1922-2006, airline pioneer
The Laker Skytrain, which began flying from London to New York in 1977, was the original no-frills air service — the blueprint for Virgin, Easyjet and Ryanair.
Laker Airways started in 1966 operating holiday charters. Sir Freddie was committed to offering air travel as economically as possible: passengers had to buy tickets on the day of travel and paid for their meals separately.
He got round the more bizarre restrictions on charter flights to the US by offering tickets to “affinity groups”: it was permissible to carry passengers so long as they were in a group and belonged to a club. Of course, the clubs were spurious.
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The authorities cracked down in 1971, but only after bizarre scenes at Gatwick when Sir Freddie turned up with his lawyer and a Bible, and passengers were asked to swear allegiance to their “ clubs”.
— The Daily Telegraph
Betty Friedan
1921-2006, original desperate housewife
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Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, was the founding mother of the women’s liberation movement. She was the original desperate housewife, frustrated by domesticity and social mores. After publishing the book Friedan was shunned by friends and neighbours. In her defence, she told Life magazine: “Some people think I’m saying, ‘Women of the world unite — you have nothing to lose but your men’. It’s not true. You have nothing to lose but your vacuum cleaners.”
— The Independent