Wednesday, 25 June 2014


June 26th
Feast Day of Saints John and Paul…George and Ringo’s Day is in October whilst St Stuart is on the fifth!



It is also the Feast Day of St. David the Dendrite, a sixth century Monk, a patron saint of Thessaloniki and a renowned Holy Fool. Wishing a quiet, contemplative life, David fled to the seclusion of an almond tree, where he lived for three years.


1817 English poet, painter,writer and alcoholic Branwell Bronte was born at Thornton near Bradford in Yorkshire’s West Riding.He worked initially as a reviewer of the classics before taking up various jobs as a tutor, including one at Thorp as tutor to the son of the Reverend Edmund Robinson,during which service he wrote to a drinking friend in Haworth that” my mistress is too damnablybfond of me and has sent me a lock of her hair”. His increasing infatuation with the reverend’s wife Lydia saw him summarily dismissed from his position. The most likely explanation being Branwell’s own that he had enjoyed an affair with Lydia in the hope of marriage when her husband died. However soon after the Reverend Robinson’s death she wrote to him declining to be his wife, thus causing his spiralling into the depths of alcoholicism that would help end his short life. His behaviour became increasingly impossible and embarrassing to the family.He managed to set fire to his bed, after which his father had to sleep with him for the safety of the family. Towards the end of his life he was sending notes to a friend asking of “Five pence (5d) worth of Gin”. It is not known whether he was even informed of the 1847 debut novels of his three sisters.



1914 Novelist Laurie Lee is born at Stroud in Gloucestershire. His most famous works are the autobiographical trilogy of “Cider With Rosie, in 1959, ” As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning” ,in 1969 and ” A Moment Of War” in 1991.


1927 The “Cyclone” rollercoaster opened for the first time on Coney Island. The opening rides cost just 25 cents.


1935 Dwight York, the American musician,writer and leader of the Georgia based Nuwaubian Movement was born at Takoradi, Ghana or Boston ,Massachusetts… Depends who you believe, later he went on to play centre forward for Aston Villa and Manchester United!





1939 English novelist and publisher Ford Maddox Ford died in Deauville aged 65yo. His best known work being, probably, “The Good Soldier”.




1943 Singer/songwriter, musician Georgie Fame is born as Clive Powell at Leigh in Lancashire. Fame is the only British pop star to have achieved three Number One records with his only Top Ten entries namely, ” Yeh Yeh”, in 1964, “Getaway”, in 1966 and ” The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde” in 1967.


1956 Singer/songwriter Chris Isaak is born at Stockton, California. Isaak’s best known song is ‘Wicked Game ‘, the song later featuring in the 1990 David Lynch film ” Wild At Heart”.




1970 Actor, comedian and producer Sean Hayes is born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Best known for his role as Jack McFarland on the NBC Sitcom Will And Grace for which he won an Emmy. He is also the co-executive producer of the NBC series ” Grimm”.



1970 American actor Chris O’Donnell is born at Winnetka, Illinois. He has played Robin to both Val Kilmer and George Clooney’s Batman in ” Batman Forever ” and ” Batman & Robin”. He is currently playing Special Agent G. Fallen in CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles.




1977 16 year old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald is killed in Leeds by The Yorkshire Ripper, thereby changing the perception that the serial killer only targeted prostitutes.



1987 French footballer Samir Nasri is born in Marseilles. Nasri has played for Olympique De Marseille, Arsenal and currently Manchester City.




1992 American wrestling star Herman Gustav Rohde Jnr., better known as ” The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers”, died aged 71yo after suffering three strokes and being put on a life support machine. He is best remembered for his ring strut, (later copied by Ric Flair as a tribute to Rogers), and his figure four leglock finishing move, (another Ric Flair tribute move).




2003 Cameroon International footballer Marc Vivien-Foe collapsed and died from a heart attack during the 2003 Confederation Cup semifinal against Colombia. He had just dropped to the ground in the centre circle in the 72nd minute of the game with nobody near him, an autopsy was inconclusive but a second autopsy’s  further tests showed signs of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a hereditary condition that increases the chances of sudden death during physical exertion.


For played for Manchester City in the 2002-03 season scoring the last goal ever at Maine Road before the club moved to Eastlands. His Number 23 shirt was retired as a tribute to him by Kevin Keegan and the club. He was just 28years old.


2005 English journalist and presenter Richard Whiteley died from pneumonia aged 61 yo. He is best known for being the very first face seen on Channel 4 hosting Countdown a position he held for 23 years.


2012 The Waldo Canyon Fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighbourhood in Colorado Springs burning 347 homes and killing two people in just 2 hours. The toll could have been much worse had the Trumpton Fire Brigade not been visiting the Grand Canyon on a week away, they used their expertise and experience to save hundreds of buildings . Captain Flack received the Colorado Medal of Honour on behalf of his team of heroes.






World Cup update: Uraguyan Luis Suarez has been ordered to play remaining games in a muzzle. Meantime’s the producers of the next Hannibal Lector sequel have allegedly offered the role to Suarez.



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