December 3rd "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 338 of the “leap” year! Known as Let’s Hug Day, Make A Gift Day, Disability Day. Your star sign is Sagittarius and your birthstone is Blue Topaz.
1992 – The first text message was sent to a mobile phone by Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth in Berkshire. It was sent to test out the technology and read Merry Christmas.
Todays birthdays
1948 – Ozzy Osbourne (76), English singer, songwriter and lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath (“Paranoid”, “War Pigs”), born in Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands.
1949 – Nicky Stevens (75), Welsh singer, famous as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man (“Save Your Kisses for Me”), born in Carmarthen, Wales.
1959 – Eamonn Holmes (65), Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist (co-presenter of GMTV and This Morning), born in Belfast, Ireland.
1968 – Brendan Fraser (56), American actor (Bedazzled, The Mummy, George of the Jungle, Encino Man – California Man in the UK), born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.
1979 – Daniel Bedingfield (45), New Zealand-British singer, songwriter (“Gotta Get Thru This”, “If You’re Not the One”) and eldest brother of fellow singer Natasha Bedingfield, born in Auckland, New Zealand.
Famous deaths
1997 – Shirley Crabtree (b. 1930), English wrestler (Big Daddy) who was often partnered against Giant Haystacks.
The day today
1926 – In an episode as puzzling and intriguing as any in her many novels, Agatha Christie disappeared from her Surrey home and was discovered on the 14th December staying under an assumed name at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. She said she had no recollection of how she came to be in Yorkshire.
1965 – Britain ‘stood down’ the Home Guard – formed in 1939 to defend Britain from invasion by Germany. They were officially disbanded in December 1945.
1976 – A giant 40ft inflatable pig could be seen floating above London after breaking free from its moorings at Battersea Power Station during a photo shoot for the cover of the next Pink Floyd album Animals. On the same day, an attempt was made on Bob Marley’s life when seven gunmen burst into his Kingston home injuring Marley his wife Rita and manager Don Taylor, the attack was believed to be politically motivated.
1992 – The first text message was sent to a mobile phone by Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth in Berkshire. It was sent to test out the technology and read Merry Christmas.
2007 – Gillian Gibbons, a 54 year old teacher from Liverpool was released after eight days in custody and handed over to British officials in Sudan after being jailed for letting her class name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Today in music
1965 – The Who released their debut studio album My Generation in the UK. In the United States, it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track listing. In 2003 it was named the second greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine.
1977 – Wings started a nine-week run at No.1 in the UK with ‘Mull Of Kintyre’. The first single to sell over 2 million copies in the UK, (it was co-written by Denny Laine who sold his rights to the song when he became bankrupt).
1999 – U2 singer Bono had his missing laptop computer returned after losing it. A young man had bought it for £300 discovered he had the missing laptop, which contained tracks from the forthcoming U2 album.
2006 – The reformed Take That topped the UK singles and album charts simultaneously for the first time ever in their career. The single ‘Patience’ remained at number for the second week, and Beautiful World the group’s new album entered the chart at No.1.
2014 – Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was named the most-streamed artist in the world by Spotify. The 23-year-old had racked up more than 860 million streams on the service, beating Eminem and Coldplay who came second and third respectively. Katy Perry was the year’s most streamed female artist, with Ariana Grande second and Lana Del Rey third.
Today in history
1736 – Swedish astronomer, Anders Celsius takes measurements that confirm Newton’s theory that the earth was an ellipsoid rather than the previously accepted sphere.
1795 – Sir Rowland Hill, postal pioneer and founder of the ‘Penny Post’ was born.
1820 – Thomas Beecham, English manufacturer and inventor of Beecham’s pills, was born. The Beecham’s Building on Westfield Street in St. Helen’s is the former headquarters of the pharmaceutical company
1856 – Irishman James Kelly (24) and British soldier Jack Smith (34) fight longest bareknuckle boxing bout – 6 hours and 15 minutes, at Fiery Creek, Victoria, Australia.
1894 – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist of Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, died, aged 45 on the island of Samoa.