September 24th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 268 of the year! Known as Bollywood Day, National Punctuation Day, Lash Stylist Day. Your star sign is Libra and your birthstone is Sapphire.
2009 – The UK’s largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure was discovered buried in a field in Staffordshire. Terry Herbert, who found it on farmland using a metal detector, said that it was a metal detectorist’s dream.
Todays birthdays
1954 – Helen Lederer (70), British comic actress (Absolutely Fabulous – “Catriona”), and writer (Losing It), born in Carmarthen, Wales
1959 – Theo Paphitis (65), Cypriot-born British businessman (Dragon’s Den, Millwall Football Club), born in Limassol, Cyprus.
1961 – Jack Dee (63), English stand-up comedian, actor (Lead Balloon), presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour, born in Bromley, Greater London.
1962 – Ally McCoist (62), Scottish former footballer (Rangers, Scotland), manager and TV pundit, born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire.
1980 – Victoria Pendleton (44), British former track cyclist (Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion), born in Stotfold, Bedfordshire.
Famous deaths
2004 – Brian Clough (b. 1935), English footballer (Sunderland, England) and manager (Derby County, Nottingham Forest).
The day today
1957 – BBC Television for schools began airing in the afternoon. The first programme was Living in the Commonwealth – on life in British Columbia. The rest of the first week continued to show the wider world outside the classroom, with Science Helps the Doctor, Spotlight on the Middle East, and Young People at Work.
1967 – The two ‘Queens’ of the Cunard Line, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth, passed each other in the Atlantic for the last time.
1971 – Over 100 Russian diplomats were expelled from Britain for spying, following revelations made by a Soviet defector.
1975 – The world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, was successfully scaled for the first time via its southwest face by British climbers Dougal Haston and Doug Scott.
2009 – The UK’s largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure was discovered buried in a field in Staffordshire. Terry Herbert, who found it on farmland using a metal detector, said that it was a metal detectorist’s dream. Experts said that the collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces, which may date to the 7th Century, was unparalleled in size and worth “a seven-figure sum”.
Today in music
1988 – The Hollies were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother’ after the song was used on a UK TV beer commercial (Miller Lite), the song was originally a hit in 1969 and featured a young Elton John on piano.
1991 – Nirvana’s album Nevermind was released in America, entering the chart at No. 144 on its first week. The album which peaked at No. 1 in January 1992 has now sold over 30m copies world wide.
2000 – Madonna started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Music’, the singers seventh UK No.1 album.
2006 – Scissor Sisters topped the UK album and singles charts. The New Yorkers’ second album, ‘Ta-Dah’, entered in the top spot, while the single ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ spent a third week at number one.
2012 – Mumford & Sons released their second studio album ‘Babel’ which debuted at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. It became the fastest selling album of 2012 in the UK and was nominated in the category of “Album of the Year” for both a Brit Award and Grammy Award, winning the latter.
Today in history
1564 – The birth, in Gillingham, of William Adams, the English navigator who travelled to Japan and is believed to be the first Englishman ever to reach the country. Adams was the inspiration for the character of John Blackthorne in James Clavell’s best selling novel Shōgun.
1645 – The Battle of Rowton Heath took place some 2 miles to the south-east of Chester. The Parliamentarian victory over a Royalist army, commanded in person by King Charles, prevented Charles from relieving the Siege of Chester. It is alleged that King Charles stood on Phoenix Tower in Chester and saw his army defeated in battle.
1776 – The oldest of the British classic horse races, the St Leger, was run for the first time at Doncaster Racecourse.
1841 – The Sultan of Brunei rewarded British adventurer James Brooke by granting him control of Sarawak.
Sarawak is located in the northwestern part of the island of Borneo. Brooke was given this land for helping to put an end to a civil war.
1853 – Liverpools’ Northern Daily Times became England’s first provincial daily newspaper.