APROPOS OF NOTHING #44 - 31 MAY 1930 - MAKE MY (BIRTH)DAY

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #44 – 31 May 1930

Celebrating the 90^th birthday and amazing screen career of Clint Eastwood, and sharing a signed photo from my autograph collection.

Personal favourite film: Unforgiven (1992).

Source: Me

APROPOS OF NOTHING #43 - 30 MAY 1431 - MAID OF ORLEANS

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #43 – 30 May 1431

Joan of Arc (Maid of Orléans) was born circa 1412 and died 30 May, 1431 in Rouen.  She was a national heroine of France, a peasant girl who believed that she was acting under divine guidance as she led the French army in a momentous victory at Orleans that repulsed an English attempt to conquer France during the Hundred Years War.  She was captured and burned to death for heresy by the English and their French collaborators. She was approximately 19 years old.

More than 20 years later, after a thorough investigation into the death sentence verdict, she was declared innocent. She was canonised by Pope Benedict XV on 16 May, 1920.

Her feast day is 30 May.

 "I am not afraid; I was born to do this."

Sources: Various

APROPOS OF NOTHING #42 - 29 MAY 1953 - EVEREST CONQUERED

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #42 – 29 May 1953

New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest on the Nepal-Tibet border.  They reached the top of the world at 11.30 local time after a gruelling climb up the southern face.  The two men hugged each other with relief and joy but only stayed on the summit for about 15 minutes because they were low on oxygen. Hillary took several photographs of the scenery and of Sherpa Tenzing waving flags representing Britain, Nepal, the United Nations and India.  Tenzing buried some sweets and biscuits in the snow as a Buddhist offering to the gods.

Later, Hillary said:

“Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.”

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

National Geographic noted:

“Hillary was knighted for being the first known person to climb to the top of Mount Everest. But Tenzing, who simultaneously reached its summit, only received an honorary medal. In the years since, there's been growing disquiet at the lack of official recognition."

Hillary - 20 July,1919 - 11 January, 2008

Tenzing - 29 May, 1914 - 09 May, 1986

Sources: BBC, Wikipedia and others

APROPOS OF NOTHING #41 - 28 MAY 1984 - "I'M PLAYING ALL THE RIGHT NOTES...."

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #41 – 28 May 1984

On 28 May, 1984, we lost Eric Morecambe at 58. 

APROPOS OF NOTHING #40 - 27 MAY 1894 - DASHIELL HAMMETT

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #40 – 27 May 1894

Novel and short story writer Dashiell Hammett was born in Maryland on 27 May, 1894.  He was described as “the dean of the hard-boiled school of detective fiction” in the New York Times.

He created Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, Nick and Nora Charles in the Thin Man and The Continental Op in The Dain Curse.

He was a war veteran and a political activist who was blacklisted for refusing to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee in the era of McCarthyism.

Hammett died at 66 in a Manhattan hospital of lung cancer and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

He more than made his mark in literature and films.

From The Thin Man: “The problem with putting two and two together is that sometimes you get four, and sometimes you get twenty-two.” 

Sources: Wikipedia, IMDB
 

APROPOS OF NOTHING #39 - 26 MAY 1907 - THAT'LL BE THE DAY!

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #39 – 26 May 1907

  

John Wayne 

26 May, 1907 - 11 June, 1979

APROPOS OF NOTHING #38 - 25 MAY 1961 - JFK AIMS FOR THE MOON

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #38 – 25 May 1961

On 25 May, 1961, President Kennedy called for millions of dollars to fund a space programme to land the first man on the Moon by 1970.  In a speech to a joint session of Congress broadcast on TV and radio around the United States, he asked for an extra $1,700m to add to the federal budget.  The largest proportion of this would be spent on researching and developing ways of getting an American on the Moon by the end of the decade. 

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth," he said. 

He said $9,000m (£3,214m) would be needed over the next five years to fund space rockets and other projects to get a man on the Moon. But the president added the plan would not need to be supported by extra taxes provided the economy continued to grow and companies exercised wage and price restraint.

In July, 1969, there was a small step and a giant leap.

Kennedy, sadly, did not live to see his dream fulfilled.

JFK

Sources: BBC and others

APROPOS OF NOTHING #37 - 24 May, 1989 - SONIA SUTCLIFFE & IAN 'BANANA' HISLOP

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #37 – 24 May 1989

On 24 May, 1989, a jury at the High Court in London awarded £600,000 damages to Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, against the satirical magazine Private Eye.  The award was £100,000 more than the previous record British libel sum.  Mrs Sutcliffe, who was legally separated from her husband, made no comment. She left the court shrouded in a blanket.

She was due to get £25,000 of the award immediately and the rest pending an appeal lodged straightaway by Private Eye.  Its editor, Ian Hislop, said the magazine could go out of business and would be appealing to its readers for financial assistance.  He pointed out the award was 100 times larger than that awarded to three of Sutcliffe's victims.

On the steps of the court Hislop said: "If that's justice, then I'm a banana."

In 1981 Sutcliffe was jailed for life for killing 13 women. When he was first arrested and charged, Private Eye accused Mrs Sutcliffe of doing a deal with the Daily Mail worth £250,000.  They said there had been a squalid race to buy her story and claimed she had negotiated with the press to profit from her fame as the wife of a serial killer.  Mrs Sutcliffe's defence lawyers said she had done no such deal because she did not want to capitalise on what her husband had done.

After Private Eye’s appeal, the damages were reduced to £60,000.

Source: BBC

APROPOS OF NOTHING #36 - 23 MAY 1934 - BONNIE PARKER & CLYDE BARROW

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #36 – 23 May 1934

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were US criminals who robbed banks, small stores and gas stations during the years of the Great depression.  In their two-year partnership, they were relentless in their crimes that also included murder.  Their exploits captured the attention of the American public.  They had many confrontations with the police including car chases and violent shoot-outs.

Finally, on 23 May, 1934, Parker and Barrow were ambushed by law enforcement officers in the Louisiana woods area.  They opened fire and Clyde was killed instantly and Bonnie moments later.  In all, about 130 rounds of ammunition were fired into the couple’s car.

An extract from a police statement said:

“Each of us six officers had a shotgun and an automatic rifle and pistols. We opened fire with the automatic rifles. They were emptied before the car got even with us. Then we used shotguns. There was smoke coming from the car, and it looked like it was on fire. After shooting the shotguns, we emptied the pistols at the car, which had passed us and ran into a ditch about 50 yards on down the road. It almost turned over. We kept shooting at the car even after it stopped. We weren't taking any chances.”

At the time of their deaths, Parker was 25 and Barrow, 23.

Bonnie and Clyde have been a source of fascination-fodder for films, television and music. 

Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker

Sources: Wikipedia and others

APROPOS OF NOTHING #35 - 22 MAY 1969 - APOLLO 10

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #35 – 22 May 1969

Before the more famous Apollo 11 moon landing adventure, an Apollo 10 team made an advance, rehearsal mission to photograph the Moon’s surface in the hope of finding suitable and safe landing areas.  On 22 May, 1969, Colonel Thomas Stafford and Commander Eugene Cernan began the journey back to their mother ship (Charlie Brown) in their lunar module (Snoopy), after taking multiple photographs.  The command module, positioned about 50 miles, 80 kilometres, above the Moon, was piloted by Commander John Young.

They had come within 8 nautical miles, 14 kilometres, of the Moon’s surface, the closest any human had ever been to a celestial body.

Snoopy had made two passes over the planned landing site for Apollo 11 before making a successful rendezvous with Charlie Brown.  After the first sweep at six times the speed of sound, Stafford said they had taken so many photographs he feared the camera had jammed while trying to change the film. 

If the mission had failed to bring back still shots of possible landing sites and approaches, it would have been a serious blow to the Apollo planners. They wanted to make sure astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would have a safe landing this July in Apollo 11. 

Stafford managed to get a good view of the surface which he described as "very smooth, like wet clay".

Commander Cernan reported to control at Houston: "We just saw the Earth appearing over the edge of the lunar horizon and it's got to be magnificent. It would be nice to be here more often."

Cernan, Stafford and Young

Sources: BBC and others

APROPOS OF NOTHING #34 - 21 MAY 1966 - MUHAMMAD ALI V HENRY COOPER

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #34 – 21 May 1966

On 21 May, 1966, Muhammad Ali beat Henry Cooper in the sixth round of a fight in London to retain the world heavyweight championship.  Cooper's hopes of bringing the title back to the UK were dashed one minute and 38 seconds into the sixth when the referee stopped the fight - a deep gash over his left eye forced him to concede victory to Ali, 24.  About 40,000 spectators watched at the Arsenal football ground in Highbury, as Cooper, fought bravely with his big left hooks to battle against Ali’s quick footwork and fast punches.

After the fight Cooper was sent to Guys Hospital where he had 12 stitches for the cut that dashed his hopes of world victory.  His manager Jim Wicks, said Ali had butted Cooper with his head and should have been disqualified. (Later, analysis of slow-motion film concluded there was no clash of heads.)

The 1960 Olympic champion, famed for proclaiming "I am the greatest!", took the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964.

He was left unmarked by the Cooper fight apart from some swelling on the cheekbone under his left eye - the result of one of Cooper's best punches.  After his win, he went to Cooper's dressing room to see him and said: "I hate to spill blood. It's against my religion."

His manager and 'spiritual adviser' Herbert Muhammed said Ali should be proud of his performance. "It was a wonderful punch," he said. "The same one that broke Liston. It's terrible to see a man destroyed like that. I think the referee should have stopped the fight before."

 

Sir Henry Cooper

3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011 

Muhammad Ali 

January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016

Sources: BBC and others

APROPOS OF NOTHING #33 - 20 MAY 1890 - ANTON CHEKHOV & A SAUSAGE

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joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #33 – 20 May 1890

Around 20 May, 1890, Anton Chekhov travelled from Moscow to Tomsk, a place he deplored.  His journey was not always a comfortable one, as he indicated in a letter:

“I’ve been hungry as a horse all the way.  I filled my belly with bread in order to stop thinking of turbot, asparagus and suchlike.  I even dreamt of buckwheat kasha.  I dreamt of it for hours on end.  I bought some sausage for the journey in Tyumen, if you can call it a sausage.  When you bit into it, the smell was just like going into a stable at the precise moment the coachmen are removing their foot bindings; when I started chewing it, my teeth felt as if they had caught hold of a dog’s tail smeared with tar. Ugh!  I made two attempts to eat it and then threw it away.” 

 

Anton Chekhov

Source: A Journey to the End of the Russian Empire

APROPOS OF NOTHING #32 - 19 MAY 1937 - 'BOMBER' PAT ROACHE

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping, the golden age of Hollywood (esp westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. 

This is a series of very, very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #32 – 19 May 1937

Professional wrestler and actor ‘Bomber’ Pat Roache was born on 19 May, 1937 in Birmingham.  His wrestling career included winning the British and European heavyweight championships.  At 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), he was a formidable opponent.

In his acting career, he is remembered fondly as Bomber Busridge in the 40-episode TV comedy/drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983 – 2004), about bricklayers abroad.  The ensemble cast included Jimmy Nail, Kevin Whately and Tim Healy.  Roach appeared in 36 episodes.  Created by Franc Roddam, the senior writers were Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais

His film work included an uncredited part as a bouncer in A Clockwork Orange (1971), a Sherpa in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and a Chieftain in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (1991), as well as small parts in other films and guest roles in many TV shows.

Away from sport and acting, Pat Roache owned a scrapyard and a gym in Birmingham.

He died at 67 on 17 July, 2004 from cancer.

Sources: Wikipedia/IMDB