View todays celebrity birthdays and find out what happened in history today.
What : day is it
1939 – The film The Wizard Of Oz, starring Judy Garland, opened in New York.
1943 – World War II: The Royal Air Force began ‘Operation Hydra’, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany’s V-1 flying bombs.
1951 – Alan Minter, middleweight boxer, was born. He was the 1971 ABA World Middleweight Champion and won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
1957 – The birth of Robin Cousins, ice-skater. He was the 1980 Olympic gold medal champion, the 1980 European champion, a three-time (1978, 1979 & 1980) World medallist and four-time (1977, 1978, 1979 & 1980) British national champion.
1958 – Britain announced plans to continue nuclear testing on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
1979 – “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” directed by Terry Jones, starring Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, & John Cleese, premieres in US theatres.
1987 – Former senior Nazi Rudolf Hess committed suicide in Spandau Prison at the age of 93.
1989 – Electronic tagging was used for the first time in Britain, on Richard Hart, accused of theft.
1990 – The National Trust for Scotland admitted that the Glenfinnan monument, marking the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745 was almost certainly in the wrong place and was probably chosen for its scenic value.
1992 – It was announced that 9 pigs were to take part in Britain’s first pig race in Bellingham. The favourites in the race were Lester Piglet and Miss Piggy.
2000 – Prince William passed three A-levels and secured a place to study history of art at the oldest university in Scotland, St Andrews.
2017 – Terror attack on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, as a van rams into crowds killing 16 and injuring 120.
2019 – Wildfires begin on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands prompting the evacuation of 9,000 people.
Did you know that on this day in 1877, Asaph Hall discovered Mars’ second moon called Phobos? He had continued looking for Martian moons after already discovering its first moon, Deimos.
A group of Goldfinches is called a Charm.
Robby the Robot starred in films such as Forbidden Planet and television’s The Addams Family
Alan’s Law of Research: The theory is supported as long as the funds are.
Olivia Newton-John was sewn into the leather trousers she wears in the last scene of Grease.
Q: What do you give to a sick lemon? A: Lemon aid!
When mopping the floor, use very hot water. It evaporates and dries quicker. #LifeProTip
A group of Hedgehogs is called an Array.
The Scary Statistic: Falling Down odds: 1-in-246
What to do: Stay in a chair, or lie on the ground.
The first mainstream album in history to be recorded & mixed digitally and released in CD format was ‘The Visitors’ by ABBA
“There is nothing worse than having your personal problems become somebody else’s entertainment.” – Maureen O’Hara
“Remember these words when I am dead. First, be sure you’re right, then go ahead.” – Davy Crockett
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West
“Stressed about things I shouldn’t even be stressing about.” – Lil Pump
“Life’s too short to be a Go-Go for twenty years.” – Belinda Carlisle
“Time goes on. So whatever you’re going to do, do it. Do it now. Don’t wait.” – Robert De Niro
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.