May 20th

Feast Day of St Lucifer of Cagliari...no not that Lucifer, this is a 4th Century Bishop.

Also World Metrology Day...so let's not, as b*witched did, "Blame It On The Weatherman", at least not for today!

1277 Pope John XXI died.

1285 John of Jerusalem died...not a good day if your name happens to be John!

1528 Jolly John James Jenkinson of Cleckheaton died when a mysterious lump of jelly fell from the skies hitting him on the head and killing him instantly. The jelly lump measuring 4ft by 6ft and tasting of 'raspberries', was investigated by doctors and alchemists ,the length and breadth of the fair land of England, even the scientists at the court of Henry VIII were called upon to investigate, yet to this very day nobody has an explanation to Jolly  John James Jenkinson's Jelly Jinx.(see what I mean about being called John on this day?)

1840 York Minster is badly damaged by fire, luckily the Trumpton Fire Service were visiting the City and quickly sprang into action , saving the Minster!

1806 John Stuart Mill, who on half a pint of shandy got particularly ill is born in Pentonville.

1895 RJ Mitchell designer of the Supermarine Spitfire is born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire.

1908 James Maitland Stewart is born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, his distinctive drawl and  laid back persona was seen to good effect in over 90 films notably, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, It's A Wonderful Life, The Philadelphia Story, (for which he won an Oscar), Destry Rides Again, Vertigo,Rear Window,etc.

1960 Star Trek's Doctor Phlox, actor John Billingsley, is born, sadly not in Denobula, but Media, Pennsylania.

1964 Nigel Murray , the Scottish actor and director died aged 55yo after a short but fatal illness. He shot to fame in the 1950s by starring in and directing films that bore an uncanny likeness to previous cinematic hits, his 1954 version of 'From Near To Maternity' was a fine example as was his 1959 epic about a Welsh funeral director, 'Ben Hearse', in which he played the lead role opposite a young Shirley Bassey.
Many other 'hits' followed, 'Shitty, Shitty, Bong, Bong', ' Mary Poopins', (banned in many cinemas for its theme of Laxatives and diarrhoea.), he became ill whilst filming his final masterpiece, a new piece based upon suburban cannibalism, 'A Man For All Seasonings'.
Murray was never nominated for an Oscar or a Bafta but remains one of THE Cult film-makers to this day.

1969 The Battle of Hamburger Hill, in Vietnam ends.

1970 The battle of Cheeseburger Delta, in Vietnam begins...with fries!

1985 English cyclist Chris Froome is born in Nairobi ,Kenya.

1996 Third incarnation of Dr Who and Worzel Gummidge star Jon Pertwee died aged 76yo in Connecticut from a heart attack, sadly he did not regenerate.

2011 American wrestling star Randy Savage died aged 58 from a heart attack whilst driving. Losing control of the 4 x 4 he crashed into a tree. A post-mortem put death down to atherosclerotic heart disease.Savage's remains were cremated and placed under a tree in Largo, Florida with those of his favorite dog.