August 16th "2023" daily prep

Welcome to day 228 of the year! Known as Tell A Joke Day and Rollercoaster Day. If you were born on this day, you were likely conceived the week of November 23rd 2022 and have the star sign “Leo”. People born in August all have the Peridot birthstone.
2004 – Flash floods devastated the north Cornwall coastal village of Boscastle after the area’s average August rainfall fell in just two hours.
Todays birthdays
1939 – Sir Trevor McDonald OBE (84), Trinidadian-British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN, born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.
1953 – James Cameron (69), Canadian filmmaker (Avatar, Titanic, Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day), born in Kapuskasing, Canada.
1958 – Madonna (65), American singer (Material Girl, Like a Virgin), songwriter, and actress. Known as the “Queen of Pop”, born in Bay City, Michigan, United States.
1972 – Frankie Boyle (51), Scottish comedian and writer known for his cynical, surreal, graphic and dark sense of humour born in Pollokshaws, Glasgow.
1980 – Robert “Bob” Hardy (43), English musician (Franz Ferdinand), born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England.
The day today
1930 – The first British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) were held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
1977 – Elvis Presley dies aged 42 on the toilet at his Graceland mansion in Memphis.
1980 – Bill Ward quits Black Sabbath, Cozy Powell quits Rainbow and Jools Holland quits Squeeze.
1997 – Blur, Prodigy, Beck, Kula Shaker, Dodgy, Foo Fighters, James and Ash appeared at the two-day V97 Festival in Chelmsford and Leeds.
2001 – Paul Burrell, former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, was charged with theft from her estate relating to a total of 342 items, reportedly worth £5m.
Today in music
1975 – Peter Gabriel announced that he was leaving Genesis. The group auditioned more than 400 singers during the next 18 months before deciding that Phil Collins, who had been the drummer for Genesis since 1970, could front the band.
1986 – Rick Allen, drummer with Def Leppard made his first live appearance with the band after losing an arm in a car accident, when they appeared at the Monsters Of Rock Festival, Castle Donington, England. Also on this day, Madonna started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Papa Don’t Preach.’ The singers fourth US No.1, & No.1 in the UK. Also on this day Madonna went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘True Blue’.
1997 – Will Smith started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Men In Black’ taken from the film of the same name. The song won Smith a Grammy in 1997 for Best Rap Solo Performance.
2015 – One Direction were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Drag Me Down’. It was the band’s first single since Zayn Malik’s departure earlier in this year The track won the fan-voted ‘Best Video Award’ at the 2016 Brit Awards.
2018 – American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin died in Detroit at the age of 76. Known as ‘The Queen of Soul’ and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide was diagnosed with cancer in 2010.
Historical events
1743 – Champion of England titleholder Jack Broughton publishes ‘Rules of the Ring’ – the earliest boxing code.
1780 – An American force was beaten by British troops under Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl Cornwallis, in the Battle of Camden during the American Revolution.
1819 – Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter’s Field, Manchester, England.
1858 – Queen Victoria of Britain sent the first-ever transatlantic telegraph to US President James Buchanan.
1944 – First flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287.
Related posts