10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 22 May:
Born on this date in 1859 was Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer best known for creating detective Sherlock Holmes. He also wrote science fiction, historical novels, romances, poetry and non-fiction. He wrote, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Also born on this date, in 1907, was Laurence Olivier, one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He was the first artistic director of the National Theatre of Great Britain and its main stage is named in his honour.
In 415 BC, during a war between Athens and Sparta, the Athenians discovered that all the busts of the god Hermes had been vandalised during the night, which caused widespread panic. The Athenians blamed a general called Alcibiades, and he was forced to flee the city to avoid execution. He went to Sparta, where his advice helped the Spartans win the war.
In 1804 Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their party left St. Louis, Missouri, in the direction of the Pacific Coast, on the famous expedition which became known as the "Lewis and Clark Expedition." During their voyage the travellers took detailed topographical notes, collected specimens of flora and fauna, and established contact with Native American groups.
In 1931, canned Rattlesnake meat went on sale in Florida.
In 1995, a woman called Paula Dixon suffered a collapsed lung at 35,000ft during a British Airways flight from Hong Kong to Heathrow. Luckily for her there were two doctors on board, and they operated on her using a coat-hanger sterilised in brandy, Sellotape, and a bottle of mineral water.
On this date in 1843, 300 men, 150 women, and about 500 children left Independence, Missouri on the first wagon train.
In 1897, the Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames in London was inaugurated by the Prince and Princess of Wales. At the time, Blackwall was the longest underwater tunnel in the world. The tunnel is 6,200 feet long.
In 1867, bad weather caused 10 false starts to the Epsom Derby. A 66-1 outsider, Hermit, eventually won. The date of the race was changed to later in the year to avoid such a thing happening again. The race now happens in June.
In 2000, in Bridport, Dorset, Spike, the world's oldest living Cat celebrated his 30th birthday (210 in human years). The ginger-and-white tom was bought by Mo and David Elkington for 2s 6d in a market in London in 1970.
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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