Bulgarian umbrella effectively used to assassinate a Bulgarian journalist by poisoning him with ricin delivered through the tip of an umbrella. Bulgarian umbrella A Bulgarian umbrella is an umbrella with a hidden pneumatic mechanism which injects a small poisonous pellet containing ricin. It has a hollowed stalk into which the pellet neatly sits. Such an umbrella was allegedly used in and named for the assassination of the Bulgarian dissident writer Georgi Markov on 7 September 1978 (the birthday of the Bulgarian State Council chairman Todor Zhivkov, who had often been the target of Georgi Markov's criticism) on Waterloo Bridge in London. Markov
A Boy Was Born set of variations for string orchestra which he was later to complete as the "Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge". Later he was to compose a set of variations for his Piano Concerto, and his opera "The Turn of the Screw" is extensively based on the variation principle. "A Boy Was Born" was first performed on 23 February 1934 in a BBC radio concert of contemporary music. Leslie Woodgate conducted the Wireless Chorus and choirboys of St Mark's, North Audley Street, London. Sir Edward Elgar died the same day. The work takes about 32 minutes to perform. It was