16 November: 320

On the 320^th day of the year, 10 fun facts about 320.

1. The Roman numeral for 320 is CCCXX.

2. The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus, and is the best-selling airliner ever built.

3. A320 Airbus is a 1991 flight simulator computer game, presumably based on the above.

4. The A320 is a road in Surrey, England, connecting Guildford and Staines.

5. 320 Freleng Avenue is a 2026 animated TV series created by and starring Matthew Littlemore.

6. The year 320 was a leap year starting on Friday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Constantinus. In this year, construction began on the Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, and the Greek philosopher Pappus of Alexandria observed an Eclipse of the sun.

7. BMW 320 is a mid-range model in the long-running BMW 3 Series executive car lineup.

8. London bus 329 runs from Biggin Hill Valley to Catford Bridge Station.

9. A320 is a song by the Foo Fighters, from the 1998 soundtrack of Godzilla.

10. 320 Katharina is a small asteroid discovered by Johann Palisa in 1891 in Vienna. He named it after his mother.

 

New!

The Combat Team series continues with Team Gamma, owned by Madeleine Earnshaw. Forced to abandon her plan to win the contest with a team of women, Madeleine knows her team is not perfect.

Graham has severe PTSD and amnesia: he is missing nine years of his life. He's also the prime suspect in a triple homicide which took place the day he disappeared.

Marcus has a secret he is afraid to reveal.

Stuart's power is most inconvenient outside of the arena.

Thunderbolt, a creature of unknown origin, looks like a monster, but is a mother grieving for her young, killed by humans. Joel not only has a suit of power armour, but an instant rapport with Thunderbolt. He is the only one who can truly communicate with her.

Swallow comes from a world without technology and lacks confidence. The other women on the team bully her.

Ray is Madeleine's right hand man, the person with a solution to almost every problem. But can he convince Swallow he is the one for her when she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve?

Edward has a casual attitude to training and tends to drink too much. His attraction to Madeleine's assistant Janice, although she spurns his advances, goes some way to improving his performance.

When Janice goes missing, the team unite to launch a search and rescue mission, and in the process discover a shocking threat to life on Earth as we know it.

Paperback

E-book

15 November: J G Ballard Quotes

Born on this date in 1930: J[ames] G[raham] Ballard, author whose books include Crash, Empire of the Sun and Cocaine Nights.10 quotes.

1. In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom.

2. Sooner or later, all games become serious.

3. Art exists because reality is neither real nor significant.

4. Unhappy parents teach you a lesson that lasts a lifetime.

5. My brief stay at the hospital had already convinced me that the medical profession was an open door to anyone nursing a grudge against the human race.

6. The future is going to be boring. The suburbanisation of the planet will continue, and the suburbanisation of the soul will follow soon after.

7. A general rule: if enough people predict something, it won't happen.

8. One of the things I took from my wartime experiences was that reality was a stage set... the comfortable day-to-day life, school, the home where one lives and all the rest of it... could be dismantled overnight.

9. I work for three or four hours a day, in the late morning and early afternoon. Then I go out for a walk and come back in time for a large gin and tonic.

10. If you can smell garlic, everything is all right.

New!

The Combat Team series continues with Team Gamma, owned by Madeleine Earnshaw. Forced to abandon her plan to win the contest with a team of women, Madeleine knows her team is not perfect.

Graham has severe PTSD and amnesia: he is missing nine years of his life. He's also the prime suspect in a triple homicide which took place the day he disappeared.

Marcus has a secret he is afraid to reveal.

Stuart's power is most inconvenient outside of the arena.

Thunderbolt, a creature of unknown origin, looks like a monster, but is a mother grieving for her young, killed by humans. Joel not only has a suit of power armour, but an instant rapport with Thunderbolt. He is the only one who can truly communicate with her.

Swallow comes from a world without technology and lacks confidence. The other women on the team bully her.

Ray is Madeleine's right hand man, the person with a solution to almost every problem. But can he convince Swallow he is the one for her when she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve?

Edward has a casual attitude to training and tends to drink too much. His attraction to Madeleine's assistant Janice, although she spurns his advances, goes some way to improving his performance.

When Janice goes missing, the team unite to launch a search and rescue mission, and in the process discover a shocking threat to life on Earth as we know it.

Paperback

E-book

14 November: The music charts

 On this date in 1952 Britain’s first music chart was published in the New Musical Express. 10 facts about the music charts.

1. Al Martino’s Here in my Heart was the first ever UK number one single. It remained at the top for 9 weeks and was therefore the only number one single in 1952.

2. Prior to this, the popularity of a song was based on sales of sheet music rather than recordings. The New Musical Express (NME) was a re-launch of a magazine called The Musical Express And Accordion Weekly, which had just been taken over by a new owner in March of 1952. The new owner was one Maurice Kinn, a music promoter who had always wanted his own music paper.

3. The first charts were compiled by NME staff phoning 20 record shops and asking them for their best sellers, and consisted of twelve singles. It may not have been a representative sample as these were mostly based in London. In 1969, the British Market Research Bureau started collecting sales figures from about 250 record retailers throughout the UK, and the result was the first Official UK Singles Chart. The 250 shops taking part would write down their sales figures and send them in by post. In 1978, the charts expanded to a top 75 and then to a top 100 when Gallup took over the compilation until 1994. At this point Millward Brown took over. They installed e.p.o.s. terminals to collect the sales data and expanded the number of outlets used to collect the data to around 1600.

4. In the modern world, downloads and streaming are included as well. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley was the first song to go to number one based on downloads alone in 2006. It was around top of the charts for so long that it was pulled from sale for fear people would get sick of it. Ariana Grande’s Problem was the first to top the charts with streaming figures included, in 2014.

5. The first Top 40 countdown on Radio One was presented by Alan Freeman and called Pick of the Pops. The longest running presenter of the chart show was Mark Goodier, who did the Sunday night countdown from 1995 to 2002. The first woman presenter of the chart show was Jameela Jamil in 2013.

6. The record which spent the longest time at number one was Bryan Adams with (Everything I Do) I Do It for You in 1991. He was at number one for 16 consecutive weeks. If you count non-consecutive weeks, however, the record holder would be Sam Fender and Olivia Dean's Rein Me In in 2026, which was up and down the top ten like a yo yo, spending 23 weeks at number one, but not all at once. The record for the number of weeks on the singles chart all told was Mr. Brightside by The Killers, released in 2004 which was in the top 100 for 522 weeks. When it comes to albums, an interesting statistic belongs to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, which spent just one week at number one in the Billboard chart but was in the chart for 741 weeks.

7. The longest number one was All Around the World by Oasis at nine minutes and 38 seconds in 1998. The shortest was What Do You Want by Adam faith in 1959, at one minute 35 seconds. Someone worked out that you could you could listen to Adam’s song six times during the Oasis track and still have eight seconds to spare.

8. The oldest artist to have a number one hit was Captain Tom Moore who was 100 when his recording of You'll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball hit the top spot in 2020. The youngest was Jimmy Osmond, who was 9 years and 252 days old when Long Haired Lover from Liverpool reached number one in 1972.

9. There are just three songs which have reached number one four times. Three Lions by Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds is the only one to do so with the same artist line-up. The other two are Do They Know It’s Christmas? Featuring different line-ups of Band Aid and Unchained Melody which gave Jimmy Young, The Righteous Brothers, Robson & Jerome and Gareth Gates number one hits. In fact, when Jimmy Young was number one, there were three other versions of Unchained Melody in the chart, by Al Hibbler, Les Baxter, and Liberace. This was the only time in history the same song appeared in the chart four times in a single week. Three Lions, which presumably shows up every time there’s a World Cup, also holds the record for biggest drop from number one in 2018, when England got knocked out of the competition.

10. The longest title of a UK Top 40 hit was Rod Stewart’s Rod Stewart And The Faces’ 1974 hit You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A Walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings) with 115 letters.

New!

The Combat Team series continues with Team Gamma, owned by Madeleine Earnshaw. Forced to abandon her plan to win the contest with a team of women, Madeleine knows her team is not perfect.

Graham has severe PTSD and amnesia: he is missing nine years of his life. He's also the prime suspect in a triple homicide which took place the day he disappeared.

Marcus has a secret he is afraid to reveal.

Stuart's power is most inconvenient outside of the arena.

Thunderbolt, a creature of unknown origin, looks like a monster, but is a mother grieving for her young, killed by humans. Joel not only has a suit of power armour, but an instant rapport with Thunderbolt. He is the only one who can truly communicate with her.

Swallow comes from a world without technology and lacks confidence. The other women on the team bully her.

Ray is Madeleine's right hand man, the person with a solution to almost every problem. But can he convince Swallow he is the one for her when she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve?

Edward has a casual attitude to training and tends to drink too much. His attraction to Madeleine's assistant Janice, although she spurns his advances, goes some way to improving his performance.

When Janice goes missing, the team unite to launch a search and rescue mission, and in the process discover a shocking threat to life on Earth as we know it.

Paperback

E-book

13 November: 317

13 November is the 317^th day of a non-leap year. 10 facts about the number.

1. 317 is the lowest uninteresting number, ie the lowest not to have its own page on English Wikipedia.

2. 317a and 317b mummies are the remains of two infant daughters of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.

3. 317 is a feature documentary that describes the massacres of the 1st Mountain Division of Wehrmacht in 16th of August 1943 in Kommeno Village of Arta, Greece.

4. 317 is the telephone area code for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. Because of this, the city celebrates 317 Day on March 17 (3/17), a major cultural event in the city.

5. 317 Roxane is an asteroid discovered by French astronomer Auguste Charlois in 1891. The name was chosen by F. Bidschof, an assistant at the Vienna Observatory, after Roxana, the wife of Alexander the Great.

6. The artist Norman Rockwell painted 317 covers for Saturday Evening Post magazine.

7. Form V317 is the one required to transfer a vehicle registration number from one vehicle to another in the UK.

8. A door with room number 317 appears in film footage taken of Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before his death.

9. London bus route 317 runs from Waltham Cross Bus Station to Little Park Gardens, Enfield.

10. There are currently 317 recognised species of Turtles and tortoises in the world.

New!

The Combat Team series continues with Team Gamma, owned by Madeleine Earnshaw. Forced to abandon her plan to win the contest with a team of women, Madeleine knows her team is not perfect.

Graham has severe PTSD and amnesia: he is missing nine years of his life. He's also the prime suspect in a triple homicide which took place the day he disappeared.

Marcus has a secret he is afraid to reveal.

Stuart's power is most inconvenient outside of the arena.

Thunderbolt, a creature of unknown origin, looks like a monster, but is a mother grieving for her young, killed by humans. Joel not only has a suit of power armour, but an instant rapport with Thunderbolt. He is the only one who can truly communicate with her.

Swallow comes from a world without technology and lacks confidence. The other women on the team bully her.

Ray is Madeleine's right hand man, the person with a solution to almost every problem. But can he convince Swallow he is the one for her when she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve?

Edward has a casual attitude to training and tends to drink too much. His attraction to Madeleine's assistant Janice, although she spurns his advances, goes some way to improving his performance.

When Janice goes missing, the team unite to launch a search and rescue mission, and in the process discover a shocking threat to life on Earth as we know it.

Paperback

E-book

12 November: The Samaritans

Born on this date in 1911 was Reverend Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans. 10 things you might not know about the Samaritans.

1. First of all, who was Chad Varah? He was a Church of England vicar who was named after Saint Chad, the founder of an 8th century church. Varah studied at Keble College, Oxford and Lincoln Theological College. He was ordained in 1936. In his spare time, he wrote for children's’ magazines.

2. The name of the charity comes from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, as told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. It tells of a traveller, presumably Jewish, who is robbed and left for dead by the side of a road. The man in distress is ignored by the people who might be expected to stop and help, while the Samaritan, a member of a group of people usually antagonistic towards Jews, does stop to help.

3. So Samaritans sounds like the kind of name a vicar might choose for a charity like this, right? Well, Varah didn’t choose it. It came from the headline of a Daily Mirror article abut the work he was doing published on on 7 December 1953 under the headline ‘Telephone Good Samaritans’.

4. It all started when Varah conducted a funeral service for a young girl who’d committed suicide because she believed she had a sexually transmitted disease when in fact she only had her period. Her story had a profound effect on Varah, knowing that if only the girl had had someone to talk to without judgement, her death could have been prevented.

5. Some years later, in 1953, Varah was appointed Rector of St Stephen Walbrook church in central London. And the church had a Telephone. Looking at the instructions for calling the emergency services, and the church’s phone number, MAN 9000, he had the idea of a telephone helpline with a memorable number for suicidal people who needed to talk. That same phone is still on display at St Stephen’s church.

6. Today, the charity has 201 branches across Great Britain and Ireland and despite its origins, is not a religious organisation. Nor is it political and is deliberately organised without regard to national boundaries.

7. The Samaritans helpline operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and was the first 24-hour telephone helpline to be set up in the UK. It’s free to call. 116 123 is the number, certainly in Ireland, which since that is where I’m based is the only number Google would show me. However, Mind.org.uk gives the same number in its directory of services so it looks like it’s the same for both countries; but if you know different, don’t blame me, blame Google.

8. There’s more to Samaritans than the helpline. There’s also an email service which started in 1994 and received over 206,000 emails in 2011. People can also get help via text, letter, minicom, or face-to-face at a branch. The Samaritans also work in prisons and at festivals and events.

9. One in five calls to Samaritans is from someone with suicidal feelings. Which means four in five are from people who are not at risk of suicide but are still looking for support and a listening ear. In 2004 Chad Varah himself spoke about being somewhat disillusioned by that. He said, "It's no longer what I founded. I founded an organisation to offer help to suicidal or equally desperate people. The last elected chairman re-branded the organisation. It was no longer to be an emergency service, it was to be emotional support".

10. In 1972 there was a TV series about the Samaritans. It was called called The Befrienders and featured fictional stories about people who reached out to the charity for help. 11 episodes were made before it was cancelled. That was enough to raise awareness and the result was an increase in calls and also in people wanting to volunteer.

New!

The Combat Team series continues with Team Gamma, owned by Madeleine Earnshaw. Forced to abandon her plan to win the contest with a team of women, Madeleine knows her team is not perfect.

Graham has severe PTSD and amnesia: he is missing nine years of his life. He's also the prime suspect in a triple homicide which took place the day he disappeared.

Marcus has a secret he is afraid to reveal.

Stuart's power is most inconvenient outside of the arena.

Thunderbolt, a creature of unknown origin, looks like a monster, but is a mother grieving for her young, killed by humans. Joel not only has a suit of power armour, but an instant rapport with Thunderbolt. He is the only one who can truly communicate with her.

Swallow comes from a world without technology and lacks confidence. The other women on the team bully her.

Ray is Madeleine's right hand man, the person with a solution to almost every problem. But can he convince Swallow he is the one for her when she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve?

Edward has a casual attitude to training and tends to drink too much. His attraction to Madeleine's assistant Janice, although she spurns his advances, goes some way to improving his performance.

When Janice goes missing, the team unite to launch a search and rescue mission, and in the process discover a shocking threat to life on Earth as we know it.

Paperback

E-book

11 November: 315

Today is the 315^th day of the year. 10 facts about 315:

1. The Roman numeral for 315 is CCCXV.

2. 315 Constantia is an Asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, discovered by Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory in 1891.

3. The A315 is a road in London, connecting Knightsbridge and East Bedfont, Hounslow.

4. Area Code 315 is a North American telephone area code serving Central and Northern New York, including Syracuse and Utica.

5. 315 Rocks is a Facebook group for people who follow the journeys of “kindness rocks” which are painted pebbles which originally came from the Central and Northern New York area. Members are encouraged to post photographs of any such rocks they find in the hope of spreading love and joy and making people smile.

6. The British Rail Class 315 is a class of electric multiple unit trains built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Holgate Road Carriage Works in York between 1980 and 1981.

7. The 315 series is a commuter electric multiple unit train type introduced by Central Japan Railway Company in the Nagoya and Shizuoka areas on 5 March 2022.

8. The year 315 was a common year starting on Saturday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus. In this year, The Arch of Constantine was completed near The Colosseum at Rome to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge; Crucifixion was abolished as punishment in the Roman Empire; and Hilary of Poitiers, Christian bishop and Doctor of the Church was born.

9. London bus 315 runs from St Julian's Farm Road to Springfield University Hospital.

10. The message of angel number 315 is one of positive life changes which will help you grow, and suggests that you keep an open mind and stay flexible. Tap into your inner passions and divine inspiration to manifest your goals.

New!

The Combat Team series continues with Team Gamma, owned by Madeleine Earnshaw. Forced to abandon her plan to win the contest with a team of women, Madeleine knows her team is not perfect.

Graham has severe PTSD and amnesia: he is missing nine years of his life. He's also the prime suspect in a triple homicide which took place the day he disappeared.

Marcus has a secret he is afraid to reveal.

Stuart's power is most inconvenient outside of the arena.

Thunderbolt, a creature of unknown origin, looks like a monster, but is a mother grieving for her young, killed by humans. Joel not only has a suit of power armour, but an instant rapport with Thunderbolt. He is the only one who can truly communicate with her.

Swallow comes from a world without technology and lacks confidence. The other women on the team bully her.

Ray is Madeleine's right hand man, the person with a solution to almost every problem. But can he convince Swallow he is the one for her when she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve?

Edward has a casual attitude to training and tends to drink too much. His attraction to Madeleine's assistant Janice, although she spurns his advances, goes some way to improving his performance.

When Janice goes missing, the team unite to launch a search and rescue mission, and in the process discover a shocking threat to life on Earth as we know it.

Paperback

E-book

10 November: Oliver Goldsmith Quotes

Today, ten quotations from Oliver Goldsmith, Irish writer whose works include She Stoops to Conquer and The Vicar of Wakefield. He was born this date in 1728.

1. Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.

2. Life is a journey that must be travelled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.

3. You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.

4. I love everything that's old, - old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine.

5. He who fights and runs away May live to fight another day.

6. If we do not find happiness in the present moment, in what shall we find it?

7. In arguing one should meet serious pleading with humour, and humour with serious pleading.

8. Aromatic plants bestow no spicy fragrance while they grow; but crush'd or trodden to the ground, diffuse their balmy sweets around.

9. Every absurdity has a champion to defend it.

10. There is nothing so absurd or ridiculous that has not at some time been said by some philosopher.