10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 30 April:
In 1900, John Luther "Casey" Jones, a train driver; rode the Cannonball Express to his death when his train collided with a freight train – he didn't jump off to save himself but stayed to slow the train and save the lives of his passengers – he was the only person who died in the crash. He was 36.
In 1945 Adolph Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany, facing defeat as the Russians approached his bunker, shot himself in the head. His wife of less than 40 hours, Eva Braun, took cyanide.
In 2018, the world's oldest known Spider, a trapdoor spider known as "Number 16", died of a wasp sting at the age of 43.
In 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Previously, he was commander in chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution. John Adams was the first Vice-President.
It's a popular day for abdications. In 1980 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicated and was succeeded by her daughter, Beatrix; in 2013 Queen Beatrix in turn abdicated in favour of her son, who became King Willem-Alexander, the first male monarch in the Netherlands in 123 years. In 2019, Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne in favour of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito. He was the first Japanese Emperor to abdicate in over two hundred years, the last being Emperor Kōkaku in 1817.
In 1939, Franklin D Roosevelt became the first US president to appear on television as his appearance was beamed to about 200 sets within a 40 mile radius of the New York World’s fair.
In 1955, element 101, Mendelevium was discovered.
In 1977, Speckle the goose in Goshen, Ohio, laid the heaviest goose egg ever. It weighed 24 ounces, twice as much as the average goose egg.
In 1006, the brightest Supernova in recorded history was observed in Europe, China, Japan, and Egypt. The explosion of Supernova 1006 occurred in the constellation Lupus.
In 1998, a book was found under the floorboards of the Information in Shop Shoreham-by-Sea. It was The Shadow of the East by EM Hull, and was a library book, due back on 3 January 1924. It was returned to Lancing West Sussex library. The fine due was £2,322,40. We're not told whether the Information Shop was expected to cough up.
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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