a real blade instead of the trick one.She, and a number of the audience were treated for shock after the incident. Williams was famous for being booed off every single theatre in the UK, a fact he was immensely proud of. I,ronically, given the nature of his death it was reported that he suffered from schizophrenia.