August 8th "2024" Daily Prep

Welcome to day 221 of the year! Known as Tarantula Appreciation Day, Scottish Wildcat Day. If you were born today you were likely conceived the week of November 15th in the previous year. Your star sign is Leo and your birthstone is Peridot.
The German Luftwaffe began a series of daylight air raids on Britain and so began The Battle of Britain which would continue into the following October.
1940 – The German Luftwaffe began a series of daylight air raids on Britain and so began The Battle of Britain which would continue into the following October.
Todays birthdays
1937 – Dustin Hoffman (87), American actor (The Graduate; Tootsie; Kramer vs Kramer; Rain Man), born in Los Angeles, California, United States.
1953 – Nigel Mansell (71), British retired racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series, born in Worcestershire.
1961 – Simon Weston (63), Welsh veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War, born in Wales.
1966 – Chris Eubank (58), British former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998, born in Dulwich, London.
1981 – Roger Federer (43), Swiss former professional tennis player, born in Basel, Switzerland.
Famous deaths
2022 – Olivia Newton-John (b. 1948), English-Australian singer-songwriter (“Xanadu”, “Physical”) and actress (Grease, Two of a Kind).
The day today
1963 – The Great Train Robbery, in which over £2.5 million was stolen, took place near Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. The day of the train robbery also happened to be the 34th birthday of Ronnie Biggs, one of the robbers.
1988 – Rap group N.W.A. (Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube, with DJ Yella and MC Ren joining later that year) release their debut studio album “Straight Outta Compton”.
1991 – John McCarthy, Britain’s longest-held hostage in Lebanon, was freed after more than five years in captivity. He had been held hostage since April 17, 1986.
2002 – The UK’s biggest undertakers Co-op funeral services, reported that bereaved families preferred pop songs to hymns at funerals. Unusual choices requested included ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen and ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ by Wham!
2017 – The Walt Disney Company announces plans to create its own streaming service, cancelling ties with Netflix.
Today in music
1963 – The Searchers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Sweets For My Sweet’, the group’s first of three UK No.1’s. The song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and was originally recorded by The Drifters.
1992 – Snap! started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Rhythm Is A Dancer’ the dance group’s second and last No.1 was also a Top 5 US hit.
1995 – “Gangster’s Paradise” single released by Coolio (Billboard Song of the Year, 1995).
1998 – The Spice Girls had the UK No.1 single with ‘Viva Forever’, their 7th UK chart topper. Brandy and Monica were at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Boy Is Mine’.
2010 – John Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman, had his parole hearing delayed until early September so that officials could gather additional information. The 55-year-old Chapman became eligible for parole in 2000 after serving 20 years, but had been denied his freedom five times.
Today in history
1296 – The Stone of Scone, on which Scottish kings had been crowned for centuries, was seized by King Edward I of England. It was officially returned to Scotland in 1996.
1503 – King James IV of Scotland married Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.
1588 – In a nine-hour battle off Gravelines, the English fleet engaged with the Spaniards in their last naval confrontation. The defeat of the Armada saved England from invasion and the action has enduring historical significance as the first major naval gun battle under sail.
1647 – At the Battle of Dungans Hill in County Meath, English Parliamentary forces defeated Irish forces. The battle was very bloody, with over 3000 deaths, and had important political repercussions. It contributed to the collapse of the Confederate cause and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649.
1834 – The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed in Britain. The Act dropped the system whereby parishes cared for their poor by a rate of poor relief and replaced it with the workhouse.