June 26th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 178, known as Forgiveness Day, National Chocolate Pudding Day. If you were born on this day, you were likely conceived the week of October 3rd in the previous year. Your star sign is Cancer and your birthstone is Pearl.
1999 – The National Stadium of Wales (also known as the Millennium Stadium and Principality Stadium) held its first major event, an international rugby union match, when Wales beat South Africa in a friendly by 29–19 before a test crowd of 29,000.
Todays birthdays
1955 – Mick Jones (69), British musician, singer and co-founder of The Clash (“I Fought the Law”, “Rock the Casbah”, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”), born in Wandsworth, London.
1969 – Colin Greenwood (55), English bassist and a member of the rock band Radiohead (“Creep”, “Paranoid Android”, “Karma Police”), born in Oxford.
1970 – Chris O’Donnell (54), American actor (Vertical Limit, Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, NCIS: Los Angeles), born in Winnetka, Illinois, United States.
1984 – Aubrey Plaza (40), American actress (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Parks and Recreation, Dirty Grandpa), born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States.
1993 – Ariana Grande (31) American singer (“Side to Side”, “One Last Time”, “No Tears Left to Cry”), born in Boca Raton, Florida, United States.
Famous deaths
2009 – Michael Jackson (b. 1958), American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (Thriller, Moonwalker).
2015 – Patrick Macnee (b. 1922), English actor (best known as John Steed in The Avengers).
The day today
1939 – Britain’s first National Serviceman, Private Rupert Alexander, signed up for the Middlesex Regiment. His service number was 10000001.
1945 – Delegates from nations around the world signed the United Nations Charter, designed to help ensure future world peace. The first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly occurred in London early the following year.
1977 – Peter Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper) killed 16 year old Jayne MacDonald in Leeds. She was the fifth of his 13 victims. Her murder changed public perception of the killer, as she was the first victim who was not a prostitute. In 1981 Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attacking 7 others.
1997 – The first Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” hit the shelves in the UK. The film of the same title (in the UK) was released 16 November 2001.
2012 – A gas explosion in a house in Shaw, Lancashire, killed two-year-old Jamie Heaton who was discovered in the rubble of the adjoining property. The blast also caused £1.2million of damage along the street and a number of houses had to be demolished. 28-year-old Andrew Partington was arrested two days later and jailed for 10 years after it was proved that he had cut the gas pipes in his terraced home following an argument with his girlfriend.
Today in music
1976 – TV talent show winners from Liverpool The Real Thing were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘You To Me Are Everything’, the group’s only No.1 hit. It was the first single by a Black British band to top the UK charts.
1988 – Bros were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Owe You Nothing’. It was the only No.1 for the Boy band comprising of twins Luke & Matt Goss and Craig Logan.
1993 – Gabrielle started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Dreams’. The single entered the British charts at No.2 which was the highest chart entry for a debut act. Jamiroquai started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’.
2008 – Total Guitar magazine voted Celine Dion’s rendition of the AC/DC track ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ as the world’s worst cover version ever. In the best cover versions list, Jimi Hendrix was voted into first place with his version of the Bob Dylan song ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ The Beatles rendition of Twist and Shout (first recorded by the Top Notes), was in second place, followed by the Guns N’ Roses version of the Wings song ‘Live and Let Die’.
2012 – Hundreds of fans were set to miss The Stone Roses’ reunion concerts in Manchester this weekend, after websites took their money, but failed to deliver tickets. Two sites, Aossatickets.com and theticketwebsite.net, who had sold tickets had since disappeared. Several major tours had been targeted by ticket fraudsters in recent years, with fans of Take That, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna and Michael Buble among those who found themselves out of pocket.
Today in history
1483 – Richard III was crowned King of England.
Richard’s older brother, Edward IV, had previously been the King of England. When Edward IV died, his 12-year-old son, Edward V, was in line to become the next king. However, Richard managed to convince the lords of England that Edward IV’s marriage wasn’t legitimate, making Richard III next in line for the throne instead of Edward V.
1553 – Christ’s Hospital in London, was granted a charter by King Edward VI to house and teach children of the poor.
1830 – William IV became king of The United Kingdom and Hanover until his death in 1837.
1857 – The first investiture ceremony for Victoria Cross awards took place in Hyde Park, London. Queen Victoria presented 62 servicemen with Britain’s highest military honour.
1862 – Joseph Wells (father of sci-fi writer H.G. Wells) was a Kent cricketer and became the first man to take four first class wickets with four consecutive balls, playing against Sussex.