February 8th "2025" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 39, known as Opera Day, Propose Day, National Kite-Flying Day, Global Movie Day. Your star sign is Aquarius and your birthstone is Amethyst.
1983 – Shergar, the Aga Khan’s Derby winner, was kidnapped from a stable in County Kildare, Ireland. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of £2 million, which was never paid. The horse was never seen again.
Todays birthdays
1955 – John Grisham (70), American novelist (The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief), born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States.
1964 – Trinny Woodall (61), British beauty entrepreneur, businesswoman (Trinny London), fashion and makeover expert (What Not to Wear), born in Marylebone, London.
1968 – Tjinder Singh (57), British guitarist and singer with indie rock band Cornershop (“Brimful of Asha”), born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
1980 – Ralf Little (45), English actor (The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps), presenter and narrator, born in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
1989 – Dani Harmer (36), English actress (The Story of Tracy Beaker) and television personality, born in Bracknell, Berkshire.
Famous deaths
2017 – Gorden Kaye (b. 1941), English actor best known for his role as René Artois in the British sitcom television series, ‘Allo ‘Allo!
The day today
1926 – Walt Disney Studios was formed after previously being known as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.
1971 – At the Nuremberg International Toy Fair, a British plastics firm making educational toys was shown a board game which had been rejected by established companies. Invented by an Israeli telecommunications expert, Mordecai Meirowitz, the game, renamed ‘Mastermind’ by Invicta Plastics, sold over 55 million sets in some 80 countries, making it the most successful new game of the 70s.
1972 – The Albert Hall management cancelled a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert because of the ‘obscene lyrics’ of one of their songs. Fans demonstrated outside the hall.
1983 – Shergar, the legendary Thoroughbred racehorse, was stolen by gunmen. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom of £2 million was demanded; it was not paid, and negotiations were soon broken off by the thieves.
1998 – The death of the controversial politician, Enoch Powell, aged 85. He warned, in 1968, of the perils of high immigration with his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
Today in music
1983 – Winners at the second annual Brit Awards held in London included Paul McCartney who won Best British Male Solo Artist, Kim Wilde won Best British Female Solo Artist, Dire Straits won British Group, British Breakthrough Act went to Yazoo, International Act was Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Best Selling Single Dexy’s Midnight Runners “Come On Eileen” and the Life Achievement Award went to Pete Townshend.
1986 – Billy Ocean started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’, as featured in the film ‘The Jewel Of The Nile.’ The video was banned in the UK because it featured non-musician union members. Boyzone took the song to No.1 in 1999.
1992 – Right Said Fred hit number one on the US Hot 100 Charts (a No.2 hit in the UK.) with “I’m too Sexy.”
2005 – Kylie Minogue was voted the world’s sexiest woman in her 30s by UK magazine Good Housekeeping. Sade was voted No.4 in the over 40s with Madonna coming in at No.7 and Jerry Hall at No.8. And Sharon Osbourne was voted into 3rd place in the over 50s section.
2015 – British soul singer Sam Smith won four Grammy Awards in the US, including the prestigious prizes for record and song of the year for ‘Stay With Me’ and best new artist. Album of the year went to Beck for Morning Phase.
Today in history
1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle aged 44 after being convicted of plotting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I in the Babington Plot.
1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, unsuccessfully rebels (known as the Essex’s Rebellion) against Queen Elizabeth I. The main tensions that led to the rebellion began in 1599, when Essex was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was sent to Ireland with the mission of subduing the revolts led by Tyrone, leading one of the largest expeditionary forces ever sent to the country.
1622 – English parliament was dissolved by King James I of England after a disagreement about his son Charles marrying Princess Maria of Spain.
1855 – The ‘Devil’s Footprints’ mysteriously appeared in southern Devon when trails of hoof-like marks appeared overnight in the snow. Estimates of the total distance covered by the prints ranged from 40 to 100 miles. Houses, rivers, haystacks and other obstacles were allegedly travelled straight over, and the footprints appeared on the tops of snow-covered roofs and high walls, as well as leading up to and exiting various drain pipes with a diameter as small as 4 inches.
1882 – Birth of French novelist Jules Verne (A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days), poet, and playwright.