10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 21 February:
- This date in 1875 saw the birth of Jeanne Louise Calment, the world's longest living person who died at a confirmed age of 122 years and 164 days. At 14, she met Van Gogh in her father's shop, describing him as "dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable," and attended the funeral of Victor Hugo in 1885. When she was 114, she appeared briefly in a film called Vincent and Me as herself, making her the oldest actress ever. She also released a rap record called Mistress of Time. Asked what the secret of her long life was, she said, "I took pleasure when I could. I acted clearly and morally and without regret." On her 122nd birthday in 1997, she said “God must have forgotten me”. However, her words may have served to remind Him as she only lived another 164 days.
- Another birth on this date was the French writer Anais Nin in 1903. She is the one who wrote: "And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
- In 2002, Joseph Stoyer, aged 51, had an unfortunate accident with a mug of Coffee. He stepped out of his front door in Seaford, Long Island, slipped and fell. The mug shattered and a 4in (10cm) shard went through his carotid artery, causing him to bleed to death.
- It was on this date in 1953 that F. Crick and J. Watson discovered the structure of the DNA molecule.
- Another scientific discovery occurred on this date in 2013, when a study found that Bumble Bees can sense electric fields around flowers.
- The "Yorkshire Ripper", Peter Sutcliffe, murderer of 13 women, was finally captured on this date in 1981.
- In 1964, the UK flew 24,000 rolls of Beatle Wallpaper to the US.
- In 1983, Donald Davis ran a mile backwards in 6 m 7.1s.
- In 1816 Captain Edmund Gardner, of the whaler Winslow, was mauled by a whale he had harpooned. Cue the tiny violins. He lived another 59 years despite his injuries.
- Born this date in 1910 was Douglas Bader, WWII fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force. He fought despite having lost both legs in a pre-war flying accident. He attributed his success to three basic rules: 1) If you had the height, you controlled the battle. 2) If you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you. 3) If you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed. He said, “Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
A superhero love story:
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment