August 10th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 223 of the year! Known as World Lion Day, Spoil Your Dog Day, National Bowling Day. If you were born today you were likely conceived the week of November 17th in the previous year. Your star sign is Leo and your birthstone is Peridot.
2017 – A century-old fruit cake was discovered in Antarctica that was “almost edible.” The cake was found wrapped in paper inside a tin, and it is believed to have been made by the British biscuit company Huntley & Palmers.
Todays birthdays
1960 – Antonio Banderas (63), Spanish actor (Desperado, Mask of Zorro, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and director, born in Málaga, Spain.
1971 – Roy Keane (53), Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player (Manchester United), born in Cork, Ireland.
1972 – Lawrence Dallaglio (52), English retired rugby union player, former captain of England, and 2016 inductee of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, born in London.
1978 – Christopher Read (46), English former cricketer who was the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, born in Paignton, Devon.
1982 – Shaun Murphy (42), English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed “The Magician”, born in Harlow, Essex.
Famous deaths
2022 – Olivia Newton-John (b. 1948), English-Australian singer-songwriter (“Xanadu”, “Physical”) and actress (Grease, Two of a Kind).
The day today
1954 – Sir Gordon Richards announced his retirement as a racing jockey to become a trainer. Sir Gordon rode 4,870 winners in his 34-year racing career.
1961 – Britain applied for membership of the EEC – the European Economic Community.
1986 – English cricketer Ian Botham scored a record 175 in a one day Sunday League match – including 13 sixes.
2003 – The temperature in Britain exceeded 100° F for the first time when 101.3 °F (38.5 °C) was recorded in the hamlet of Brogdale near Faversham, Kent.
2017 – A century-old fruit cake was discovered in Antarctica that was “almost edible.” The cake was found wrapped in paper inside a tin, and it is believed to have been made by the British biscuit company Huntley & Palmers.
Today in music
1968 – Tom Jones went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Delilah’.
1985 – ‘Money for Nothing’ by Dire Straits peaked at No.4 on the UK singles chart. Notable for its groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting singing the song’s falsetto introduction and backing chorus, “I want my MTV” who also co-wrote the song with Mark Knopfler. The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on 1 August 1987.
2005 – James Blunt was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘You’re Beautiful’, Mariah Carey had the US No.1 with ‘We Belong Together’ and Axel F was at No.1 on the Australian singles chart with ‘Crazy Frog.’
2008 – Katy Perry went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Kissed A Girl’. The track was a worldwide hit topping the charts in over than 20 countries. Also on this day… US singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 65. Police were called to his home after his wife found him unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hayes won an Oscar for the 1971 hit Theme From Shaft as was also known as the voice of Chef from the hit cartoon show, South Park. He was married four times and had 12 children.
2016 – Ed Sheeran was being sued in America over claims that his track ‘Thinking Out Loud’ rips off a Marvin Gaye song. The family of the man who co-wrote ‘Let’s Get It On’ says it copies key parts of the track. Ed Townsend’s relatives were asking for a jury to decide if they’re owed damages.
Today in history
991 AD – At the Battle of Maldon (Essex) the English were defeated by a band of inland-raiding Vikings. After the battle, Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury and aldermen advised King Aethelred to buy off the Vikings rather than continue the armed struggle. The result was a payment of 10,000 Roman pounds (3,300 kg) of silver.
1675 – King Charles II laid the foundation stone of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London. The observatory was built to provide English navigators with accurate tables of the positions of the moon and stars.
1842 – Britain passed the Mines Act – forbidding women and children from working underground.
1889 – The screw bottle top was patented by Dan Rylands of Barnsley in South Yorkshire. It provided a simple and convenient alternative to cork closures used to close wine and whiskey bottles.
1897 – The founding the the RAC – the Royal Automobile Club – originally known as the Automobile Club of Great Britain.