July 14th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 196 of the year! Known as Mac and Cheese Day, Bastille Day (France), Emmeline Pankhurst Day. If you were born today you were likely conceived the week of October 21st in the previous year. Your star sign is Cancer and your birthstone is Ruby.
1951 – Ferrari secured its first Grand Prix victory at the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. The winning Ferrari 375 was driven by Argentinian racer, Jose Froilan Gonzalez.
Todays birthdays
1950 – Bruce Oldfield (74), British fashion designer (clients have included, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Camilla, Joan Collins and Diana, Princess of Wales), born in London
1958 – Anne Hegerty (66), English professional quizzer and television personality (The Chase – “The Governess”), born in the City of Westminster, London.
1974 – David Mitchell (50), British comedian (Would I Lie To You?), actor and writer (Peep Show, Mitchell and Webb), born in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
1987 – Dan Reynolds (37), American singer, songwriter and lead vocalist/founding member of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons (“Thunder”), born in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
1988 – Conor McGregor (36), Irish professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer (former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion), born in Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland.
Famous deaths
2013 – Journalist and broadcaster Alan Whicker (b. 1921), died at the age of 87 after suffering from bronchial pneumonia. His TV career stretched nearly six decades and he was best known for his documentary series, Whicker’s World, which ran from 1959 to 1988 on both the BBC and ITV. He was made a CBE for services to broadcasting in 2005.
The day today
1940 – World War II: Britain tackled the threat of a German invasion by forming the Home Guard – a part-time volunteer army, generally comprising men too old for national service.
1951 – Ferrari secured its first Grand Prix victory at the 1951 British Grand Prix. The winning Ferrari 375 was driven by Argentianian racer, Jose Gonzalez.
1967 – Abortion was legalized in Britain. The Act made it lawful to have an abortion up to the 28th week if two registered medical practitioners believed in good faith that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, or harm her physical or mental health, or that of any of her family members.
1997 – Convicted murderer and former London gangster Reggie Kray married Roberta Jones at Maidstone Prison in Kent.
2014 – The Rt. Rev. Libby Lane became the first female Church of England bishop, when she was consecrated Bishop of Stockport in a ceremony at York Minster.
Today in music
1964 – The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘It’s All Over Now’, the group’s first of 8 UK No.1’s. Written by Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack, it was first released by The Valentinos featuring Bobby Womack in the same year.
1986 – Madonna was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with her second No.1 ‘Papa Don’t Preach’. Madonna also had the UK No.1 album with ‘True Blue’.
1997 – Walkers Spice Girls crisps went on sale in the UK, over 16 million bags were sold by the end of the year. Flavours included Cheese and Chives, Barbecue and Worcester Sauce.
2009 – Michael Jackson fans from all over the world congregated at London’s O2 arena, where the star had been due to begin his run of 50 concerts. Fans who left messages to a wall of tributes and conducted Jackson sing-a-longs, held a minute’s silence at 1830 BST to mark the time when the doors to the concert would have opened.
2022 – Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini was at No.1 on the UK album chart with his fourth studio album ‘Last Night in the Bittersweet’. His first release in eight years became Nutini’s third consecutive UK No.1 album.
Today in history
1766 – The official opening of the 137 mile long Grand Union Canal (Britain’s longest canal) that links London to Birmingham.
1789 – The Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie finally completed his journey to the mouth of the great river he hoped would take him to the Pacific, but which turns out to flow into the Arctic Ocean. Later named after him, the Mackenzie is the second-longest river system in North America.
1791 – The Priestley Riots (also known as the Birmingham Riots of 1791) took place from 14th to 17th July. The rioters’ main targets were English Dissenters, i.e. those Christians who had separated from the Church of England, most notably the controversial clergyman and chemist Joseph Priestley, who is credited with the discovery of oxygen.
1865 – British climber Edward Whymper led the first team of climbers to reach the summit of the Matterhorn in the Alps. As they made their way down, Douglas Hadow, aged 19, slipped and dragged two English climbers and a guide after him. The rope snapped and they plunged to their deaths down a 4,000 ft precipice, but the three others in the party were saved.
1867 – Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel demonstrated dynamite for the first time, at a quarry in Redhill, Surrey.