Archive: On This Day.
1908: Agent and author Ian Fleming was born.Fleming, famous for creating the world's most loved agent - 007 James Bond, was born in London and was educated at Eton.He studied languages in Munich and Geneva, but at the age of 23 he still didn't have a degree, so decided to work as a journalist in Moscow between 1929-1933.
After four years, he left Russia and returned to London where he became a stockbroker until the Second World War broke out, when he joined the Royal Navy.
He rose through the ranks to become a naval officer in the British intelligence and served under Admiral John H Godfrey, who was his inspiration for 'M' in the James Bond stories.
Many of his missions during the war would later become important scenes in his books. In 1952 he married Anne, Lady Rothmere, in Jamaica, the country where he also wrote most of his books. The first Bond story, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and 13 other books of the agent's adventures followed.
He died from a heart attack in 1964. Also on this day: 1742: The first indoor swimmingpool in England opened in London; 1779: Irish poet Thomas Moore was born; 1891: The first weightlifting championships were held in London; 1932: The world's largest sea dam was completed in Holland; 1951: The firstGoon Show was broadcast by the BBC; 1982: Diego Maradona of Argentinos Juniors was sold to Barcelona for pounds 5 million.
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | Features |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Birmingham Post (England) |
| Date: | May 28, 2003 |
| Words: | 243 |
| Previous Article: | Letter: Metro is very popular. |
| Next Article: | Archive. |