View todays celebrity birthdays and find out what happened in history today.
1968 – The first decimal coins appeared in Britain – the 5p and 10p pieces which replaced the 1 shilling and 2 shilling coins.
1980 – The British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia was expelled from the country following the broadcast on British TV of the documentary ‘Death of a Princess’. It depicted the life and execution of a Saudi Arabian Princess found guilty of committing adultery.
1982 – The launch of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer. The entry level model had 16 kB RAM and an external tape recorder was needed to load the majority of software. It was ‘a computer for the masses’ and much cheaper than its rivals – the Commodore 64 and the BBC Microcomputer.
1983 – Canadian snooker player Cliff Thorburn completed the first televised maximum break of 147 during the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre, in Sheffield.
1990 – Charlie Wilson, the ‘silent man’ of the Great Train Robbery (8th August 1963), was shot dead at his home near Marbella, Spain.
2011 – The death of John Sullivan, the television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends.
2013 – Data from the UK Peace Index showed that rates of murder and violent crime had fallen more rapidly in the UK in the previous decade than anywhere else in Western Europe, with a fall in UK homicides per 100,000 people from 1.99 in 2003, to 1 in 2012.
2014 – Research by Leicester University found that people who migrate to the Mediterranean are unhappier than those who remain in northern European countries, including the UK. Reasons cited included not having a sense of belonging, struggling without family ties and a damage to social standing by perhaps living in a less economical country.
2021 – Judges quashed the convictions of 39 former sub-postmasters and mistresses who were convicted of stealing money, after the Post Office installed the Horizon computer system in branches. The clearing of the names of 39 people follows the overturning of six other convictions in December, meaning that more people were affected than in any other miscarriage of justice in the UK.
Before beginning his movie career Keanu Reeves managed a pasta shop in Toronto Canada.
Did you know that on this day in 2005, the first video was uploaded to YouTube? It was uploaded by Jawed Karim, one of the site’s co-founders and was called “Me at the zoo”.
Paul Desmond, the composer of the jazz classic, “Take Five” left all the profits from the song to the Red Cross after his death.
People in 1996 would be really impressed by our technology today, but people in the 1950s would be really unimpressed because of their idea of the future.
It is possible for some people to sneeze with their eyes open. #concentrate!
TV Quotes… “Here it is, your moment of Zen” on “The Daily Show”
28 Days Later was filmed on a Canon XL-1 DV camera using mini-DV tapes instead of 35mm film.
Every movie, book, television show, and game that deals with time travel stresses the importance of not changing the timeline. It’s like we’re being conditioned not to interfere should we fall back through time.
The mechanical shark used in the movie ‘Jaws’ was nicknamed Bruce, after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer.
Kids today are so coddled – Teddy Ruxpin, Elf on the Shelf, Toy Story. In my day, if dolls magically came to life, they murdered you and everyone you loved.
The Capital of Togo is Lome
“Have no fear of perfection- you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali
“Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of something, hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.” – Roger Staubach
“To be a better cook, cook more. To be a better writer, read more.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
2018 – Xi’an, China, introduced a pedestrian lane for people who walk while looking at their phones.
1993 – The Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, fell into the sea following a landslide, making news around the world.
1805 – The first Trooping of the Colour took place on Horse Guards Parade. It was Edward VII who moved Trooping the Colour to its June date, because of the vagaries of British weather.