January 30th "2024" daily prep

Welcome to day 30, known as National Escape Day, National Croissant Day, Yodel for Your Neighbours Day. If you were born on this day, you were likely conceived the week of May 9th. Your star sign is Aquarius and your birthstone is Garnet.
2019 – Scientists reveal discovery of cavity six miles long, 1,000 feet deep under Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, leading to fears it might collapse and raise sea levels by two feet.
Todays birthdays
1937 – Vanessa Redgrave (87), English actress (The Whistleblower, Mary, Queen of Scots, Deep Impact) and the only English actress ever to win the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Cannes, Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild awards, born in Blackheath, London.
1951 – Phil Collins (73), English singer (“In the Air Tonight”, “Against All Odds”), drummer and actor (Buster), born in Chiswick, London.
1974 – Olivia Coleman (50), English actress (The Crown, Broadchurch, The Iron Lady), born in Norwich.
1974 – Christian Bale (50), English actor (The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, American Psycho, Ford v Ferrari), born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
1981 – Peter Crouch (43), English former professional footballer (Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City, England), born in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
The day today
1965 – The state funeral, in London, of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain. It was the biggest state funeral of its kind since the burial of the Duke of Wellington in 1852. After his state funeral service, his body was taken by train to Bladon, Oxfordshire and there the private burial took place, conducted by the rector. By contrast with the earlier service, only relatives and close friends were present.
1972 – ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. British paratroopers, believing they were under fire from Catholic protesters on a banned march which had become a violent riot, opened fire, killing 13 people.
2003 – British-born Richard Reid was sentenced to life in jail for trying to bomb an American Airlines flight carrying 197 people.
2012 – London City trader Kweku Adoboli appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court accused of fraudulently gambling away a record £1.5bn whilst working for Swiss bank UBS. He was subsequently jailed for seven years after being found guilty of two counts of fraud.
2015 – Sir Jay Tidmarsh, Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol between 1996 and 2007, found an old school library book as he cleared his shelves. He decided to return the book to Taunton School, in Somerset, and made a £1,500 donation to the library in lieu of a fine for not returning the book for 65 years.
Today in music
1964 – The Searchers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Sonny Bono song ‘Needles And Pins’. The group’s second UK No.1 had originally been recorded by Jackie DeShannon.
1988 – Tiffany was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’, the singers only UK No.1 single. The song was a hit for Tommy James & The Shondells in 1967.
1999 – After spending 11 weeks on the chart Britney Spears started a two-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘…Baby One More Time.’ The song topped the charts in at least 23 countries and was the best-selling single of 1999. The song is one of the Best Selling Singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold.
2000 – Gabrielle went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Rise’. The song used a sample from Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ giving Dylan his third UK No.1 as a writer, the other two being The Byrds version of ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ and Manfred Mann’s ‘The Mighty Quinn’.
2013 – Mick Jagger was named the most stylish rock star of all time by lifestyle website Complex. Jagger lead their top 50 list ahead of Prince, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious and Keith Richards. Complex stated, “Even today, he wears silk scarves and suits with more rakish appeal than most men – and he’s pushing 70.”
Today in history
1606 – Sir Everard Digby, Thomas Winter, John Grant and Thomas Bates who, along with others, had tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in November 1605 were hanged, drawn and quartered for their part in the ‘Gunpowder Plot’.
1649 – The executioner Richard Brandon beheaded King Charles I at Whitehall.
1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was exhumed and formally executed, after having been dead for two years! Ironically, it took place on the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I, the monarch who Cromwell himself had deposed 12 years previously.
1736 – The birth of James Watt, Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen’s steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1781. His engine was fundamental to the changes of the Industrial Revolution.
1790 – The first purpose-built lifeboat, The Original, was launched on the River Tyne at South Shields. The boat was 28 feet (8.5m) long and was rowed by up to 12 crew for whom cork life jackets were provided.
Fact of the day
A 10-year old mattress weighs double its original weight. This is due to the debris it absorbs over time such as mites, mold, dead skin cells, dandruff, etc. It also includes the sweat of the person using the mattress.