March 27th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 87, known as International Whiskey Day, World Theatre Day. If you were born on this day, you were likely conceived the week of July 4th in the previous year. Your star sign is Aries and your birthstone is Aquamarine.
1966 – The stolen football world cup was found in south London by a dog called Pickles, whilst it was out for a walk with its owner.
Todays birthdays
1942 – Michael York (82), English film, television, and stage actor (Logan’s Run, Austin Powers, Cabaret), born in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire.
1963 – Quentin Tarantino (61), American film director, screenwriter, and actor (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained), born in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States.
1969 – Mariah Carey (55), American singer/songwriter (“Hero”, “Always Be My Baby”, “We Belong Together”), born in Huntington, New York, United States.
1972 – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (52), Dutch professional football manager (Burton Albion) and former player (Leeds United, Chelsea), born in Paramaribo, Suriname.
1988 – Jessie J (36), English singer and songwriter (“Price Tag”, “Bang Bang”, “Flashlight”), born in Seven Kings, district of Ilford, London.
Famous deaths
1968 – Yuri Gagarin (b. 1934), Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful crewed spaceflight, became the first human to journey into outer space.
2000 – Ian Dury (b. 1942), English singer-songwriter (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”) and actor (Judge Dredd, The Crow: City of Angels).
The day today
1963 – The Beeching Report on Britain’s railways was published. The report concluded that only half the network’s routes carried enough traffic to cover the cost of operating them. Many lines and stations were subsequently closed.
1964 – Six months after the ‘Great Train Robbery’ in Buckinghamshire, 20 of the gang were still at large, but the ten who were arrested were found guilty of stealing more than £2.6m from mailbags. They included Ronnie Biggs. Sentences totalled 307 years in jail.
1966 – The stolen football world cup was found in south London by a dog called Pickles, whilst it was out for a walk with its owner.
1994 – The future warplane, Eurofighter, made its inaugural flight two years later than expected, at Manching in Germany. Eurofighter is the most expensive combat aircraft built in Europe, and was developed by a consortium of European companies, including British Aerospace.
2004 – HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander class frigate, was sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, about 40 minutes by boat from Plymouth. It was the first of its kind in Europe and the ship soon became a very popular dive site and a source of study for marine life.
Today in music
1967 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney were awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello award for ‘Michelle’, the most performed song in the UK in 1966.
1984 – Bryan Adams went into Little Mountain Sound, Vancouver, Canada to record ‘Run To You’ for his fourth studio album, Reckless. It was the first single released from the album and gave Adam’s his first UK hit peaking at No.11.
1987 – U2 performed from the roof of a store in downtown LA to make the video for ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’, attracting thousands of spectators and bringing traffic to a standstill. The police eventually stop the shoot.
2008 – X Factor winner Leona Lewis became the first British woman to top the US pop chart for more than 20 years with her single ‘Bleeding Love.’ Kim Wilde was the last UK female to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with her 1987 cover version of The Supremes hit ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’. Petula Clark was the first, with her 1965 track ‘Downtown’, while Sheena Easton’s ‘Morning Train’ – released in the UK as 9 To 5 followed in 1981.
2012 – David Bowie’s landmark album Ziggy Stardust was celebrated with a blue plaque in central London. Spandau Ballet star Gary Kemp, unveiled a plaque at the spot where the cover of the 1972 release was shot. The location in Heddon Street, just off Regent Street, is now a pedestrianised area brimming with bars and restaurants.
Today in history
1306 – Robert the Bruce (eighth Earl of Carrick) was crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace, near Perth. Bruce secured Scottish independence from England, militarily, if not diplomatically, at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. His statue is at the Bannockburn battlefield site, his body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey and his heart is at Melrose Abbey.
1625 – King James I of England (he was also James VI of Scotland), died. King Charles I ascended to the throne as King of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as claiming the title King of France. He later lost the English Civil War and was executed by parliament.
1852 – The completion of Grimsby Dock Tower. Its purpose was to provide hydraulic power to power the cranes, lock gates and sluices at Grimsby Docks. During the Second World War, there were plans to demolish the tower as it acted as a beacon for German Luftwaffe aircraft heading towards Liverpool.
1881 – Rioting took place in Basingstoke in protest against the daily promotion of rigid alcohol abstinence by the Salvation Army.
1899 – Italian inventor Marconi achieved the first international radio transmission (a Morse Code message) between England and France.