How a Sydney bottle sniffer became a star
The bottle sniffer in the Sydney soft drink factory did a bit of modelling on the side and it was his habit of taking off his shirt that earned him his big break
Today In History
Bootleggers’ need for speed inspired NASCAR
Charlotte Speedway was the venue for an exciting new concept in motor racing, designed to find the best driver rather than the best car
Henry VIII’s bastard son a real life Jon Snow
Bastard Henry FitzRoy was ultimately denied the throne despite enjoying the favour of his father
Demon barber’s horror story a cut above the rest
In 1846 writers Thomas Peckett Prest and James Malcolm Rymer hit upon a recipe for a bestseller about a demonic barber who murders his clients and has them baked into pies
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Chivalry’s oldest honour born on the dance floor
KING Arthur’s knights of the round table may be the stuff of legend, but Britain’s oldest knighthood is still among us.
Aussie soldier downed the Red Baron
AUSTRALIAN gunner Cedric Popkin is credited with shooting down Germany’s Red Baron flying ace, after 80 kills.
Brothers in arms set Cuba’s communist path
A 2000km boat trip from Mexico in 1956 secured Cuban power for Fidel and Raul Castro.
Children were Barbara’s top priority
OBITUARY: “The one who was always there was Barbara Bush,” recalled a childhood friend of the former US First Lady’s eldest son George.
Islanders abandoned during Nazi occupation
IN June 1940 Britain’s war cabinet voted to leave the Channel Islands to fend for themselves during a German invasion.
‘White hunter’ Holden became wildlife activist
DESPITE more than 50 movies, Hollywood box-office hero William Holden’s hottest action scenes never made it onto film.
Japanese admiral downed by long-range Lightning strike
A MESSAGE intercepted 75 years ago began the US mission to shoot down Imperial Japanese Navy commander Isoroku Yamamoto.
Body snatchers made a killing for anatomy
WHEN medical schools in the 19th century needed bodies for anatomical studies, there were some ghoulish operators willing to supply them.
Untimely obituary led to Nobel prize legacy
INVENTOR Alfred Nobel is said to have read his own obituary, which spurred him to create the Nobel prize
Kennedy matriarch still stands by her man
WHEN college student Ethel Skakel took a skiing holiday in 1945 she met a handsome naval officer, brother of a school friend. The meeting changed her life and wedded her to a political destiny.
Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/today-in-history/page/30