The German foreign ministry is sending me lots of exciting emails about the anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. This is indeed significant, but I had a look at Wikipedia for today’s other anniversaries, especially birthdays. Quite a lot of them, mostly famous actors:

• 1347 – St Catherine of Siena
• 1767 – Joachim Murat, King of Naples (d. 1815)
• 1867 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor, (d. 1957)
• 1906 – A.J.P. Taylor, British historian (d. 1990)
• 1911 – Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald (d. 1967)
• 1920 – Patrick Troughton, British actor (d. 1987)
• 1928 – Jim Lovell, American astronaut
• 1942 – Aretha Franklin, American singer
• 1942 – Richard O’Brien, English actor and writer
• 1947 – Elton John, English singer and songwriter
• 1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress
• 1974 – Lark Voorhies, American actress

A good reason to commemorate Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor Who. But my mind is slightly boggled by the fact that both Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, and Richard O’Brien, the originator of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, turn 65 today.