Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
In 1879 on this day the Blackpool Illuminations were turned on for the first time. This display was nowhere near the grand scale of the modern day, as the electric light bulb hadn’t been patented yet. This resulted in an understated inaugural display consisting of eight arc lamps on the promenade. After Thomas Edison’s patent... Continue Reading →
A Fictional Tale Thirty seven years ago today Muhammed Ali outpointed Leon Spinks to become the first boxer to win the world heavyweight title three times, at the Superdome in New Orleans. A crowd of over 60,000 and an estimated worldwide TV audience of 90 million, watched Ali's historic achievement. It was to be the... Continue Reading →
German born actor Gert Frobe, best known for his portrayal of the title character in the Bond movie Goldfinger, died on this day in 1988 at the age of 75. He passed away in Munich following a heart attack. As he laid in his hospital bed post attack, he is said to have asked the... Continue Reading →
Former US swimmer Mark Spitz made history on this day in 1972, when he became the first person to win seven gold medals in a single Olympiad, in Munich. To add further kudos to his feat, not only did he win the gold medals but he also set a new world record in each of... Continue Reading →
Motown’s first ever Number One was released on this day in 1961. The song in question was Please Mr Postman which was performed by the all-girl group The Marvelettes. The same song also reached the top of the charts when the Carpenters covered the song in 1975. Other acts such as The Beatles, not to... Continue Reading →
In the first three lines of their song No More Heroes the 1970’s punk band The Stranglers ask the rhetorical question:- Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky? He got an ice pick. That made his ears burn. The reason this song came to mind today was that on this day in 1940 Trotsky received the fatal... Continue Reading →
I see they are making a Dads Army movie that’s due for release in 2016. It has a star studded cast with Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Bill Patterson and Morgan Freeman as Cpl Pike. We are told it will pay homage to the sitcom from the 1970’s, featuring the much loved characters of Walmington-on-Sea’s Home... Continue Reading →