10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 12 May:
This date in 1820 saw the birth of Florence Nightingale. She became a national heroine as a nurse in Turkey during the Crimean War. Wounded soldiers called her the Lady of the Lamp as she walked the wards at night carrying one. She was a statistician as well as a nurse. She used data, charts, and statistics to prove that lives could have been saved by better sanitation.
In 2000, Neil Micklewright, aged 19, died after accidentally stabbing himself in the eye with a screwdriver while breaking into a church safe in Oldbury, West Midlands.
The first wedding in the New World took place on this date in 1621. They happy couple were Edward Winslow and Susanna White, who tied the knot in Plymouth Colony, Mass.
The first quadrophonic concert ever took place on this date in 1967. Pink Floyd appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, giving a special concert Games For May – Space Age Relaxation For The Climate Of Spring. The sound system was stolen after the show and not recovered for several years.
The first BBC outside broadcast took place on this date in 1937. It was of King George VI’s coronation procession. George VI therefore became the first monarch to appear live on TV as he returned from his coronation. There were only 2,000 TV sets on which to watch him, though! The first “vox pop” interviews also happened today when commentator Freddie Grisewood asked people in the crowd how long they’d been waiting, to fill in time while waiting for the procession.
In 1978, bowing to pressure from women's groups, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it would alternate men's and women's names in the naming of hurricanes. Hurricanes had traditionally been named for women. "It's not fair that women should get all the attention for causing damage and destruction," one women's activist opined.
In 2008, singer-songwriter Neil Young had a Spider named after him. US university biologist Jason Bond discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and decided to name it after his favourite musician. Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi had been found in Jefferson County, Alabama, in 2007.
In 2000, thieves stole the gates to Strawberry Fields, the Merseyside landmark featured in The Beatles song. The 10' high iron gates were later found at local scrap metal dealers in Liverpool.
In 1998, the custom of walking backwards in front of the Queen during the state opening of Parliament was dropped on safety grounds.
In 1839, a Shawnee Indian uttered a curse on "The Great White Father" for violating Indian treaties, beginning a curious cycle of American Presidential deaths. Every president elected or re-elected in a year ending in 0 died in office from 1840-1960. Ronald Reagan (1980) survived an attempt on his life and hopefully broke the curse.
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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