View todays celebrity birthdays and find out what happened in history today.
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1906 – The birth of Sir John Betjeman, poet, broadcaster, a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture. Starting his career as a journalist, he ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate to date and a much-loved figure on British television.
1914 – The Battle of Heligoland Bight, the first major naval battle of World War 1, was fought. The Germans lost four ships and 1,000 sailors. British casualties numbered 33.
1933 – For the first time, a BBC-broadcasted appeal was used by the police in tracking down a wanted man (murder suspect Stanley Hobday).
1972 – Prince William of Gloucester was killed when his light aircraft crashed and burst into flames.
1973 – Princess Anne visited Russia, to ride for Britain in an equestrian event, thus becoming the first member of the Royal Family to visit the country.
1981 – For the third time in 10 days, a world record in the mile run was set. Sebastian Coe, who broke Steve Ovett’s record on August 19th and lost it to Ovett on August 26th , broke it again – by a full second – in Brussels, Belgium. Coe’s new record time was 3:47.33.
1986 – Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was at the re-opening of the Grand Hotel in Brighton in which she and Conservative Party members had been staying in 1983 when it was bombed by the IRA.
1988 – Kylie Minogue set a new UK record when her debut album Kylie, became the biggest selling album by a female artist in Britain, with sales of almost 2 million.
1994 – Thousands of shops throughout England and Wales opened legally for the first time on a Sunday, following a change in the Sunday trading laws.
1996 – The divorce of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana was finalized in a decree absolute issued in London’s High Court. Under the terms of the divorce settlement, Diana was stripped of her ‘Royal Highness’ title.
2003 – An electricity blackout cut off power to around 500,000 people living in the south east England and brought 60% of London’s underground rail network to a halt.
2004 – British athlete Kelly Holmes secured a place in Olympic history by winning the 1500m gold in Athens. The runner won the 800m earlier and thus became the first Olympic Briton in 84 years to achieve the middle-distance double.
2013 – Leeds businessman Lee Beaumont who became tired of ‘cold calls’ offering to help him reclaim payment protection insurance (PPI), or install solar panels set up his home phone as a premium rate 0871 number. Companies who phone him now spend 10p per minute on calls, from which he receives 7p. The number of ‘cold calls’ to his 0871 number fell by 66% in one month.
2016 – The last remaining 22 branches of BHS closed bringing an end to 88 years of British retail history. The department store’s collapse in April led to the loss of 11,000 jobs, affected 22,000 pensions, sparked a lengthy parliamentary inquiry, and left its high-profile former owners potentially facing a criminal investigation.
2019 – Prime Minister Boris Johnson prorogues Parliament, suspending it for five weeks to limit opposition to a no deal Brexit.
Did you know that on this day in 1994, Tokyo celebrated the country’s first gay pride parade? While the march paved the way for future similar events, they weren’t named “Pride parades” until over a decade later.
Pocahontas is the only Disney princess with a tattoo.
The Gerber Baby was drawn by Dorothy Hope Smith and was her four-month-old neighbour Ann Turner
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France and we just left it outside like old lawn furniture.
“Every time I put my line in the water I said a Hail Mary, and every time I said a Hail Mary I caught a fish.” – Fredo Corleone #moviequotes
The length of a minute depends on which side of the bathroom door you are on.
This isn’t not a double negative.
“Bless this highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner and the people who sold it on sale. Amen.” – Kevin McCallister in Home Alone #moviequotes
My Brain- 5% Names, 3% Phone #’s, 2% stuff I should know for Work, 90% Song Lyrics.
If you lose one shoe, you’ve really lost two shoes.
Jodie Foster – Real Name: Ariane Munker
“Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.” – Mike Ditka
“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” – Lucille Ball
“Live simply, so that all may simply live.” – Elizabeth Ann Seton
“I had a ninth-grade teacher who told me I was much smarter and much better than I was allowing myself to be.” – Scott Hamilton
“I like the idea of not being afraid of letting your imagination rule you, to feel the freedom of expression, to let creativity be your overwhelming drive rather than other things.” – Florence Welch
“If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate… Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better.” – Elizabeth Ann Seton
“It’s tougher to look than to leap” – Hugh Cornwell
“I played, like, a year of piano until I learned the Pink Panther theme. That was my goal. Once I was good enough, I quit. Now my music has to have some rock.” – Jack Black
“I try to maintain a healthy dose of daydreaming, to remain sane.” – Florence Welch
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.