On This Day 2026
Hello, … and welcome to day 114 of the year.

Friday, April 24th

Today is Pigs in Blankets Day, Bucket List Day and World Women’s Wellness Day. Your star sign is Taurus 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
1906 – 1946 – William Joyce/Lord Haw-Haw, American-born British traitor and Nazi propagandist who was a member of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF).

1933 – 2002 – Claire Davenport, English character actress (On the Buses, Carry On Emmannuelle, The Elephant Man), well known for her large physique.

1959 – 2000 – Paula Yates, English television presenter and writer best known for presenting the Channel 4 television programmes The Tube and The Big Breakfast.
1964 – 2022 – Paul Ryder, English musician and founding member of the Mnachester band Happy Mondays (“Step On”, “Kinky Afro”) with his brother Shaun Ryder.

1942 – Barbra Streisand (84), American singer (“The Way We Were”, “Woman in Love”) and actress (Meet the Parents), born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.

1951 – Nigel Harrison (75), English musician, songwriter and the bassist of the American rock band Blondie (“One Way or Another”), born in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

1952 – Jean-Paul Gaultier (74), French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer, born in Arcueil, France.

1962 – Stuart Pearce (64), English professional football manager and former player (West Ham United, Manchester City), born in Shepherd’s Bush, London.
1964 – Djimon Hounsou (62), Beninese-American actor (Gladiator, Blood Diamond, A Quiet Place, Amistad), born in Cotonou, Benin.
1968 – Aidan Gillen/Murphy (58), Irish actor (Queer as Folk, Peaky Blinders, Bohemian Rhapsody), born in Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland.
1973 – Lee Westwood (53), English professional golfer, and one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on five continents, born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.
1973 – Sachin Tendulkar (73), Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team and dubbed the “God of Cricket” , born in Mumbai, India.

1973 – Gabby Logan (53), Welsh television and radio presenter, and a former rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales and Great Britain, born in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

1982 – Kelly Clarkson (44), American singer-songwriter, (“Since U Been Gone”, “My Life Would Suck Without You”), born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States.
Famous deaths
1974 – Bud Abbott (b. 1897), American comedian, actor and half of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello (Lou Costello).
1986 – Wallis Simpson (b. 1896), Duchess of Windsor, an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor.
2004 – Estée Lauder (b. 1906), American businesswoman, who co-founded her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband, Joseph Lauter.
The day today
1906 – The birth of William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw), an American-born British fascist, Nazi, and Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the Second World War. After moving from New York to Ireland and subsequently to England, Joyce became a member of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF) from 1932, before finally moving to Germany at the outset of the war where he took Nazi German citizenship in 1940. After his capture, Joyce, who had been issued a British passport when he lived in England after misstating his nationality, was convicted in the United Kingdom of high treason in 1945 and sentenced to death. He was hanged in Wandsworth Prison by Albert Pierrepoint on 3 January 1946.

1932 – A mass trespass by thousands of ramblers, led by Benny Rothman, took place on Kinder Scout in the Peak District. Their aim was to establish public right of access on the moors and mountains that were privately owned for grouse shooting. The mass trespass started at Bowden Bridge Quarry, close to Hayfield and had a far-reaching impact that culminated in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 which gave people ‘the right to roam’ on mapped access land.

1913 – The Woolworth Building in New York City officially opened making it was the world’s tallest building until 1930 when it was surpassed by the Chrysler Building.
1953 – Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He was invested as a Knight of the Garter (KG), the highest order of knighthood, in recognition of his leadership during World War II. This was the first knighthood ceremony performed by Queen Elizabeth II, honouring the man who was her first Prime Minister.
1957 – English astronomer Patrick Moore presented the first broadcast of The Sky at Night, on BBC television. The program, designed to explore astronomy, became the world’s longest-running television series with the same presenter, with Moore hosting nearly every episode until his death in December 2012.
1965 – The official opening of the Pennine Way, a 256 mile path along the Pennine Hills from The Old Nag’s Head at Edale in Derbyshire to ‘The Border’ at Kirk Yetholm on the Scottish border. The opening ceremony was held at Malham Moor, North Yorkshire.
1982 – Petty Officer Aircrewman Kevin Stuart “Ben” Casey is recognised as the first British casualty of the Falklands War when his Sea King helicopter crashed into the South Atlantic in bad weather while en route to the South Atlantic. He is commemorated through “Casey Cove,” a cove on Pebble Island in the Falkland Islands, named in 2022 as part of the 40th anniversary of the conflict.
1986 – The iconic Australian comedy film Crocodile Dundee, starring Paul Hogan (Mick Dundee) and Linda Kozlowski (Sue Charlton), premiered in Australia.

1990 – Gruinard Island in Scotland was officially declared safe and free of anthrax after a 48-year quarantine following WWII biological weapon tests. During WWII, British scientists tested anthrax bombs on the island, contaminating it and making it a dangerous “no-go” area. Following the clearance, the island was repurchased by the heirs of the original owner for the original sale price of £500.

1993 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a powerful truck bomb on Bishopsgate, a major thoroughfare in London’s financial district. A news photographer was killed in the blast and 44 people were injured. The blast destroyed the nearby St Ethelburga’s church and wrecked Liverpool Street station and the NatWest Tower.

2014 – Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, Wakefield won the £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year prize and was hailed as ‘one of the finest outdoor museums one might ever imagine. YSP beat top contenders, including the Tate Britain, Hayward Gallery, and the Mary Rose Museum.
2015 – Armenia and its diaspora (a population dispersed from its original homeland) globally commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, honouring 1.5 million victims killed by Ottoman authorities starting in 1915. The centennial anniversary adopted the forget-me-not flower as its symbol to emphasize memory and the continued international struggle for recognition. US President Barack Obama marked the day by calling it a “terrible atrocity” but faced criticism for not using the term “genocide”. In 2021 (on this day), Joe Biden became the first US President to formally recognise the mass killing as ‘genocide’.
2015 – The first-generation Apple Watch (informally known as Series 0) was officially released. It featured heart rate monitoring, accelerometer, gyroscope, haptic feedback, and Siri integration, designed to be paired with iPhone 5 or later.

2016 – Andrew Lawrence, a British marathon runner, set the record for the fastest marathon run while dressed as a fruit (banana) by completing the London Marathon in 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 41 seconds. Lawrence has also achieved other Guinness World Records for fancy-dress running, including the fastest marathon dressed as a vegetable (carrot) in 2017.

2018 – Suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett became the first woman to have a statue erected in Parliament Square, London. The 8ft 4in bronze statue, designed by artist Gillian Wearing, was commissioned to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage and depicts Fawcett holding a banner with the slogan “Courage calls to courage everywhere”.
2025 – Sophie Lloyd, who disguised herself as a man named “Raymond” to join the all-male Magic Circle in 1991, was granted official membership 34 years after being expelled. Lloyd accepted the membership in part to honour her late friend, Jenny Winstanley, who masterminded the original and successful trick. The ceremony for her reinstatement took place at the Magic Circle’s London headquarters.
Today in music
1955 – Perez Prado was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White’. Known as the ‘King of the Mambo’ the instrumental was the theme from the film ‘Underwater’ where Jane Russell can be seen dancing to ‘Cherry Pink’.
1959 – Buddy Holly was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Paul Anka song ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.’ A No.1 hit six weeks after Holly’s death.
1961 – Del Shannon started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Runaway’, also a No.1 in the UK. Del was the first person to have a hit with a Beatles song in the US with his version of ‘From Me To You.’
1968 – Louis Armstrong was at No.1 in the UK with the single ‘What A Wonderful World / Cabaret.’ At 69 years of age, it made Armstrong the oldest act ever to score a UK No.1.
1970 – Elton John released his fourth single ‘Border Song’ the first single from his 1970 album Elton John. The appearance of ‘Border Song on the Canadian charts was Elton John’s first chart appearance in any country and was also John’s first song to chart in the United States, peaking at No.92.
1992 – David Bowie married Somali-born supermodel and actress Iman in a private ceremony in Switzerland.
1995 – Oasis released ‘Some Might Say’ which went on to give the band their first UK No.1 single. The planned promo video for the song was cancelled due to Liam not turning up for the shoot. Instead, a makeshift video was created using footage from the ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’, US ‘Supersonic’ and UK ‘Whatever’ videos.
2003 – The first official UK download chart was compiled after the big five record companies – EMI, Warners, Sony, BMG and Universal combined for a Digital Download day. Over 150,000 computer users had downloaded 1.1m tracks. The Net Parade Top 3: No.3, Tatu, ‘All The Things She Said’, No, 2, Coldplay ‘Clocks’ and No.1 Christina Aguilera, ‘Beautiful.’
2021 – Taylor Swift was at No.1 on the US album chart with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). It was part of Swift’s re-recording projects following the 2019 dispute over the ownership of her back catalogue released by Big Machine Records.

2022 – Metallica were at No.1 on the UK chart with their eleventh studio album 72 Seasons. The album debuted at No.1 in 20 different countries and No.2 on the US chart.

Today in history
1184 BC – The famous Trojan Horse was used by the Greeks to gain entry into Troy.
1558 – Mary Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, married the French Dauphin at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
1731 – The death of Daniel Defoe, English novelist and author of Robinson Crusoe, his most famous novel. Robinson Crusoe is second only to the Bible in its number of translations.
1743 – Edmund Cartwright, the inventor of the cotton spinning power loom, was born, in Marnham, Nottinghamshire. In 1809 Cartwright obtained a grant of £10,000 from parliament for his invention and in May 1821 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
1858 – At the second attempt, the biggest bell in the world, Big Ben, is finally ready for hanging in the clock tower of Westminster Palace, London.
1880 – Amateur Athletic Association, governing body for men’s athletics in England & Wales, is founded in Oxford.
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