October 23rd "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 297 of the “leap” year! Known as National iPod Day, National Crocs Day, Lung Health Day. Your star sign is Scorpio and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
2018 – The world’s longest over sea bridge opened in China. The 34.2-mile bridge links the cities of Hong Kong and Macau to mainland China. The bridge reduced what was a four-hour journey, to just 45 minutes.
Todays birthdays
1959 – Weird Al Yankovic (65), American comedy musician, writer, and actor “Amish Paradise”, “Another One Rides the Bus”), born in Downey, California, United States.
1976 – Cat Deeley (48), English television presenter (SMTV Live, CD:UK, Fame Academy), born in West Bromwich.
1976 – Ryan Reynolds (48), Canadian actor (Deadpool, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and co-owner of Wrexham AFC, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
1978 – Jimmy Bullard (46), English former professional footballer (West Ham, Fulham, Ipswhich Town), coach and television personality. He is the co-host of the Saturday morning Sky Sports show Soccer AM, born in East Ham, London.
1986 – Emilia Clark (38), British actress (Terminator Genisys) best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, born in London.
Famous deaths
2023 – Bobby Charlton (b. 1937), English footballer and manager (member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup).
The day today
1954 – Britain, the US, France and the USSR agreed to end the occupation of Germany. On the same day, the Western nations agreed to allow West Germany to enter NATO.
1967 – British farmers began slaughtering cattle following a severe outbreak of ‘foot and mouth’ disease. A farmer from Bryn Farm near Oswestry in the county of Shropshire, concerned by the health of one of their sows, sought veterinary advice and the animal was found to have contracted foot-and-mouth disease. Bryn Farm was immediately put into quarantine and general animal movement was banned.
2001 – Apple releases the iPod. As of May 28, 2019, only the iPod Touch (7th generation) remains in production.
2012 – The switchover to digital television in the UK was complete when the analogue TV signal in Northern Ireland was turned off on Tuesday night at 23:30 BST. Simultaneously BBC Ceefax, the world’s first teletext service, launched on 23rd September 1974 took its final bow with a series of graphics on Ceefax’s front page.
2013 – Prince George, future king and future head of the Church of England was baptised at the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace.
Today in music
2005 – Arctic Monkeys scored their first UK No.1 single with ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’, the Sheffield bands debut single.
2006 – Amy Winehouse released her “signature song” ‘Rehab’ as a single, taken from her second studio album, Back to Black. The lyrics are autobiographical, and talk about Winehouse’s refusal one time to enter a rehabilitation clinic. It won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and also won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song.
2008 – Beyonce went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘If I Were A Boy’, the singers fourth UK No.1 hit. Taken from her third solo album, I Am’ Sasha Fierce.
2015 – Adele released ‘Hello’ as the lead track from her third studio album, 25. The music video for the song broke the Vevo Record by achieving over 27.7 million views within 24-hours and entered the top of the UK Singles Chart with 333,000 combined sales, of which 259,000 were downloads, making it the biggest selling No.1 single on the UK chart in three years.
2016 – English singer-songwriter and television personality Pete Burns died following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was a member of the Mystery Girls (with Pete Wylie and Julian Cope), and then Dead Or Alive who scored the 1985 UK No.1 single ‘You Spin Me Round, Like A Record’.
Today in history
1295 – The first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England is signed in Paris.
1641 – The outbreak of the Irish Rebellion began as an attempted coup d’état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule. However, the coup failed and the rebellion developed into an ethnic conflict between the native Irish Catholics and the English and Scottish Protestant settlers.
1642 – The first major battle of the English Civil War took place at Edgehill in South Warwickshire. Charles I and Prince Rupert led the Royalists and the Earl of Essex led the Parliamentarians. It was an inconclusive result that prevented either faction gaining a quick victory in the war, which eventually lasted four years.
1666 – The most intense tornado on record in English history, an F4 storm on the Fujita scale or T8 on the TORRO scale, strikes the county of Lincolnshire, with winds of more than 213 miles per hour (343 km/h).
1843 – Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square was finally completed. It commemorates Admiral Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.