May 18th

May 18th

Vladamir Putin will be out beating his chest again today as Russia celebrates Baltic Fleet Day , (most are apparently parked just off the Ukranian coastline).

It is also International Museums Day so lets get out there and go visit some Mummys.

We also celebrate the feast day of St Eric of Sweden, the king of that same country c1155-1160. He should not be confused with St. Eric The Half-A -Bee who was bisected accidentally one summer afternoon  by me.

1152 Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine, (not sure if the aforementioned King Eric got an invite!).

1763 Fire destroyed a large part of Montreal, things may have been much worse but for the fact that the Trumpton Fire Brigade were on 'fire watch' exchange with some Canadian force, and they battled hard to save what they could of the city.

1804 Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of France by the senate.

1812 John Bellingham is found guilty of the assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval and sentenced to hang.

1897 American film director Frank Capra is born in Bisacquino, Sicily, His tour de force? Of course the magnificent It's A Wonderful Life.

1909 Fred Perry is born in Portwood, Stockport, he won Wimbledon three times in a row, 1934, '35, '36...remaining the last male British winner until Andy Murray in 2014!

1911 Austrian composer Gustav Mahler died in the Low Sanatorium from bacterial endocarditis. He was just 50yo.

1912 Perry Como is born Pierino Robert Como in Canonsberg, Pennsylvania.

1920 Pope John Paul II is born as Karol Josef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland. He was the first non Italian Pope since 1523.

1946 Aaron Craig of Nova Scotia broke the world Pencil Sharpening Record, putting a point on 3,345 pencils in one hour using his trusty pen-knife. He beat the pre-war record of Mr Ho Chi Min by 978 pencils. He put his skill down to 'practising all night and sleeping all day, it certainly puts an edge on my game!'. The record was published in 'The Oyster Stout Book of Recordings' and stands to this day, then again why wouldn't it?

1990 Mrs Charles Bronson, the actress Jill Ireland died at her Malibu home from breast cancer at the age of 54.

1995 And with a twitch of her nose she was gone! Bewitched star, Elizabeth Montgomery died from colorectal cancer just eight weeks after being diagnosed with the disease, she was 62yo.

2002 Davey Boy Smith, better known as the 'British Bulldog', died after suffering a heart attack on holiday with his girlfriend, Bruce Hart's ex-wife Andrea, in Invermere, Canada. An autopsy revealed past steroid abuse may have had a part in his death, though no certain reason was revealed, he was just 39yo.

2013 Nam Duck-Woo , ex South Korean Prime Minister, died aged 89. Why can't our politicians have such great names?   Ed Milliband-Moo-Cow? David Cameron-Toad Face? Nick Clegg Weasel-Features? Nigel Farrage-Pig-Face-Turd-Bucket? Which would you vote for?