HOW THINGS BEGAN

THE HAMBURGER

An American chef from Connecticut, Louis Lassen, made and sold the first hamburgers in 1895. He called them hamburgers because sailors from Hamburg in Germany gave him the recipe. Students from Yale University and businessmen loved them and bought them. Kenneth Lassen, Louis' grandson still sells hamburgers in Connecticut.

TELEVISION

A Scotsman, John Logie Baird, transmitted the first television picture on 25 October, 1925. The first person on television was a boy who worked in the office next to Baird's workroom in London. In 1927 Baird sent pictures from London to Glasgow. In 1928 he sent pictures to New York and also produced the first colour TV pictures.

THE BALL-POINT PEN

A Hungarian, Laszlo Biro, made the first ball-point pen in 1938. In 1944 the Bristish Army bought thirty thousand because soldiers could write with them outside in the rain. At the end of the war 'Biros' quickly became very popular all over the world. In 1948 a shop in New York sold ten thousand on one day.

A Did you know that Marco Polo brought spaghetti back from China?

B Really? He didn't! That's incredible!

A Well, it's true!

A Did you know that Napoleon was afraid of cats?

B He wasn't! I don't believe it!

A Well, it's true!

On 1 June 1992 a French burglar broke into a house in Paris. He went into the living room and stole two pictures. Then he went into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and saw some cheese. He was hungry, so he ate all the cheese. Next he saw two bottles of champagne. He was very thirsty, so he drank both bottles. Then he felt sleepy. He went upstairs for a rest, but he was tired and he fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning, there were four policemen around the bed.

HOW WE MET

Wendy Mint

Well, it was five years ago. A Sunday evening five years ago. I was in the bath and the radio was on. Er... I always listen to pop music in the bath. Suddenly I heard this voice, the disc jockey's voice. It was beautiful, really beautiful. Warm and friendly. I thought, 'Oh! What a lovely voice!' I think I fell in love then, with his voice. Well, I listened to the end of the programme and I heard his name, Oliver Mint. I loved the name, too.

Well, er... usually I'm quite shy, but this time I wasn't. I went to the telephone and I rang the radio station. I couldn't believe it! Suddenly there was his voice on the telephone! And we talked and talked, for about half an hour. And he said, 'Where do you live?' so I told him, and then he said, 'Can we meet?' And I said 'Yes, please!' So we met in an Italian restaurant the next evening. I was so nervous, but it was wonderful! We got married a month later and now we have a lovely baby boy. He's nearly two!

Trevor Richards

Well, I have a baker's shop. I make all the bread and cakes for it. And one day ... it was a very hot day in summer, er ... the summer of 1976, and it was lunchtime and er ... this beautiful girl came into the shop. She was with some friends and I could hear that they weren't English, but they spoke English very well and er ... they all bought sandwiches and went to the park. Well, I couldn't forget her. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, her blue, blue eyes. I waited and watched every lunchtime but she didn't come back into the shop.

Then suddenly, there she was again, and so I said, 'Hello again. You're still in England, then?' And she said, 'Yes. But this is my last day. I go back to Sweden tomorow.' And she smiled. Now, usually I'm shy, but I took a small pink cake and I wrote I love you on it. And when she asked for a chicken sandwich, I looked into the blue, blue eyes and I gave her the cake! She laughed and said, 'I didn't know English men were so romantic!' Well, after that she went back to Sweden, but we wrote letters and in 1978 we got married. Now we work together in the shop and we have three children.

The ordinals

first second third

fourth fifth sixth

tenth twelfth thirteenth

sixteenth seventeenth twentieth

twenty-first thirtieth thirty-first

Dates

the first of April April the first

the second of March March the second

the sevententh of September September the seventeenth

the nineteenth of November November the nineteeth

the twenty-third of June June the twenty-third

the fifteenth of July, nineteen sixty-seven

the twenty-ninth of February, nineteen seventy-six

the nineteenth of December, nineteen eighty-three

the third of October, nineteen seventy

the thirty-first of May, nineteen ninety-three

1 The fourth of January

2 May the seventh, nineteen twenty-two

3 The thirtieth of August, nineteen sixty-five

4 A It was Friday. I know it was Friday!

B No, it wasn't. It was Saturday!

A No. I remember. It was Friday the thirteenth. The thirteenth of October!

5 A Oh no! I forgot your birthday.

B It doesn't matter, really.

A It was last Sunday, the second. June the second. Oh I am sorry!

6 A Hey! Did you know this? Shakespear was born and died on the same day!

B That's not possible!

A Yes, it is. He was born on April the twenty-third, fifteen sixty-four and he died on April the twenty-third, sixteen sixteen!