3rd May

Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer prize for her first novel today in 1937. It was a sprawling Civil War epic called Gone With the Wind and was later turned into the Worst Film in History (and I am including John Carter and Titanic in the list) starring Clark Gable.

Bad luck, Maggie; you can't win 'em all.

In other news ...
Niccolo Machiavelli was born today in 1469, one of the most misunderstood Italians of all time (see Benito Mussolini, Cicero, Julius Caesar, Silvio Berlusconi etc etc). His book Il Principe (The Prince) written in 1515 is a brilliant description of the realpolitik of his day, a time when nobody's virtue was overnice. His works were banned in most European universities and he himself equated with the Devil - 'Old Nick' - which is incredibly unfair. He was, after all, telling it like it was.

He has achieved a kind of immortality though - of all the names of the 16th century Italian political scene, which one has come down to us as an adjective? His!

16th April

I absolutely refuse to mention the Titanic, so ...

In other news ...
One of the most lop-sided military encounters in history took place today in 1746. At Culloden Moor, 'Bonnie' Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender was defeated by an English Army under William, Duke of Cumberland. The Highlanders were outnumbered and outgunned, with no cavalry and virtually no artillery. They were also cold, exhausted and starving before the fight began. As a result of Cumberland's victory the Jacobite threat to the English throne was over and the English named a flower after him - Sweet William. Not to be outdone in the horticultural stakes, the Scots named a weed after him - Stinking Billy.

4th April

Francis Drake became Sir Francis Drake today in 1581 when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth at Deptford on the deck of his ship, the Pelican, renamed the Golden Hind. He had left Plymouth on 13 December 1577 with 5 ships and a total crew of 160, as well as various sponsors.
He was now able to state conclusively that the world was indeed round as Magellan had already proved and Columbus believed. Presumably, if Drake had been knighted on 1 April, he would have told the queen the earth was flat.

In other news ...
Ben Hur won 11 Oscars today in 1960 and rightly so. I was still of very tender years when I saw this one and I loved every minute. There was rugged, gritty Charlton Heston, every boy's hero; gorgeous Haya Harareet as the love interest; Stephen Boyd as a thoroughly nasty Messala and of course that superb chariot race which still has me on the edge of my seat. it was probably the last film that coyly didn't show the face of Christ - just his lovely red hair from the back. For film trivia buffs and quiz compilers out there, the actor who played him was Claude Heater and wasn't even in the credits. Sheik Ilderim was played by Welshman Hugh Griffith and the wise man Balthazar by a Scotsman, Findlay Currie, but they were both excellent. Add in the Irish Stephen Boyd and it should come as no surprise to learn that Pontius Pilate (boo! hiss!) was played by an Australian, the onomatopoeic Frank Thring.

The only other film to do as well in Oscar terms was Titanic. Oh per-lease!