I shouldn't mock the afflicted, but let me tell you a true tale of Seven Zed Ess. They were a lively bunch of individuals, prone to syndromes and disorders and we were doing a project on World War One. We did the trenches and the gas and tanks and in case the girls felt left out I let them do a project of their choice, but it had to be World War One related. Little Zephaniah (not his real name) chose a man who died on this day in 1989. He was Thomas Octave Sopwith. Zephaniah didn't find his middle name funny because he only had a slim grasp of music. What he found rivetting about Sopwith is not only that he designed World War One aircraft but he was also the inventor of camels and puppies.
Today, I am proud to tell you that Zephaniah is Regius Professor of History at Oxford University (not its real name).
In other news ...
It was on this day in 1868 that the journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley found the missing explorer (who was not a journalist) Dr Livingstone. His famous greeting of 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' had endless comic possibilities. He could have said 'No' and then where would we be? He could have said 'Yes, but you'll have to make an appointment at Reception.' In fact, he missed the moment and just said 'Aye' or something suitably Scottish.
Incidentally, Livingstone wasn't missing. He knew exactly where he was all the time.
