On This Day 2026
Hello, … and welcome to day 91 of the year.

Wednesday, April 1st

Today is April Fools Day, National Sourdough Bread Day. Your star sign is Aries and your birthstone is Diamond.
Did you know: All Fools’ Day, also known as April Fools’ Day is a day for practical jokes and hoaxes, but only until 12 noon. The earliest recorded association between 1st April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392).
Today’s birthdays
1950 – Billy Currie (76), English musician and songwriter best known as the keyboard and strings player with new wave band Ultravox (“Vienna”), born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
1957 – David Gower (69), English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s, born in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
1961 – Susan Boyle (65), Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing on Britain’s Got Talent, singing “I Dreamed a Dream”, born in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.
1962 – Phillip Schofield (64), English television presenter (Going Live!, This Morning, Dancing on Ice, All Star Mr & Mrs, and The Cube), born in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
1966 – Chris Evans (60), English television presenter (The Big Breakfast, TFI Friday, Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush) and radio DJ (Virgin Radio), born in Warrington, Cheshire.
1973 – Kris Marshall (53), English actor (Death in Paradise, My Family, Love Actually, Citizen Khan), born in Bath, Somerset.

1976 – David Oyelowo (50), English actor (Jack Reacher, Spooks, The Last King of Scotland, Government Cheese), born in Oxford.

1981 – Hannah Spearritt (45), English singer and original member of S Club 7 (“Bring It All Back”, “Don’t Stop Movin’”), born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
1985 – Beth Tweddle (41), retired British artistic gymnast (first female gymnast from Great Britain to win a medal at the European C’ships, World C’ships, and Olympic Games), born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
1988 – Ding Junhui (39), Chinese professional snooker player and the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport, born in Yixing, Wuxi, China.
Famous deaths

1984 – Marvin Gaye (b. 1939), American singer, songwriter and musician (“I Heard It Through the Grapevine”) shot to death by his father Marvin Gay Sr., during a domestic dispute.

2025 – Val Kilmer (b. 1959), American actor (Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Tombstone, Batman Forever) died from pneumonia.
The day today
1900 – The formation of the Irish Guards formed by order of Queen Victoria in recognition of the many courageous acts carried out by Irish soldiers in the Second Boer War.
1908 – The Territorial Force (TF) was established under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, driven by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane. While designed for home defense, the TF was mobilised for the Great War in 1914, and subsequently renamed the Territorial Army (TA) in 1920.
1918 – The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
1935 – The Green Belt legislation was introduced to stop indiscriminate building on many areas of the countryside.
1937 – Aden (capital of South Yemen until its union with North Yemen 1990), became a British Crown Colony, separate from British India, placing it directly under the administration of the Colonial Office. This transition marked a crucial shift in control over the strategic port city and its surrounding areas, lasting until its involvement in the Federation of South Arabia in 1963 and final independence in 1967.
1971 – The United Kingdom effectively lifted restrictions on private gold ownership by repealing sections of the Exchange Control Act in April 1971, ending limits imposed in 1966. The Exchange Control (Gold Coins Exemption) Order 1966 prohibited ownership of more than four gold coins minted after 1837 without a Bank of England license.
1973 – Britain introduced Value Added Tax (VAT) replacing the previous Purchase Tax. Introduced by the Finance Act 1972, the initial standard rate was 10%, though this has varied over the decades. As of 2026, the standard VAT rate in the UK is 20%, applying to most goods and services, with 20% having been the rate since January 4, 2011.
1976 – Apple Computer Company was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, largely operating out of the garage at Jobs’ parents’ home. Their first personal computers were personally assembled and went on sale in July 1976.
1983 – Tens of thousands of peace demonstrators formed a human chain stretching for 14 miles, lining a route along what the protesters called ‘Nuclear Valley’ in Berkshire.
1990 – Up to 1,000 prisoners staged a riot at Strangeways Prison in Manchester in a violent protest against overcrowding. It was the longest prison riot in British history and lasted until 25th April. One remand prisoner died.
1991 – British businessman and journalist Roger Cooper was released from Iran after being held for more than five years in Tehran’s Evin prison. Cooper, who was 55 at the time of his release was labeled a spy, made a staged “confession” on Iranian television in 1987, and was sentenced to “death plus ten years”.
1995 – Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton scored one of the fastest goals in Premier League history, netting after just 12.94 seconds against Everton at Goodison Park. The goal, which helped secure a 2-1 win during their 1994/95 title-winning season, came from a long ball to Alan Shearer, who flicked it to Sutton for the finish. The current fastest goal in a Premier League match belongs to Shane Long, who scored only 7.69 seconds after kick-off on 23 April 2019 for Southampton at Watford.
2000 – The Enigma machine, used by the Germans to encrypt messages in the Second World War, was stolen from Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire and a ransom was demanded for its return. The ransom was not paid, but in October 2000 the machine was sent anonymously and with three of its rotors missing, to BBC journalist Jeremy Paxman.
2001 – The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage marking a historic milestone in LGBTQ+ rights. The Dutch parliament passed the legislation in December 2000, allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.
2002 – The Netherlands became the first nation in the world to legalise euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, with the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act officially taking effect on this day. The act technically amends the Dutch Penal Code to allow physicians to perform euthanasia or assisted suicide without prosecution, provided they adhere to strict “due care” criteria.
2004 – Google launched Gmail. Originally known internally as “Caribou,” it was designed to be a fast, browser-based email program. The 1 GB storage limit was around 500 times more than competitor webmail services at the time, such as Yahoo and Hotmail.
2005 – NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day website featured a famous April Fool’s joke presenting “evidence” of water on Mars, which was actually a picture of a glass of water sitting on two Mars chocolate bars. While that specific announcement was a prank, NASA has since confirmed that water ice and, later, liquid water/brine actually do exist on Mars.
2006 – The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), a national law enforcement agency is formed in the United Kingdom. Known in the media as the “British FBI”, SOCA was established to combat serious and organised crime, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and cybercrime.
2014 – The RAF’s 617 ‘Dambuster’ squadron, formed at Scampton on 21st March 1943 and last based at Lossiemouth in Moray, was disbanded as its Tornado aircraft were withdrawn from service. During World War II they practiced their techniques at the Derwent Dam in Derbyshire and at Eyebrook Reservoir in the East Midlands.
2015 – English Heritage was separated into two distinct entities, transforming the site-management arm into an independent charity. The new English Heritage Trust charity operates the 400+ historic sites, while a new public body, Historic England, handles statutory protection and planning. The charity received £80m from the government to become self-funding.
2016 – The new, mandatory National Living Wage came into force, requiring employers to pay workers aged 25 and over a minimum of £7.20 an hour. The age threshold was lowered over time. As of April 2024, the NLW applies to workers aged 21 and over.
Today in music
1966 – The Troggs recorded ‘Wild Thing’ at Regent Sound Studio in London. The song went on to be a No.1 US and No.2 UK hit in June the following year. The track was recorded in one complete take (take two).
1970 – As an April Fool’s joke, John Lennon and Yoko Ono issued a statement to the press that they were having dual sex change operations.
1975 – The Bay City Rollers TV series Shang-A-Lang premiered on ITV in the UK. It featured the band in comedy sketches and performing their songs to a live studio audience made up of their teenage fans. This resulted in chaotic scenes at times as some members of the audience attempted to run onto the studio floor to meet their heroes.
1976 – Making their live debut in the UK, AC/DC played at The Red Cow in Hammersmith, London.
1984 – Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father at his parent’s home in Los Angeles, California the day before his 45th birthday. The argument started after his parents squabbled over misplaced business documents, Gaye attempted to intervene, and was killed by his father using a gun he had given him four months before. Marvin Sr. was sentenced to six years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Charges of first-degree murder were dropped after doctors discovered Marvin Sr. had a brain tumour.
1985 – David Lee Roth quit Van Halen shortly after releasing his version of The Beach Boys ‘California Girls’, (which featured Carl Wilson on background vocals). He was replaced by Sammy Hagar later in the year.
1989 – Madonna scored her third UK No.1 album with ‘Like A Prayer.’ Also a US No.1 the album spent 70 weeks on the UK chart.
1989 – The Bangles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Eternal Flame’, also a No.1 in the UK and the biggest selling single of 1989 in Australia.
2000 – Santana started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Supernatural.’ The album went on to win eight Grammy Awards including Album of The Year, Record of The Year (for ‘Smooth’) and Song of The Year.
2007 – Alanis Morissette released a tongue-in-cheek cover of The Black Eyed Peas’s ‘My Humps’, which she recorded in a slow, mournful voice, accompanied only by a piano. The accompanying YouTube video, in which she danced provocatively with a group of men received over 15m views.
2019 – Ed Sheeran’s wildlife pond was given the all-clear by inspectors despite neighbours complaining that it was actually a swimming pool. A Suffolk Coastal District Council team visited the pop star’s estate and found “no evidence that it is not a wildlife pond”. Sheeran was given planning permission for the development on the basis it was used for wildlife and not for swimming or any other recreational leisure activity.
2025 – American singer-songwriter Johnny Tillotson died age 86, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He had the 1960 US No.2 and 1961 UK No.1 single ‘Poetry In Motion’.
Today in history
1204 – The death, aged 81, of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II and the mother of Richard the Lionheart, Henry “the Young King” and King John.
1318 – Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by the Scots from the English. Following the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce successfully captured the town, aided by insider help from Peter Spalding. In 1461, Margaret of Anjou gifted the town to the Scots for their support against the Yorkists. The town was finally recaptured for England by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in 1482.
1873 – The British steamer RMS Atlantic ran onto rocks and sank off Nova Scotia, killing 547. It remained the deadliest civilian maritime disaster in history until the sinking of the Danish liner SS Norge in 1904.
1748 – The lost Roman city of Pompeii was rediscovered by a Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre. Pompeii was basically lost and forgotten until it was rediscovered. Thanks to excavations, which are still going on today, scientists have been able to figure out almost exactly what happened on that terrible day.
1867 – Great Britain claimed The Straits Settlements as crown colonies: Singapore, Penang, and Malacca. The Settlements became answerable directly to the Colonial Office in London instead of the government of British India, based in Calcutta.
1873 – The British steamer RMS Atlantic ran onto rocks and sank off Nova Scotia, killing 547. It remained the deadliest civilian maritime disaster in history until the sinking of the Danish liner SS Norge in 1904.
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