14th June

Legend has it that after his victory at Marengo today in 1800, Napoleon asked his chef to cook something to commemorate the victory. It has come to be known as Chicken Marengo and ranks alongside other great culinary victories as

• Haddock Grammicus (Alexander the Great
• Escargots Alesia (Julius Caesar)
• Eggs Agincourt (Henry V
• Mushrooms Cape St Vincent (Nelson)
• Onions Chickamanga (Ulysses Grant)
• Bananas Mersch Matruh (Erwin Rommel)

Scrummy!

In other news ...
Actor and President Ronald Reagan became Sir Ronald today in 1989 when he was dubbed by Her Majesty. Other America recipients include George Dub You Bush and James Earl Jones. Count Basie doesn't count.

13th May

Pope John Paul II (sweet old boy, ran the Catholic church, you know the one) was shot today in St Peter's Square, Rome in 1981. His would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agea shot him four times (so His Holiness clearly had friends in high places) in protest at American and Russian imperialism. Presumably he also tried to murder the US President on the grounds that he didn't care for the way the church of Latter Day saints was being run. You couldn't make it up, could you?

In other news ...
Ronald Reagan hit the Presidential (as opposed to cattle) trail today back in 1979. His comment for the Press was 'I used to say that politics was the second lowest profession and I have come to know that it bears a great similarity to the first.'

Who said that guy was losing his marbles? How did he ever become President? Twice?