11 March

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 11 March:

Frankenstein

1. This date in 1952 saw the birth of Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless. He once wrote: "Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still know where his Towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."
2. In 2000 a 52 year old forklift truck driver was killed when he was thrown from the cabin and crushed. The inquest concluded his death was caused by driver error – driving too fast over loose gravel and not wearing a seat belt. The entire incident was captured on film because the man was making a safety video at the time.
3. In 1810, Emperor Napoleon of France was married by proxy to Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria. Marie had never seen Napoleon. She didn't even see him on the wedding day. He sent a stand-in to represent him in the marriage ceremony.
4. In 1811, hosiery trade workers attacked the machines which had been designed to replace them in the weaving of wool. One of their leaders was called Ludham, which gave rise to the protesters being called “Luddites”, a term which is still used today to describe people who hate modern technology.
5. On this date in 1993, Janet Reno became the first female US Attorney General.
6. In 2010, three earthquakes hit central Chile, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.9. All were centred near Pichilemu, capital of Cardenal Caro Province, and all took place during the inauguration ceremony for new president Sebastián Piñera. Make of that what you will.
7. On this date in 1964, Gene Roddenberry pitched a series to MGM which he described as as "Wagon Train to the stars." It became the hugely successful Star Trek franchise. On the same date in 1997, Gene Roddenberry's ashes were were launched into space.
8. Mary Shelley published her Frankenstein novel on this date in 1818, at the age of 19. The story of Frankenstein had started in the summer of 1816 when she took on a challenge set by Byron and Shelley to write the most frightening ghost story. The first edition had an unsigned preface by Percy Shelley. Many people at the time thought he must have written it, not believing a young woman could write something so horrific.
9. In 2005, Ali Mubarrat, a resident of Lodge Road, Aston, Birmingham, auctioned his front door on eBay for charity, because he was sick of people defacing it. The door in question was the front door of Ozzy Osbourne's childhood home, which had become a pilgrimage destination for fans.
10. In 1993, a robbery took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The victim demanded that his wallet, which contained $20, be given back. The mugger, unused to being challenged, got flustered and handed over his own wallet by mistake, then ran for it. The thief's wallet contained $250.

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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