7 July

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 7 July:

1. In 1553, Mary Tudor spent the night in Sawston Hall hiding from the Duke of Northumberland. When a party of the Duke’s men was spotted at dawn, Mary fled disguised as a milkmaid. Her pursuers, however, burned down the hall. When she was made Queen, Mary had the hall rebuilt.
2. Born on this date in 1940 was Richard Starkey, better known as Ringo Starr, The Beatles' drummer, also narrator of the children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine.
3. Born on this date in 1860 was Gustav Mahler, composer and music director of the New York Philharmonic.
4. Born on this date in 1887 was the artist Marc Chagall. He said, “In our life there is a single colour as on an artist palette, which provides the meaning of life and art... It is the colour of love.”
5. In 2007, Ozzy Osbourne, who comes from Aston, became the first artist to be honoured on Birmingham's Hollywood-style Walk of Fame. He told fans that this brass paving star meant more to him that than any Hollywood accolade.
6. The first air show was held on this date in 1950 in Farnborough.
7. In 2013, Andy Murray of the United Kingdom won the Men's Singles at Wimbledon, defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia in straight sets. This made him the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
8. In 1982, Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace, made his way into the Queen’s bedroom and asked her for a cigarette while sitting on the end of her bed.
9. In 1975, Murile Melkis and her family were watching a film about the sinking of the Titanic on TV in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. ‘Just as the Titanic was about to hit the iceberg we heard a terrific crash. We rushed outside and found tiles from our roof scattered everywhere,’ said Murile. A big lump of ice had chosen that moment to fall from the sky and smash a two-foot-square hole in their roof.
10. Born on this date in 1907 was American science fiction author Robert A Heinlein, whose books include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and The Cat Who Walked Through Walls. He said: “How we behave toward Cats here below determines our status in heaven.”

I write Fiction, too.

There is a whole new universe of superheroes to discover in my novels. The Ultraheroes Universe includes at least one alternative dimension, good guys, bad guys, secrets, romance and more.

For more information visit My Books Page

For even more information visit My website