July 4th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 186 of the year! Known as American Independence Day. If you were born on this day, you were likely conceived the week of October 11th in the previous year. Your star sign is Cancer and your birthstone is Ruby.
1990 – Paul Gascoigne collected a booking against West Germany, which would have ruled him out of the FIFA World Cup final if England got there. This resulted in the famous on pitch crying scenes.
Todays birthdays
1948 – Jeremy Spencer (76), British musician from the original line-up of the rock band Fleetwood Mac (1967 – 1971), born in Hartlepool, County Durham.
1950 – David Allan “Kid” Jensen (74), Canadian-born British radio DJ (Radio Luxembourg) and television presenter (Top of the Pops from 1977 to 1984), born in Victoria, Canada.
1962 – Neil Morrissey (62), English actor (Love Rat, Men Behaving Badly, Line of Duty) and narrator (Bob the Builder), born in Stafford, Staffordshire.
1965 – Jo Whiley (58), English radio DJ (Radio 2) and former Top of the Pops presenter (1995 to 1998), born in Northampton.
1995 – Post Malone (29) born Austin Richard Post, American singer and songwriter (Stoney), born in Syracuse, New York, United States.
Famous deaths
2016 – Caroline Aherne (b. 1963), English actress and comedian (The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show, The Fast Show).
The day today
1903 – Dorothy Levitt became the first English woman in the world to compete in a ‘motor-race’. She was the most successful female competitor in Great Britain, also a victorious speedboat driver, holder of the Water Speed record and holder of the Ladies World Land speed record. She even instructed Queen Alexandra and the Royal Princesses on how to drive.
1968 – Round-the-world yachtsman Alec Rose received a hero’s welcome as he sailed into Portsmouth in his boat Lively Lady, after his 354-day trip.
1969 – British tennis player Ann Jones won the Wimbledon women’s singles title, beating American Billie Jean King in the final.
1990 – Paul Gascoigne collected a booking against West Germany, which would have ruled him out of the FIFA World Cup final if England got there. This resulted in the famous on pitch crying scenes. Paul Gascoigne’s tears became one of the defining images of Italy 1990. Along with his exhilarating performances, they also made him a hero and household name, as England ended that FIFA World Cup gripped by ‘Gazzamania’.
2007 – BBC correspondent, 45 year old Alan Johnston, was released by kidnappers in the Gaza Strip after 114 days in captivity. An online petition had been signed by some 200,000 people demanding his release.
Today in music
1958 – The Everly Brothers held the UK No.1 position with ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream.’ The Duo’s first No.1 single was recorded in just two takes and features Chet Atkins on guitar. The song was written by the husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.
1964 – The Beach Boys started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I Get Around’, the group’s first No.1, which was a No.7 hit in the UK.
1976 – The Clash made their live debut supporting the Sex Pistols at the Black Swan, Sheffield, England.
1999 – Victoria ‘Posh Spice’ Adams married footballer David Beckham at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland. The couple had signed a deal worth £1million for OK magazine to have the exclusive picture rights.
2010 – George Michael was arrested after he crashed his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead, North London. The singer was returning home from a Gay Pride parade when the incident was spotted on CCTV. He was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive and charged with possession of cannabis and with driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
Today in history
1776 – The American Congress voted for independence from Britain.
1829 – Britain’s first regular scheduled bus service began running, between Marylebone Road and the Bank of England, in London.
1838 – 26 children were drowned when the Huskar Pit (in Silkstone, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom) flooded. The report on the accident highlighted the conditions in which children worked in mines, and the public outcry that followed caused parliament to prohibit boys under 10, and all girls, from working underground.
1840 – The Cunard Line’s 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
1879 – In the Anglo-Zulu War, the Zululand capital of Ulundi was captured by British troops and burnt to the ground, thus, ending the war.