October 1st "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 275 of the year! Known as International Coffee Day, World Vegetarian Day, National Poetry Day. Your star sign is Libra and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
1990 – A large explosion above the Pacific Ocean turned out to be a meteorite. It was originally thought to be a nuclear event; however, analysis concluded that the exploding object had been a stony, 100-ton asteroid.
Todays birthdays
1935 – Julie Andrews (89), English actress, singer, and author known for her roles as Mary Poppins and Maria in The Sound of Music, born in Walton-on-Thames.
1955 – Howard Hewett (69), American singer–songwriter and lead vocalist of the group Shalamar (“A Night To Remember”), born in Akron, Ohio, United States.
1958 – Martin Cooper (66), English musician, secondary keyboardist and occasional saxophonist with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (“Enola Gay”), born in Liverpool.
1959 – Youssou N’dour (65), Senegalese singer (“7 Seconds” ft Neneh Cherry), born in Dakar, Senegal.
1964 – Harry Hill (60), English comedian, presenter (Harry Hill’s TV Burp, You’ve Been Framed, Junior Bake Off) and writer, born in Woking, Surrey.
1974 – Keith Duffy (50), Irish singer (Boyzone – “Love Me for a Reason”), actor (Mrs Browns Boys, Coronation Street), radio and television presenter, born in Donaghmede, Ireland.
1989 – Brie Larson (35), American actress (Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, 21 Jump Street), born in Sacramento, California, United States.
Famous deaths
2022 – Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (b. 1963), American rapper (“C U When U Get There”, “Gangsta’s Paradise”).
The day today
1906 – The first hot-air balloon race was staged at Whitley, Yorkshire and was won by US Army Lieutenant Frank Lahm.
1942 – The formation of REME, the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The 8000+ strong corps maintains the equipment that the Army uses and is described as the “British Army’s Professional Engineers”. It had the rare distinction of being honoured with the designation “Royal” from the day of its formation.
1967 – The BBC Light Programme, Third Programme and Home Service were replaced with BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4 Respectively. BBC Radio 1 was also launched, with Tony Blackburn, a former Radio Caroline DJ, presenting the first show.
2012 – Surrey police confirmed that the late Sir Jimmy Savile was questioned over allegations of child sex abuse in 2007. In the aftermath, towns and organisations distanced themselves from their associations with the former TV presenter, commemorative plaques were removed and Savile’s triple gravestone was sent to a landfill site after being removed from a Scarborough cemetery.
2014 – The vehicle tax disc, first introduced in 1921, ceased to exist in paper form from 1st October, with a new electronic system being put in its place.
Today in music
1973 – The Simon Park Orchestra were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with “Eye Level”, taken from the ITV series ‘Van Der Valk.’ It was the first TV theme to become a No.1 in the UK.
1977 – Elton John became the first musician to be honoured in New York City’s Madison Square Hall Of Fame.
1988 – Bon Jovi scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘New Jersey’, their fourth release. The follow-up to Slippery When Wet produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album. ‘Bad Medicine’ and ‘I’ll Be There for You’ both hit No.1 on Billboard Hot 100.
2002 – James Blunt left the British army having served six years, (in the cavalry regiment). Blunt rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of his debut studio album Back to Bedlam, before achieving worldwide fame with the singles ‘You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Goodbye My Lover’.
2007 – The Spice Girls London reunion concert sold out in 38 seconds after fans were notified tickets had gone on sale. More than one million people in the UK registered for the concert, on 15 December 2007 at the O2 arena, tickets cost £55-75. Three more London dates were added to the world tour which was kicking off in Vancouver on 2nd Dec.
Today in history
959 AD – Edgar the Peaceable became king of all England. ‘The Peaceable’, was not necessarily a comment on the deeds of his life, for he was a strong leader, shown by his seizure of the Northumbrian and Mercian kingdoms from his older brother. His reign though, was a remarkably peaceable one, thanks to draconian laws that involved having one’s tongue ripped out, at best, for stealing an apple. Edgar died on 8th July 975 at Winchester in Hampshire.
1207 – The birth of King Henry III, the son and successor of King John. He reigned for 56 years, from 1216 until his death.
1553 – The Coronation of Queen Mary I. She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. As the fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, Mary is remembered for her restoration of Roman Catholicism and she had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian Persecutions.
1843 – The News of the World, Britain’s most popular Sunday newspaper, was first published. It was, at one time, the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, but amid a public backlash after allegations of phone hacking, News International announced the closure of the newspaper on 7th July 2011.
1868 – The Midland Railway opened St. Pancras station in London. The first train arrived at 4:20am (the 10:05pm overnight mail train from Leeds). Designed by William Henry Barlow its arched engine shed (the Barlow train shed) was, at the time of opening, the largest single-span roof in the world.