16 December

10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 16 December:

1. Noel Coward, playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit and flamboyance was born on this date in 1899. His works include Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit. He said, "I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me."
2. In 1775 Jane Austen, English novelist was born. Her works include Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. She wrote, "One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other."
3. This date in 1770 saw the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist. Beethoven's hearing gradually deteriorated beginning in his twenties, yet he continued to compose, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.
4. In 1950, Shirley Temple married Charles Black, socialite and business executive from San Francisco.
5. In 1929, the first all-talking feature film was made in Britain. Called The Clue Of The New Pin, it featured a young actor, John Gielgud, as the villain.
6. In 2005 a British television reality show called Space Cadets carried out the most expensive practical joke ever, which cost £4.5 million to pull off. 12 contestants were selected to compete to become the first British space tourists. They were told they would be training in Russia, but the plane they boarded flew around in circles for four hours before landing. The contestants were taken to an elaborate set in Suffolk where their training was filmed. The joke was revealed on this date when the three winners, Keri Hasset, Paul French and Billy Jackson, were shown a shot of the outside of the fake shuttle along with an audience including their friends and family. The three did get £25,000 prize money each, however, to soften the blow.
7. In 1971, Don McLean’s eight-minute-plus version of American Pie was released. It was one of the longest songs with some of the most confusing lyrics to ever hit the pop charts.
8. The highest wind speed ever measured – 236 mph – at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam as Typhoon Paka occurred on this date in 1997.
9. In 1987 Himalayan herdsmen were reported to have offered a £44 reward for help in catching thieves who cut off yaks’ tails for use as dusters or decorations and in religious ceremonies.
10. In 2015, a bank in Minnesota was robbed by the same person a second time while an Iowa television station was doing a live update on the first robbery.

New!!

A Superhero love story.

Sent away to school to get her away from undesirable company, Agnes finds herself homesick and lonely. A brief connection with Jason Warner leads to the teenage crush to end all teenage crushes. Jason is barely aware Agnes exists, but she plans her whole future around him.

It is only when they meet again as adults that the connection becomes mutual; but before it can develop, Jason makes a discovery which rocks his entire world. He needs time alone, away from everyone, including Agnes. When Jason is finally ready to go back to his old life, Agnes has moved on and he cannot find her.

Agnes is now a single parent to the remarkable Seraphina. The Power League want to harness Seraphina's powers for evil before the Freedom League become aware of her. Agnes has no idea her new colleague and friend is a supervillain with his own agenda, and his willingness to babysit is not as innocent as she thinks. As Incendio starts teaching Seraphina to use her powers, the Freedom League intervene. Little do they know that they have found one of their own.

Where to get it:

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