View todays celebrity birthdays and find out what happened in history today.
1936 – Britain announced the construction of 38 warships, the largest construction programme for 15 years.
1944 – saw the allied bombing raid on Nuremberg. 795 aircraft were despatched from along England’s east coast , including 572 Lancasters, 214 Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitos. The bombers met German fighter resistance at the coasts of Belgium and the Netherlands. In total, 95 bombers were lost, making it the largest Bomber Command loss of World War II.
1945 – The birth of Eric Patrick Clapton, English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time.
1950 – The birth of Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor, comedian and author; known both for his role in the TV series Cracker and as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.
1964 – The seaside holiday resort of Clacton was the scene of pitched battles by rival gangs of ‘mods’ and ‘rockers’.
1972 – Britain assumed direct rule over Northern Ireland, with William Whitelaw as Secretary of State.
1974 – Red Rum won the Grand National at Aintree for the second year running.
1978 – Tory leader Margaret Thatcher recruited advertisers Saatchi & Saatchi to revamp her Party’s image ahead of the General Election.
1979 – Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Airey Neave was killed by a car bomb as he left the House of Commons car park. The Irish National Liberation Army claimed responsibility.
1987 – The picture ‘Sunflowers’, painted by Vincent van Gogh was sold at auction by Christie’s for £24,750,000.
1994 – The West Indies cricket team dismissed England for 46, the lowest total reached by an English side since 1887.
1997 – Pop group The Spice Girls helped launch Britain’s newest terrestrial TV channel – Channel 5.
2002 – Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, (born August 4th 1900), died peacefully in her sleep, aged 101.
2007: A man was arrested by police and detained under the Mental Health Act after trying to force his way into Paul McCartney’s Surrey mansion, screaming: “I must get to him.”
The diameter of Earth is 12,756 km (7,926 miles)… the diameter of the sun is 1,390,000km (865,000 miles).
Sound travels 15 times faster through steel than air.
The Capital of Nigeria is Abuja.
Biggest film of 1960: Swiss Family Robinson.
“Don’t Run! We are your friends!” – The Martians #moviequotes
Where do people who actually live on farms tell their children they’re sending old dying pets?
Our universe actually exists in the Marvel multiverse. Our Earth is Earth-1218.
A Jester’s hat is a satirical symbol of a King’s crown.
Running away from the police after committing a crime is kind of like Double or Nothing.
In the film ‘Forest Gump’, the part where Forest claimed it rained for 5 months while he was enlisted was a nod to Operation Popeye, a highly classified weather modification program that took place during the Vietnam War.
The biggest film of 1934: It Happened One Night.
Every night it’s a race between falling asleep and thinking of that one really awkward moment from ten years ago.
After a certain depth underwater, your lungs are compressed to a point where you are no longer buoyant and will sink to the bottom unless you have something to hold on to.
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.