Interesting facts

Terry Nation who invented the Daleks which saved Dr Who from being scrapped, also wrote for the comedy great TonyHancock and at one time he lived in the same street in Cardiff as Roald Dahl

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Something good in the water Mr Smith

:+1:

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I didn’t know that, I knew Hancock’s writers were Galton and Simpson (forget their first names) and that he went rapidly downhill after he sacked them.

Personally I think Dr Who has become incomprehensible rubbish since that Little Britain fella got his claws in it - and I say that as someone who has a Tardis carpet, biscuit barrel and doona set.

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In the UK, when the Ministry of Defence need to expand their empire in order to protect the empire, they find a place called Nowhere, then build a military base in the middle of it.

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Wagner the famous composer also invented a musical instrument.

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Most adult moths don’t eat.

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IMG_0329

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Mrs Fox was interested if she has any relatives she could talk to

:flushed:

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Foods such as Lobster, oysters and more were once considered poor peoples foods, Caviar used to be given away for free
How times change

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Conor Clapton was 4 years old when he passed away. Conor was born to Eric Clapton and Lory Del Santo. He lived with his mother, but the day before he passed away, he had spent a fun-filled day with his father at the circus.

On March 20th, 1991, Eric was coming to Lory’s apartment to take her and Conor on a trip to the zoo. Conor was excitedly talking to his nanny about the future plans while his mother took a bath and got ready to go. Lory shouted to him from the bathroom that he needed to hurry up. He shouted back, “In a minute!” She heard Conor running, as he was playing hide and seek with the nanny. She heard the nanny running too, but the janitor stopped her briefly to tell her that he had slid the window open. In that time, Conor had run through the open window, which usually resembled a large wall of glass. Lory heard the nanny screaming and she ran into the room and asked where Conor was. When she saw the open window, she knew what had happened. Just minutes later, Eric arrived to take Lory and Conor to the zoo. Lory, was inconsolable and screamed that Conor was dead. The ambulance was called, but Conor could not be saved. He had fallen out of the window, which was on the 53rd floor of the building, and had landed on top of another building below.

The youngster had written his first letter to his father days before the accident and his mum, Italian model Lory, posted it to Clapton’s home in London – arriving after the child’s death.
Lory said: ‘The baby had learned to write a few words and he said to me, “Oh mummy, I want to write a letter to daddy, what shall I write?” I told him, “Well, write, I love you”. He wrote that and we posted it like a regular letter.

‘After Conor died, Eric and I arrived in London for the funeral. I was there when Eric received his mail just after the funeral and he opened it up and it was Conor’s letter. That is a moment I cannot forget.’
Clapton wrote the 1992 song Tears in Heaven in tribute to Conor. It won three Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.

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Minx such a tragic story and a terrible thing to happen . I tried to look at the windows and can’t believe they actually opened like sliding patio doors with no balcony . So the windows which were full pane opened wide with no security ?

I’m shocked

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It is sad and tragic. I couldn’t believe it either.

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I’ll never regard Eric in the same way again
Such pain.
Poor Bloke


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That song is too painful to listen to
 it won’t be on any of my Alexa playlists.

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Nor mine Chilli, not after hearing the heartbreaking story behind it


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I remember hearing the tragic news that fateful day. I was sitting in my office when one of my colleagues came in and told us what had happened, we were just so shocked, couldn’t believe it. That song is so beautiful, it’s not possible to listen to it without shedding a tear.

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May 1st is a public holiday in France, but also in many other countries. While many people know that Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st, do you know exactly why, and the origins of this holiday? Unlike other French public holidays, May 1st has its origins across the Atlantic, and more specifically in the United States.

It was on May 1st 1884 that American workers’ unions decided to mobilize to demand the eight-hour day. Why May 1st? Across the Atlantic, this date corresponded to the first day of the business accounting year. Two years later, on May 1 1886, when these wage demands had still not been met, large-scale demonstrations were organized. Over 300,000 workers demonstrated peacefully across the country. On May 3, in Chicago, several strikers die during a demonstration. The following day, again in Chicago, a bomb exploded and clashes resulted in several police casualties.

Although the media were not as developed as they are today, these demonstrations were not without consequences in France. In 1889 in Paris, the Congress of the Second Socialist International decided, at the instigation of Jules Guesde, to make May 1st a day of demonstrations. The first was celebrated on May 1, 1890.

As in the United States, the demands were the same. But the situation turned dramatic on May 1, 1891. Nine people were killed and around thirty injured in the commune of Fourmies, in the Nord region of France.

The significance of May 1st became even greater in France. And it was in April 1919, following Parliament’s vote for the eight-hour day, that May 1st officially became a non-working day.

In 1941, while France was under the Vichy regime, Marshal PĂ©tain declared May 1st to be the*“FĂȘte du Travail et de la Concorde sociale*” (in reference to the Vichy regime’s motto*“Travail, Famille, Patrie*”). With the Liberation, this day disappeared until April 26, 1946, when the government finally decided to reintroduce it. In 1948, May 1st was definitively instituted as a paid public holiday.

MuguetMay 1st: why are lilies of the valley offered on this day? History and origins
On May 1st, a plant is on display everywhere in France: the famous lily of the valley. But why do we offer a sprig of lily of the valley every May 1st? We explain the history and origins of this tradition. [Read more]

Que faire à Paris ce 1er Mai 2024 férié, les bons plans ouvertsWhat to do in Paris this May 1st 2024, public holiday, good open plans
What to do this Wednesday 1á”‰Êł May 2024 in and around Paris, Labor Day? A real public holiday, the first sees many places close to us, so to make sure you don’t find yourself with your beak in the water, Sortiraparis nets you the places that are open and the good plans for spending a good Bank Holiday Monday. [Read more]

L'Egypte des Pharaons, de Khéops à RamsÚs II : l'exposition immersive de l'Atelier des LumiÚres - IMG20240208100857May 1, 2024 in Paris: museums and monuments open on this public holiday
May is the month of public holidays in France! And it all starts on May 1, with Labor Day. Why not take advantage of this free time to visit the museums and monuments of Paris and the Île-de-France region? Find out which cultural venues are open on this day. [Read more]

Les magasins et centres commerciaux ouverts ou fermĂ©s le 1er mai 2022 Ă  Paris et en Île-de-FranceStores and shopping centers in Paris and the Île-de-France region open or closed on May 1, 2024
Looking for a shopping center or department store open on Wednesday, May 1, 2024? Discover the list of places open or closed to do your shopping in Paris or Île-de-France on this public holiday! [Read more]

copied and pasted as my dyslectic is having a bad day
 :slightly_frowning_face:

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Excellent facts Dianne, thanks, I just love this stuff

:+1:

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Origins of May Day: Beltane
The Celts of the British Isles believed May 1 to be the most important day of the year, when the festival of Beltane was held.

This May Day festival was thought to divide the year in half, between the light and the dark. Symbolic fire was one of the main rituals of the festival, helping to celebrate the return of life and fertility to the world.

When the Romans took over the British Isles, they brought with them their five-day celebration known as Floralia, devoted to the worship of the goddess of flowers, Flora. Taking place between April 20 and May 2, the rituals of this celebration were eventually combined with Beltane.

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