As I was about to write ‘Dear Diary’ in my diary as I do every day, I realised my diary wasn’t at all dear.

It cost me the princely sum* of 99 pence when my local newsagent and stationers was selling-off its 2020 diaries and calendars at the end of March.
(*What a daft expression. We all know Princes don’t carry cash!)

Printed on every page of the diary is a fascinating fact about an event that happened on that date in history.

Take April 1st. On that day in 1994, Arthur Crummett, the man who invented the television remote control, passed away. His wife came home from work and found him down the back of the sofa.

This 99 pence diary is full of such fascinating information – as you’ll find out for yourself if you nip down to the shop as soon as you finish reading this and purchase one of the few remaining 358 copies.

Here’s another fact that surprised me . . .

On May 22nd 1956, Professor Heinrich Manouvre, the German literary giant, concert pianist and part-time scrap-metal dealer who thought-up the first crossword puzzle, was buried in Munich’s central cemetery. If you ever want to visit his grave, when you walk in through the cemetery gates, you’ll find he’s six down and 14 across.

On June 9th 1953 Sir Redmund Capillary was the first person to climb Everest carrying a double-glazed window.

The page for July 21st revealed that on that date in 2005, a blue plaque was placed on the house of Peter Farquhar, the first toothpaste manufacturer to add red and blue stripes to his product. Apparently, the idea came to him after he’d slapped some colourful ‘Go Faster’ stripes to his 1973 Skoda Turbo.

He thought striped toothpaste would encourage people to brush their teeth twice as fast, they’d get through each tube in half the time they usually did and sales would double.

Co-incidentally just four doors down from Peter Farquhar’s address is the one-time home of Kenton Plinge, the man who invented mouthwash!

You won’t be surprised to learn that Kenton doesn’t have any plaque . . .