10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 7 April:
- Born on this date in 1770 was William Wordsworth, romantic poet, England's Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death in 1850. He wrote the poem, The Daffodils, which begins: "I wandered lonely as a cloud: That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden Daffodils."
- In 1739, the legendary Highwayman Dick Turpin was executed at the age of 32. Richard Turpin was actually a violent criminal who committed offences such as Deer stealing, burglary, highway robbery and murder before being executed in York for the murder of an innkeeper. It is said that as a last gesture he threw himself off the ladder ahead of the official “drop”. After his death, he was romanticised as the dashing and heroic highwayman.
- This date in 1928 saw the death of Alexander Bogdanov, a 54 year old Russian scientist and author who believed that transfusions of Blood from young people would grant him eternal youth. He carried out experiments on himself, and claimed that his eyesight improved and that he was no longer going bald. He didn't know about blood borne diseases, however, and died of malaria and TB contracted from the blood of his last donor.
- On this date in 1996, a wedding took place at Lopburi Zoo, Bangkok. The bride and groom were Mike and Susu, a pair of Orangutans.
- In 1933, the 18th, or Prohibition, amendment was repealed in the USA. Passed in 1920, this amendment made it illegal to manufacture, sell or transport alcoholic drinks. Intended to reduce crime, corruption and other social problems, the measure had became very unpopular. The state of Oklahoma, however, didn't end prohibition until this date in 1959.
- In 1853, chloroform was used as an anaesthetic on Queen Victoria, during the birth of her eighth child, Prince Leopold.
- The first Matches were sold on this date in 1827. Marketed as "friction lights", invented by John Walker, a chemist in Stockton-on-Tees, Co. Durham, the first known purchaser was a local solicitor who paid one shilling (5p) for 100 matches and a further 2d (1p) for the tin tube to keep them in.
- In 1996 Poole Town soccer team ended a 39 match run of losses by drawing against Barnsley 0-0. They narrowly missed earning an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for being the worst team ever. One more loss would have done it.
- In 1832, Joseph Thompson, a farmer, went to Carlisle to sell his wife. They had both agreed to separate. A large crowd gathered as he offered her for 50 shillings (£2.50). After an hour, the price was knocked down to 20 shillings (£1), with a Newfoundland dog thrown in. The practice of wife selling, although illegal in Britain, was not unknown in rural areas.
- In 1943, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) was first synthesised by Albert Hoffman in his Swiss laboratory. On the same date in 1956, Humphrey Osmond coined the word "psychedelic" to describe the effects of LSD and similar drugs.
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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