The Hitler Diaries hoax

The biggest hoax of 1983 happened in April, when the German news magazine Stern announced that it had paid almost 9 million Deutschmarks for a series of small books, purporting to be the diaries of Adolf Hitler. Supposedly, these diaries had been recovered from a crashed aeroplane near Dresden and smuggled out of what was then East Germany, by a mysterious "Dr. Fischer".

The publishers of Stern had the handwriting analysed; three separate analyses concluded that it was indeed Hitler's handwriting. They were fearful that the diaries would be leaked however, so forensic analysis did not take place immediately, but two historians (one sent by Times Newspapers, who were bidding for UK publishing rights, the other by the US magazine Newsweek) who were given brief access to the material did verify their authenticity.

Nevertheless, doubts remained and conspiracy theories abounded, some thought that it may have been a Soviet plot to destabilise the West German state, while then-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt also refused to believe that the diaries were genuine. At the press conference announcing the publication, both historians began to backtrack on their previous verification of authenticity, resulting in embarrassment for Stern magazine.

It got worse, when the German national archives (Bundesarchiv) pronounced the diaries as forgeries; noting that modern-day ink and paper were used, and that there were many historical inaccuracies.  Further confirmation came from forensic analysts in London, and the whole thing degenerated into fiasco.

The affair resulted in the resignation of two editors from Stern, while the editors of both The Sunday Times and Newsweek also stepped down from their positions. The mysterious "Dr. Fischer" was unmasked as forger Konrad Kujau, working alongside journalist Gerd Heidemann. Both were imprisoned for forgery and embezzlement in 1984, although Kujau was later able to use his notoriety to start a studio producing artworks in the style of famous artists. He died in 2000 aged 62.

A television dramatisation of the hoax, 'Selling Hitler' was shown on ITV in the UK in 1991, with a cast including comedian Alexei Sayle as Konrad Kujau.
The drama was based on a book by Robert Harris, who can be seen talking about the book below:

Television of 1983: Entertainment USA

For obvious reasons, you don't hear much from TV presenter/record industry mogul/hitmaker Jonathan King these days, but back in the 1980s his stock was high. Some of his career achievements included a string of hit singles, some of which were parodies or novelty songs under assumed names, some of which were under his real name; discovering and producing the first album by Genesis, and having a music/showbiz newspaper column as well as securing an occasional slot on BBC Television's 'Top Of The Pops' reporting on the music scene from the US.

It was that slot on 'TOTP' which gave King the platform to produce 'Entertainment USA'. He had been credited with giving UK exposure to numerous US acts enabling them to score chart hits here, and the 'Entertainment USA' show took things a stage further. It still featured a report on the US music scene, but also included a look at the latest films and television shows coming from across the pond, and all hosted in a 'travelogue' style, showcasing a different US city each week. In addition, King would often feature exclusive interviews with some of the biggest stars of the day; his show was required viewing in 1983 for rock fans in particular, since he was one of the few major British media figures to give any positive TV exposure to rock bands such as AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne or KISS.

King claims to have had almost 10 million viewers of his show at its height, which is quite an achievement given that it was shown on the minority BBC2 channel. (Notwithstanding the fact that cable and satellite TV was still some years away in the UK and there were still only four channels to choose from then.)

King's next production was another similarly entertainment-orientated TV show: 'No Limits', an early example of so-called 'yoof TV'. He did not present the show himself but instead handed presenting duties to younger, unknown hosts. From then he went on to produce the annual BRIT record industry award shows and was still a very influential figure in music and television leading up to his arrest. Charged with offences against minors, he was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to seven years in prison.

King maintained (and continues to maintain) his innocence of the charges; not a man who is easily beaten, after his release he went on to create a musical (titled 'Vile Pervert: The Musical') which aimed to give his side of the story, lampooning everyone from the police to the media along the way. Playing all the characters himself, he made the production available to view online and at the time of writing has had over 80000 views online. In addition, he maintains his own website 'King of Hits' and continues to post some thought-provoking views on a range of subjects.

Whatever else you may think of Jonathan King, the world of music and television is poorer and a lot duller without him contributing to it. Below are a couple of interview extracts from 'Entertainment USA':

Interview with Ozzy Osbourne 'Entertainment USA' 1983:
*2023 update: replaced old video link*

 


1983 Interview with KISS in full make-up, including Vinnie Vincent in 'Ankh' mask:
 

1983 saw the introduction of the pound coin

The 21st of April 1983 saw the introduction of the pound coin for the first time in the UK. The government of the day felt that a more robust coin would be much better than the existing pound note, which lasted on average just nine months.

The new £1 coin was designed to last over 40 years, and examples of the original 1983 design are still in circulation today alongside more recent designs. The coin weighs 9.5 grams, with a diameter of 2.25cm and its composition is approximately 70 percent copper, with 24.5 percent zinc and 5.5 percent nickel. The original design featured the ornamental Royal Arms on the 'tails' side, and of course the Queen's head on the other side, with a ridged edge and the motto 'DECUS ET TUTAMEN' ('An ornament and a safeguard') inscribed in it.

When launched, the coin was not immediately popular with the public, with the tabloid press dismissing it as a 'flop'. However it soon became accepted, and in subsequent years the design on the 'tails' side would feature symbols to represent the constituent countries of the United Kingdom, as well as different inscriptions on the edge.  The coin circulated alongside the pound note until 1988, when the decision was taken to withdraw the note, a move not welcomed by all but one which became inevitable once a sufficient number of coins went into circulation.

In 1983 when the coin was launched, the price of a loaf of bread was 38p (according to data from the Office of National Statistics). In 2012 a similar loaf would cost £1.24, and a pint of milk costing 24p in 1983 would by 2012 cost 46p.

The coin was designed to be easily found amongst loose change, although it has inevitably been targeted by counterfeiters. It is thought that about 3 percent of £1 coins in circulation are fakes, and banks work closely alongside the Royal Mint to identify and remove from circulation counterfeit £1 coins. Most fakes are reasonably easy to spot, by checking the milled edge of the coin to make sure it is even or by looking at the lettering. The colouring is also a giveaway; a genuine coin - even one that has been in circulation for a while - will appear more golden than a fake which is likely to have become dulled or even changed colour over time.

*2023 update - A new design for the £1 coin came into circulation in March 2017; this featured a bimetallic design and was 12-sided, unlike the earlier round coin which was withdrawn from circulation in October of that year.*

A news report from 2012 which comes from the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales claims that one in 36 of every pound coins is a fake, which is available to view here:

Cliff Thorburn's maximum at the 1983 World Snooker Championships

Snooker was an immensely popular sport in Britain during the 1980s, with both BBC and ITV devoting extensive coverage to the major events throughout the year. The World Championships, held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977 and televised since 1978, was almost as big an event as Wimbledon fortnight, with the BBC providing blanket coverage each April.

In 1983, Canadian player Cliff Thorburn, a former world champion, achieved a notable first, becoming the first player to make a 'maximum' 147 break in the World Championships, at the Crucible in front of the television cameras. It was not the first maximum to be televised, that honour belonged to Steve Davis who scored a 147 in another televised tournament a year previously. Thorburn's feat was achieved in a match against another former world champion in Terry Griffiths, and the break began in bizarre fashion with a fluked red. Neither player was renowned for playing quickly, and the break took almost 15 minutes from start to finish. During the course of the break, when it was becoming clear that a maximum was on, play stopped on the other table as fellow Canadian Bill Werbeniuk started to take an interest. When it got to the final black, commentator Jack Karnehm's throwaway line of  'Good luck, mate' went down in commentating folklore. Thorburn sank to his knees when the last ball went in, as the audience rose to acclaim the feat. He was congratulated by the referee, his opponent Terry Griffiths and also by Bill Werbenuik (who had briefly left his own match behind on the other side of the wall dividing the hall up, in order to join the celebration).

Thorburn made it to the final that year, only to lose heavily to the then seemingly-invincible Steve Davis. The outcome would mean that 1983 saw another first, in that a former Crucible champion would win the tournament again. That had never happened until that year, although Davis went on to dominate the scene in the 1980s. The so-called 'Crucible curse' remains today in that no first-time champion has ever successfully defended his title. Steve Davis is the last man standing from the glory days of the 1980s, still playing to a high standard today, while Thorburn retired and returned to Canada, returning to the UK on occasion to take part in veteran exhibitions, and has appeared on television to relive that 1983 maximum. 

2023 Update: Steve Davis finally retired from top-level snooker in 2016. He was given an opportunity to say farewell to the Crucible by parading the World Championship trophy he won on six occasions, to a cheering audience in Sheffield.

Fittingly, for the 40th anniversary of the Thorburn maximum, two more were scored during the 2023 tournament. Firstly by Kyren Wilson in the second round, then Mark Selby whose maximum was another Crucible first, a 147 had never before been scored in the final itself.

The 147 Thorburn achieved that year arguably overshadowed Steve Davis's second world title, and there is little doubt that the BBC will commemorate his maximum break again at the Crucible 30 years on. We can do so now with the entire frame available to view here:

Music of 1983: Spandau Ballet release True

New Romantic survivors Spandau Ballet broke through internationally with their third album, 'True' released in March 1983. Although they had vied with Duran Duran for top pop group in the UK over the previous two years, Spandau had gradually moved away from their New Romantic leanings and by the time of their third album, were seen wearing sharp suits and playing a more sophisticated style of music more influenced by jazz and soul. This new sound and image resonated with the times, with the rise of the 'yuppie' - a term for a new breed of young professionals who either were already a part of, or aspired to, greater social status. Looking like clean-cut 'yuppies' themselves, the North London outfit struck gold with singles from the album such as 'Gold', 'Lifeline' and the title track 'True'.  As part of this transition, Spandau member Steve Norman, originally a guitar player, switched to playing saxophone and main songwriter Gary Kemp took over the guitar.

The album became an international hit, and the band continued with this direction for the next two albums. However subsequent records, although producing hit singles, did not replicate the runaway success of 'True' and the band eventually broke up at the end of the decade. Brothers Gary and Martin Kemp went on to star as the Kray twins in a biopic of the infamous gangland leaders, and the latter carved out an acting career and enjoyed a long run starring in the BBC soap 'Eastenders'. After some legal tussles between the Kemp brothers and the remaining members, the band eventually patched up their differences and reunited in 2009 for a successful arena tour of the UK.

The song 'Gold' was used during coverage of the London Olympic games of 2012 by the BBC, with a short extract of the song being played each time a British competitor won a gold medal. With the team notching up 29 gold medals, that meant a lot of play for the song.

'True' was sampled several years later by hip-hop outfit PM Dawn for the song 'Set Adrift on Memory Bliss'; the video for the song featured a cameo from Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley.

Here is the title track from the band's breakthrough album, showing the group in their Sunday best and with another typically 1980s touch, the use of Simmons drums rather than a traditional kit.

1983: Jenny Pitman becomes first woman to train a Grand National winner

The Grand National steeplechase, held every year at Aintree near Liverpool, has attracted as much controversy as it has punters almost throughout its history. Although efforts have been made to modify the course in recent years, back in the 1980s the race had changed little since its inception. The course itself only narrowly escaped being sold off for a housing development, as the industry rallied to preserve the event, an important shop window for racing with many once-a-year punters trusting to luck to pick the winner.

Until this year trainer Jenny Pitman was best known as being the ex-wife of jockey Richard, whose horse Crisp was narrowly beaten by Red Rum ten years earlier, for the first of three National victories. The couple had split under somewhat acrimonious circumstances in the intervening years, and while Richard had gone on to commentate for the BBC, his ex-wife had become a successful trainer. Her horse Corbiere was considered a legitimate contender, however the favourite was the previous year's winner Grittar. This year, Grittar was partnered by a professional jockey after Dick Saunders, the 48-year old amateur who rode him to victory 12 months previously, had retired from the saddle.

But it was Corbiere, ridden by jockey Ben de Haan, who took the spoils, prominent all through the race he held off the Irish challenger Greasepaint in a thrilling finish, to take the race by three-quarters of a length. The victory was a popular one, with Mrs Pitman becoming the first woman to train a winner, that provided the 'story' so often associated with National winners. Corbiere was well-suited to the course and returned for several more attempts, only failing to complete the course once in 1986. He finished third in the next two Nationals, while Greasepaint, the horse he narrowly edged out, managed to finish in front of Corbiere the next year. Unfortunately, Hallo Dandy finished in front of both of them and Greasepaint achieved an unenviable feat of back-to-back runners-up placings.

As for Mrs Pitman, she went on to become a popular figure with TV viewers, as her interviews with BBC presenter Desmond Lynam were a highlight of the day's TV coverage. She went close again in the 1991 race with Garrison Savannah, that year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner ridden by her son Mark, who lost out in the run-in to Seagram in a finish that echoed the Crisp/Red Rum finish years before. She also trained Esha Ness, who 'won' the void race of 1993, before finally notching up another National win with Royal Athlete in 1995. She retired in 1999 and handed the trainer's licence to her son Mark.

Below is a link to the BBC footage of the 1983 Grand National:

1983 in rock: Motorhead accused of wimping out

1983 was a transitional year for Motörhead with the classic line-up having come to an end the year previously, following the departure of guitarist 'Fast' Eddie Clarke. He quit the band following disagreements with bassist and mainman Lemmy over the direction of the group, and so it was with former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian 'Robbo' Robertson that they recorded their next studio album, 'Another Perfect Day'.

'Robbo' never really fitted in well with Lemmy and drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor; the guitar contributions on the resulting record resulted in the band sounding a lot different, less heavy ('more musical', as some commented while -deriding- the new sound!) In addition, the look 'Robbo' had at the time was completely at odds with the band's leather-clad, biker image. He had shorter hair, with a headband similar to a tennis player, and took to the stage wearing shorts. His refusal to 'look the part' as Fast Eddie had done before him, turned fans against him before they would even give the record a chance. The band were slated in the press at the time for 'wimping out'; although Lemmy has since stated that he liked the record (and has performed some material from it in later live sets).

The collaboration would only last for one album and tour before 'Robbo' either quit or was sacked (he and Lemmy failed to hit it off, despite it being Lemmy's decision to bring in the guitarist, as an admirer of his work), and soon after that 'Philthy' also quit the band. Lemmy was then left to reconstruct Motörhead with new members; in came guitarists Phil Campbell and Michael Burston (known in the band as 'Würzel'), and drummer Pete Gill. The new band recovered some of the lost ground before Philthy returned to the fold for a short spell, then was succeeded on drums by Mikkey Dee. Würzel left the band in 1995 (and sadly passed away in 2011), and the present line-up of Lemmy, Campbell and Dee has remained in place since then.

*2023 Update: Lemmy died on 28 December 2015, four days after turning 70 years  old and having only recently completed the Motörhead 40th anniversary tour. Drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor died shortly before Lemmy, on 12 November 2015 and guitarist 'Fast' Eddie Clarke died on 10 January 2018.
Of the surviving members of the final Motörhead line-up, drummer Mikkey Dee subsequently joined veteran German rockers the Scorpions, while guitarist Phil Campbell formed a new band (Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons) in 2016 with his three sons.*

Here is the lead-off single from the 'Another Perfect Day' album: 'I Got Mine':