Friday 13 May 2022

18 May

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 18 May:

  1. This date in 1920 was the birth date of Pope John Paul II (Karol Jozef Wojtyla from Poland), who became the first non-Italian pope in 450 years, and reigned for nearly 27 years. Up until he was 73, he was a keen skier, and would sneak out of the Vatican in a black hoodie in order to go Skiing incognito.

  2. In 2002, 60 year old Roger Wallace was flying his radio-controlled plane near Tucson, Arizona, when he turned toward the Sun and lost sight of it. The plane, which weighed nearly 7lb (3kg) and had a wingspan of nearly 5ft (1.5m), flew into his chest, killing him.

  3. On this date in 1927, Grauman's Chinese Theater opened in Hollywood. Norma Talmadge was the first celebrity to leave her footprint in the concrete outside, when she stepped into wet cement by accident. Grauman’s publicists saw this mistake as an opportunity for publicity, and continued the practice.

  4. In 1504, Michelangelo's marble sculpture of David was placed in front of the Palace of the Signory.

  5. This date has been a good one for women and flying. In 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier in a North American F-86 Canadair over Rogers Dry Lake, California; and in 1991, Helen Sharman became the first British woman in space as she flew aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.

  6. In 2005, a photo from the Hubble Space Telescope confirmed that Pluto has two additional moons: Nix and Hydra.

  7. Halley's Comet passed the sun on this date in 1910. People predicted tidal waves, plagues and other disasters, but nothing happened.

  8. Russian ambassador Anatoly Adamishin ended a visit to London on this date in 1997. What had made the biggest impression on him about England? The public conveniences. He commented: “Where can you find a country with so many public Toilets? And so well maintained, too. British lavatories are not just spotlessly clean, they are cosy.”

  9. In 1954, huge cracks appeared in The Colosseum in Rome, causing panic among those who believed the proverb: "Rome and the World are safe so long as the Colosseum stands." A local doomsayer predicted the end of the world the following Monday, but again, nothing happened.

  10. In 1986,Frog owned by Lee Giudicci of California, jumped a world record 21ft 5¾ inches. The frog's name was Rosie the Ribeter.


The Power of Love


Willow believes in crystal healing, cosmic  ordering  and the significance of chance  encounters. She believes there's a spiritual  explanation for everything. Except she struggles to find a reason why she can turn herself into  mist and create a wave of energy which can slam a would-be mugger into a wall. Or why the love of  her life left her for a mysterious woman in sunglasses, who then disappeared without trace. 
 

A chance encounter with Firebolt, leader of the Freedom League superhero team, in a Glastonbury coffee shop, does turn out to be significant. He offers her a new start and the chance to use her powers for good.

Servant is a Christian who has joined the Freedom League in order to use his teleporting power to serve God. He and Willow clash from the start, yet they are drawn inexorably to one another.

When Willow leaves the team abruptly for reasons unknown, Servant knows he must put her out of his mind and find a nice Christian girl to settle down with. He is about to propose to devout and straight-laced Ruth, when Willow returns and turns his entire world upside down.


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