21st September

Bonnie Prince Charlie (the young chandelier - see yesterday's post) won a battle at Prestonpans today in 1745. I mention this for three reasons:

1. It was the only battle Charlie ever won - finally losing the one with booze in 1788.
2. It inspired a brilliant folk song about the English commander General Sir John Cope - 'Hey, Johnnie Cope, are you waulking [awake] yet?'
3. Isn't it great that our wonderful country has a place in it called Prestonpans?

In other news ...
John Loudon MacAdam was born today in 1756. He went on to become one of the great road engineers of the Industrial Revolution using gravel held together by tar. it has since come to be known as TarAdam and you see it everywhere.
P.S. It usually melts in the summer, to the unaccountable amazement of local councils everywhere.

30th March

One of the screen's great hero baddies died today in 1986. He was a song and dance man straight out of Vaudeville but made his name in gangster movies with a wise-cracking style and a line everybody can do - 'You dirty rat!' If you want to see the late, great James Cagney at his best, watch his Shake Hands With the Devil in which he plays a deranged IRA member and Angels With Dirty Faces - that walk to the electric chair  can't fail to bring tears to your eyes.

In other news ...

The Spanish artist Francisco Goya was born today in 1746. He's the guy who painted Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, who used to appear on English money before they started using various ever-more-obscure people who had something-or-other to do with the Industrial Revolution. Goya's sketches of Wellington's war in Spain are horrific, with arms and legs hanging in trees. He painted a pretty spooky witch or two as well.

Even the Head of Art at Leighford High has heard of him, so he must be famous!