10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 23 April:
- This date in 1564 saw the birth of William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He is often referred to as simply "The Bard". His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
- In 1616, William Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday. His will left his "2nd best Bed with the furniture" to his wife, Anne Hathaway.
- Born on this date in 1775 was J.M.W. (Joseph Mallord William) Turner, English painter. His works include The Battle of Trafalgar, as Seen from the Mizen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory, Snow Storm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps, Eruption of Vesuvius and The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons. He was reputed never to have uttered a harsh word against anyone, nor criticised a fellow-artist’s work.
- In 1900, the word, "hill-billy" first appeared in print in an article in the New York Journal. It was spelled "Hill-Billie" and used in a story of a "free and untrampled white citizen of Alabama who lived in the hills."
- In 1348 the oldest British order of knighthood, the Order of the Garter was founded by King Edward III. Its patron is St George, whose feast day this is, and its motto is Honi soit qui mal y pense (Evil be to him who thinks evil of it). It is said to have been inspired by a knight retrieving a lady's garter.
- In 1838, the steam ship Great Western arrived in New York having departed 15 days earlier from Bristol, transporting 660 tons of coal and seven passengers. It was the beginning of the transatlantic steam ship service.
- Christian tradition maintains that it was on this date in 33AD that Jesus Christ rose from the dead – the very first Easter.
- In 1968, Britain's first decimal coins, the 5p and 10p, were issued in advance of decimalisation.
- In 2000, in Bristol, an entire garden, belonging to Colin and Linda Warburton, was stolen. Thieves made off with trees, cemented ornaments, even a pond of Carp and goldfish.
- In 1988, Greek cycling champion, Kanellos Kanellopoulos, pedalled an extra-lightweight flying machine called Daedalus through the air from the island of Crete across the Aegean Sea to the island of Santorini, a distance of 74 miles, setting a record for man-powered flight. He crashed into the sea, just yards from the shore, and swam safely to land. He chose this date to do it because it's said to be the date when the Greek myth character Daedalus made his rather less successful attempt.
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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