On This Day 2026
Hello, … and welcome to day 90 of the year.

Tuesday, March 31st

Today is Eiffel Tower Day, National Bunsen Burner Day and World Backup Day. Your star sign is Aries and your birthstone is Aquamarine.
Today’s birthdays
1943 – Christopher Walken (83), American actor (The Deer Hunter, Catch Me If You Can, Sleepy Hollow, A View to a Kill), born in Astoria, New York, United States.
1948 – Rhea Perlman (78), American actress (Matilda, Taxi), best known for playing head waitress Carla Tortelli in the sitcom Cheers, born in New York, New York, United States.
1952 – 1998 – Dermot Morgan, Irish comedian and actor, best known for his role as the title character on the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.
1955 – Angus Young (71), Scottish born – Australian guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC, (“Thunderstruck”, “Back In Black”), born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1966 – Roger Black (60), English former athlete who competed internationally for Great Britain and England, born in Gosport, Hampshire.
1971 – Ewan McGregor (55), Scottish actor (Trainspotting, Star Wars: Episode I II and III, Black Hawk Down), born in Perth Royal Infirmary, Perth, Scotland.
1975 – Emma Atkins (51), English actress best known for her role as Charity Dingle in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale since 2000, born in Morecambe, Lancashire.
1978 – Daniel Mays (48), English actor (Line of Duty, Des, The Firm), born in Epping, Essex.
Famous deaths
1855 – Charlotte Brontë (b. 1816), English novelist and poet (Jane Eyre).
1993 – Brandon Lee (b. 1965), American actor, martial artist (The Crow, Showdown in Little Tokyo) and son of Bruce Lee.
2016 – Ronnie Corbett (b. 1930), Scottish comedian, actor and screenwriter (The Two Ronnies) and as Timothy Lumsden in Sorry.
2025 – Betty Webb (b. 1922), English code breaker who worked at Bletchley Park during World War II from the age of 18.
The day today
1939 – Britain and France agreed to support Poland if Germany threatened to invade.
1940 – Winston Churchill Warns Against German Invasion. The first sea lord of the admiralty Winston Churchill warned that a million German troops were massed on the borders of Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland ready to strike and that England and it’s allies must be prepared to protect other countries in the forthcoming conflict.
1949 – Winston Churchill declared that the atomic bomb was the only thing that kept the Soviet Union from taking over Europe.
1966 – Harold Wilson wins sweeping victory as the Labour party wins the general election with a majority of about 100 seats in the House of Commons.
1972 – The CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) organises a four day demonstration against nuclear arms including a march to Aldermaston.
1972 – The final day of the daily rum ration (or “tot”) in the Royal Canadian Navy. Following the British Royal Navy’s “Black Tot Day” on July 31, 1970, Canada continued the 62-year tradition for a short time longer before officially discontinuing it due to safety concerns regarding modern machinery. Known as “up spirits,” the daily ration was historically issued at 11:00 a.m..
1973 – Red Rum won the Grand National Steeplechase in a record time of 9 min. 1.9 seconds, a record that remained unbroken for 16 years. He is the only horse to have won the Grand National three times (1973, 1974, and 1977).
1979 – The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. The departure marked the end of roughly 180 years of British military presence and placed Malta under the control of its own citizens for the first time in centuries. The event is commemorated with a reenactment of the last British troops leaving, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Freedom Day Monument in Birgu (Vittoriosa), and a competitive traditional rowing regatta in the Grand Harbour.
1986 – A major fire at Hampton Court Palace destroyed the roof and upper floors of the south wing, known as the Christopher Wren wing, and heavily damaged several state apartments, including the Cartoon Gallery. The blaze caused one fatality (Lady Daphne Gale), and necessitated a major four-year restoration project completed in 1990.
1986 – Six metropolitan county councils (The West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Tyne and Wear, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire councils) are abolished in England. This action was mandated by the Local Government Act 1985, passed under Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government.
1990 – The worst violence seen so far in the series of Anti Poll Tax demonstrations erupted in London during the largest rally when nearly 100,000 people take to the streets in protest at the new government levy. More than 400 were arrested and property was damaged with repairs estimated at £400,000 after the demonstration.
1999 – The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves, was released in theaters in the United States (11 June 1999 in the UK). The film won four Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Sound Effects Editing.
2001 – German brothers Michael and Ralf Schumacher become first siblings to share the front row of the grid in a Formula 1 World Championship event qualifying 1st and 2nd respectively for the Brazilian GP in São Paulo.
2002 – Andre Agassi achieved his 700th career singles victory by defeating Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami.
2005 – New laws in the UK now give the right to those born using donor eggs or sperm will have the option to ask for the identity of their donor when they turn 18. The new law is not retrospective, so people who have already donated will not be affected, but those donating from now and the children born through those donations will have the right to trace their biological parent in through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority the same way as children who are adopted can ask adoption agencies. The new laws are causing some concern by infertility clinics about the future because the number of donors is expected to drop significantly.
2007 – The inaugural Earth Hour took place in Sydney, Australia, on March 31, 2007, when over 2.2 million people and 2,000 businesses switched off their lights for one hour to show concern regarding climate change. Organized by WWF, this event has since grown into a massive global movement involving over 190 countries and hundreds of millions of participants yearly.

2011 – Edward Stobart, who built up the Eddie Stobart lorry empire and ran it for more than 30 years, died at the age of 56. Taking over in 1976, he turned the firm from a local haulage firm into a major UK logistics giant, managing over 2,500 vehicles at its peak.

2014 – The Hillsborough inquests began, with a jury of 11 people selected from 1,000 who initially received a summons. The inquests into the deaths of the 96 victims of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster were ordered in December 2012, after verdicts of accidental death from a previous inquest were quashed by the High Court in London.

2016 – The death aged 85, from motor neuron disease, of Ronnie Corbett (Ronald Balfour Corbett) Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies which ran from 1971 to 1987.
2019 – Elton John joins George Clooney’s call to boycott hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei after Brunei plans new anti-gay laws to make homosexual sex punishable by death.
2021 – US President Joe Biden overturns Trump’s restrictions on transgender people serving in the armed forces. Trump announced on Twitter in 2017 that the country would no longer “accept or allow” transgender Americans to serve in the military, citing “tremendous medical costs and disruption”. The ban took effect in April 2019. Trans personnel who were already serving were allowed to continue, but new recruits were locked out.
2023 – Italy banned the use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT over data security concerns. Instead of responding to the concerns raised by Italy’s data privacy regulators, OpenAI simply pulled the plug for Italian users. ChatGPT was restored the following month with changes that allowed users to prevent the chatbot from using their data.
2025 – SpaceX successfully launched the Fram2 mission, sending four private astronauts into the first-ever human spaceflight over Earth’s poles. Unlike most missions, this 90-degree orbit passes over both the North and South Poles, providing a novel perspective of the planet.
Today in music
1958 – Chuck Berry’s rock ‘n’ roll classic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ single was released. It entered the US charts six weeks later and peaked at No.8 on the chart. The song’s original lyrics referred to Johnny as a ‘colored boy’, but Berry later acknowledged that he changed it to ‘country boy’ to ensure radio play.

1960 – Lonnie Donegan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’, his third No.1. Donegan became the first British artist to enter the UK chart at No.1, the only other artist to achieve this feat at this time was Elvis Presley. The song which was recorded live at the Gaumont cinema in Doncaster was a music hall novelty song.

1972 – The Beatles’ Official Fan Club, managed by Freda Kelly, officially disbanded. The closure marked the end of the “official” fan club era, coming 722 days after Paul McCartney announced the band’s breakup.

1976 – The Brotherhood Of Man were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, ‘Save Your Kisses For Me.’ The group’s first of three UK No.1’s.

1984 – Kenny Loggins started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Footloose’, the theme from the film with the same name, a No.6 hit in the UK.
1990 – German and Italian production team Snap! had their first UK No.1 single with ‘The Power.’ The track has been featured in many films including Coyote Ugly, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Bruce Almighty soundtrack and The Fisher King.
1992 – Def Leppard released their fifth studio album Adrenalize, the first by the band following the 1991 death of guitarist Steve Clark. Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell, was brought in as the newest member in April 1992.
2001 – Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown were banned for life from Hollywood’s Bel Air hotel after wrecking their room. Hotel workers said a TV was smashed, two doors were ripped of their hinges and the walls and carpets were stained by alcohol. It was reported that Whitney called in her lawyers to plead with the hotel management not to call the police. The suite was so badly damaged it had to be shut for five days for repairs.
2011 – Australian band Men at Work lost an appeal against a ruling which found their 1983 hit single ‘Down Under’ was partly copied from a folk song. Australia’s Federal Court upheld the decision which stated part of the song’s melody came from the tune ‘Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree’.
2013 – TV hosts Ant and Dec scored their first British No.1 single, with their 1994 hit ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble’. The song made it to No.1 after the duo performed the track on their ITV1 show Saturday Night Takeaway the previous weekend, prompting fans to download it. The duo were also giving all the money they made from sales to the ChildLine charity.
Today in history
1596 – French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher René Descartes, widely considered the father of modern philosophy and perhaps best known for the famous phrase “I think, therefore I am,” was born.
1657 – The Long Parliament presents the Humble Petition and Advice offering Oliver Cromwell the British throne, which he eventually declines.
1774 – American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
1750 – The birth of John Stafford Smith, English composer. He is best known for writing the music for the American patriotic song The Star-Spangled Banner following the War of 1812. In 1931 it was adopted as the national anthem of the United States of America.
1837 – The death of John Constable, English painter, best known for his paintings of the English countryside such as Dedham Vale and The Hay Wain. Although his paintings are now among the most popular and valuable in British art, he was never financially successful and did not become a member of the establishment until he was elected to the Royal Academy at the age of 52. In May 2013 Constable’s 1831 masterpiece ‘Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows’ was bought by the Tate Gallery for £23.1m.
1889 – The iconic Eiffel Tower created by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution, officially opened and was the tallest man-made tower for 41 years.
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