On This Day 2026
Hello, … Welcome to day 16

Friday, January 16th Daily Prep.

Today is Appreciate a Dragon Day, National Nothing Day, International Hot and Spicy Food Day. Your star sign is Capricorn and your birthstone is Garnet.
1950 – Listen With Mother (offering a mix of nursery rhymes, stories and music for the under-fives and their mothers) began on radio with the words “Hello children. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin”.
Listen With Mother (offering a mix of nursery rhymes, stories and music for the under-fives and their mothers) began on radio with the words “Hello children. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin”.
Famous deaths
2018 – Chas Hodges (b. 1943), English musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, pianist and guitarist of the musical duo Chas & Dave.
Today’s birthdays
1948 – John Carpenter (78), American filmmaker (Halloween, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China), born in Carthage, New York, United States.

1959 – Sade [Helen Folasade Adu] (67), Nigerian-born British singer (“Smooth Operator”, “The Sweetest Taboo”), born in Ibadan, Nigeria.

1963 – James May (63), English television presenter (Top Gear from 2003 until 2015, The Grand Tour from 2016 to 2024.) and journalist, born in Bristol.
1974 – Kate Moss (52), English model who rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend, born in Croyden, South London.
1982 – Samuel Preston (43), English singer-songwriter and member of the band the Ordinary Boys (“Talk Talk Talk”, “Boys Will Be Boys”), born in Worthing, West Sussex.
1987 – Charlotte Henshaw (39), English Paralympic multiple discipline athlete (3x Olympic Gold Medals, 10x World Championship Gold Medals), born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
Famous deaths
2018 – Ed Doolan (b. 1941), Australian born British radio presenter who was a veteran of Birmingham’s first commercial radio station BRMB, and subsequently the BBC.
The day today
1908 – The first issue of the magazine Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship; the first book on the Scout Movement. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder. It is reputedly the fourth best selling book of the 20th century, estimated at 100 to 150 million copies, in 87 languages.
1928 – The funeral of the English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy. His heart was buried in the church graveyard at St. Michael’s Church – Stinsford, Dorset, and his ashes are in Westminster Abbey.
1930 – Frank Whittle submitted his first patent for a jet engine (British Patent No. 347,206 – granted in 1932). He had his first engine running by April 1937.
1945 – Adolf Hitler moved into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker. It was located beneath Hitler’s New Reich Chancellery in Berlin and was the last of the Führer Headquarters to be used by Hitler. It became the epicentre of the Nazi regime and it was here during the last week of April 1945 that Hitler married Eva Braun shortly before they committed suicide.
1950 – Listen With Mother (offering a mix of nursery rhymes, stories and music for the under-fives and their mothers) began on radio with the words “Hello children. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin”. When the series ended in 1982 there was a national outcry.
1957 – The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. It provided a showcase for many young rock ‘n’ roll musicians, among them the Beatles. Top of the bill on the opening night was the Merseysippi Jazz Band supported by the Wall City Jazzmen, Ralph Watmough Jazz Band and the Coney Island Skiffle Group.
1979 – David Attenborough’s landmark series Life on Earth, exploring evolution, first aired on BBC Two titled “The Infinite Variety”, explaining the theories of Charles Darwin and the process of natural selection, using the giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands (where Darwin voyaged on HMS Beagle) as an example.
2001 – An ‘ecological disaster’ occurred off San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, when the Ecuadorian tanker “Jessica” ran aground, spilling nearly 200,000 gallons of diesel and bunker fuel into the pristine waters, threatening unique wildlife like blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, marine turtles, and iguanas due to human error in navigation during a storm, leading to an emergency declaration for the World Heritage site.
2003 – The Columbia space shuttle took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its final time. Its final mission, STS-107, was to conduct several important international science experiments in space. But, unfortunately, during re-entry on February 1, the Columbia space shuttle broke up during flight, killing all seven crew members.
2015 – Nursery and Son, who had been manufacturing sheepskin coats for 169 years, including sheepskin coats for David Jason (‘Del Boy’) in TV’s Only Fools and Horses, closed its doors for the last time.
2020 – The MacLean brothers, Ewan (27), Jamie (26), and Lachlan (21) of Scotland, arrive in Antigua after rowing a boat across the Atlantic Ocean in record 35 days, 9 hours, and 9 minutes; in addition to making the fastest three-man crossing, they are also the youngest, and first sibling trio.
2020 – The trial phase of former US President Donald Trump’s first impeachment began. The attempt to impeach Donald Trump was based on two articles: the abuse of power and the obstruction of Congress. On February 5, 2020, Trump was acquitted of both charges after the senate voted in his favour.
2024 – North Korea officially abandoned all reunification plans with South Korea. The two nations have been split since the two split over ideological differences, and North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. The decision was made by Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, who deemed the joining of the nations no longer possible.
Today in music
1977 – David Soul one half of TV cop show Starsky & Hutch went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’. The track was also a No.1 in the US.
1980 – Paul McCartney was jailed for nine days in Tokyo for marijuana possession after being found with 219g on his arrival at Narita Airport in Japan. McCartney said in 2004. “This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet, so I thought I’d take it with me.”

1982 – Bucks Fizz were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their second No.1 ‘Land Of Make Believe’. The lyrics to the song were written by ex-King Crimson member Peter Sinfield.

1987 – TV presenter Jools Holland was suspended from Channel 4’s UK music show The Tube for 6 weeks, after using the phrase ‘groovy fuckers’ during a live broadcast in children’s hour.
1988 – 24 years after The Beatles first topped the chart, George Harrison went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Got My Mind Set On You’ an old favorite of George’s that was originally recorded by James Ray in 1962. In the UK, Harrison’s version spent four weeks at No.2.
1988 – Former Go-Go’s singer Belinda Carlisle scored her first UK No.1 single with ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth.’
1988 – George Michael went to No.1 on the US album charts with his debut solo album ‘Faith’. It stayed for 51 non-consecutive weeks inside the Billboard 200 top 10, including 12 weeks at No.1. It was also the first album by a white solo artist to hit No.1 on the Billboard Top Black Albums chart. Faith spawned four No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: ‘Faith’, ‘Father Figure’, ‘One More Try’, and ‘Monkey’, making Michael the only British male solo artist to have four No.1 hits from one album on the Billboard Hot 100.
2000 – It was reported that Mick Jagger had lost the chance of a knighthood because of his errant ways, British Prime Minister Tony Blair having doubts about the message it would give about family values. This decision was changed and on 12 December 2003, Mick Jagger was made a Knight Bachelor by The Prince of Wales for services to music, as Sir Michael Jagger.
2005 – The Killers started a two week run at No.1 on the UK charts with their debut album ‘Hot Fuss.’ The Las Vegas band also entered the UK singles chart at No.3 with ‘Somebody Told Me’. Green Day were at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘American Idiot.’
2009 – Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of falsely imprisoning a male escort. The Culture Club frontman denied the charge at Snaresbrook crown court and claimed the victim, Norwegian Audun Carlsen, 29, had stolen photos from his laptop. The singer told police he invited Carlsen back to his home after a cocaine-fuelled pornographic photo shoot in January, 2007, because he suspected the Norwegian of stealing pictures from his computer. He admitted handcuffing Carlsen to a wall in April 2007 but said he did so in order to trace the missing property.
Today in history
1572 – Thomas Howard, the Fourth Duke of Norfolk and second cousin of Queen Elizabeth I was tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to assassinate the Queen, replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots and restore Catholicism in England. The plot was hatched and planned by Roberto di Ridolfi, an international banker who was able to travel and gather support without attracting too much suspicion. Norfolk was later executed at the Tower of London for his involvement but Ridolfi lived out his life in Florence until his death in 1612.
1581 – The English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism throughout the country during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. From that time on, Catholicism declined in England until the Catholic Emancipation of the late 18th century.
1604 – At the Hampton Court Conference, John Rainolds presented to King James I the motion ‘…that there might bee a newe translation of the Bible.’ Approved the next day, Rainolds’ motion led to the 1611 publication of the King James Bible.
1707 – The Act of Union was passed, merging the English and Scottish parliaments and paving the way for the new country of Great Britain.
1769 – One of the worst riots in theatre history occurred at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Crowds had packed out the venue to see a conjuror who claimed he would get himself into a quart tavern bottle. The conjuror never arrived, and the crowd erupted.
1793 – French King Louis XVI was sentenced to death during the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was executed five days later during the French Revolution after being convicted of conspiracy. Nine months later, his wife met the same fate.