Frank Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920) was an English
theatre architect and designer. Matcham was best known for his work in
London, under Moss Empires, which included the designs of the Hippodrome
(1900), Hackney Empire (1901), Coliseum (1903), Palladium (1910), and
the Victoria Palace (1911). During his 40-year career, he was
responsible for the design and construction of over 90 theatres and the
redesign and refurbishment of a further 80 throughout the United
Kingdom. According to the dramatist Alan Bennett, there was a Matcham
theatre in every corner of the UK. Matcham's use of cantilevers for the
galleries allowed him to discontinue the use of columns, which would
otherwise obstruct the audience's view of the stage. The auditorium
decorations were often mixed with Tudor strap-work, Louis XIV detail,
Anglo-Indian motifs, naval and military insignia, rococo panels,
classical statuary, and baroque columns.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Matcham>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1642:
The Société Notre-Dame de Montréal founded Fort Ville-Marie,
a permanent mission that eventually grew into the Canadian city of
Montreal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal>
1947:
After renegotiating a contract with the makers of her signature
Chanel No. 5 perfume, Coco Chanel received a share of wartime profits
from its sale, making her one of the richest women in the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Chanel>
2000:
Following the killing of two English football fans by
Galatasaray supporters in the previous month, British and Turkish
hooligans rioted on the day of the UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen,
Denmark.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_UEFA_Cup_Final_riots>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
fjord:
A long, narrow, deep inlet between cliffs.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fjord>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The idea of motherland is not a false idea, but it is a little
idea, and one which must remain little. There is only one common good.
There is only one moral duty, only one truth, and every man is the
shining recipient and guardian of it. The present understanding of the
idea of motherland divides all these great ideas, cuts them into pieces,
specializes them within impenetrable circles. We meet as many national
truths as we do nations, and as many national duties, and as many
national interests and rights — and they are antagonistic to each
other.
--Henri Barbusse
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse>