10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 24 December:
- Howard Hughes was born on this date in 1905. He inherited the Hughes Tool Company when his father died and invested some of the money in Hollywood films including Hell’s Angels and The Outlaw. He worked under an assumed name for American Airways, then left after less than a year with enough knowledge not just to start his own aircraft company, but also to design an aircraft to take the airspeed record. Hughes is remembered today, however, for his eccentric behaviour and reclusive lifestyle.
- Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series was born on this date in 1973.
- Robin Hood is said to have died on this date in 1247. Famous for stealing from the rich to give to the poor, it's said he bled to death in a convent in Kirklees. He summoned Little John to his bedside, and said, "Give me my bent bow in my hand, And an arrow I'll let free, And where that arrow is taken up, There let my grave digged be." The alleged grave may still be seen near Huddersfield.
- In 1818, a mouse put the organ out of order at St Nicholas Church in Oberdorf, Germany, which would have meant no music for midnight mass. Franz Xavier Gruber saved the day by writing a carol for guitar and choir, with lyrics by Josef Mohr. It was called Stille Nacht (Silent Night). This traditional song was sung for the first time on this night.
- Albert Einstein and eminent physicist Leo Szilard filed a patent in England for a refrigerator on this date in 1928. It proved too noisy for domestic use, but the magnetic pump in many nuclear reactors is based on their noisy Fridge.
- In 1968, astronauts aboard Apollo VIII, orbiting the Moon, read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis as part of a Christmas Eve television broadcast to Earth, and took a photo of earth rising behind the moon.
- In 1978, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog of the group ABBA separated after seven years of marriage.
- In 1965, a Meteorite weighing about 100 lbs landed on Leicestershire, possibly the largest to fall on Britain in modern times.
- In 1977 Thomas Helms made an unexpected appearance on TV. He was attempting to commit suicide by jumping from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, but strong cross winds blew him through a window on the 82nd floor, where NBC news was being broadcast.
- In 1998, 21 workers at a Psychic Hotline in Peru were locked out of their jobs for refusing a 50% pay cut. Their boss, Walter Mercado, hired replacement psychics. The locked out psychics weren't happy. They claimed they were trained in psychology and human behaviour while the new psychics were hired with no training whatsoever. Their only requirement was "a nice voice."
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.
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