Saturday, May 10th "2025" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 130, known as National Golf Day, World Lupus Day, Trust Your Intuition Day, World Migratory Bird Day. Your star sign is Taurus and your birthstone is Emerald.
1824 – The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London opened to the public. It houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.
Todays birthdays
1946 – Donovan (79), Scottish musician and songwriter (“Mellow Yellow”, “Sunshine Superman”), born in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland.
1946 – Maureen Lipman (79), English actress (Educating Rita, Coronation Street, Oklahoma!) and columnist, born in Kingston upon Hull.
1960 – Paul “Bono” Hewson (65), Irish singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of the rock band U2 (“With or Without You”, “Where the Streets Have No Name”), born in Dublin, Ireland.
1966 – Jonathan Edwards (59), English former triple jumper (Olympic, double World, European, European indoor and Commonwealth champion), born in Westminster, London.
1968 – Al Murray (57), English stand up comedian and actor known as the “Pub Landlord” in Time Gentlemen Please, born in Stekley, Buckinghamshire.
Famous deaths
2019 – Freddie Starr (b. 1943), English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor (Opportunity Knocks and the Royal Variety Performance).
2020 – Little Richard (b. 1932), American singer, songwriter, and pianist (“Tutti Frutti”, “The Girl Can’t Help It”).
The day today
1916 – Explorer Ernest Shackleton and companions reached the Falkland island of South Georgia after sailing 800 miles in 16 days in an open boat. They were looking for help for the remaining members of their party marooned on Elephant island, Antarctica.
1919 – The first scheduled commercial air service in Britain began. The flight from Manchester to Southport cost 4 guineas one way and was run by A.V.Roe.
1940 – German forces invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg by air and land. The invasion began at dawn with large numbers of aeroplanes attacking the main aerodromes and landing troops. Winston Churchill formed a coalition wartime Government. When he first met his cabinet on 13th May he told them – “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears & sweat”.
1941 – Rudolf Hess, deputy leader of Nazi Germany, flew a small plane to Scotland and parachuted to the ground in a bizarre attempt to negotiate a peace settlement with Britain. After interrogation he was jailed for life.
1994 – Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa’s first black president. This historic event marked the end of apartheid and the beginning of a democratic South Africa.
2013 – Andrew “Bart” Simpson, a double Olympic medallist from Sherbourne in Dorset died after a Swedish catamaran capsized during a training session for the America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay. Before the 2012 Olympics, Mr. Simpson had said that winning the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in the sport, was his biggest goal.
2014 – Sixth formers at Hampton Court House, a private school in Surrey, began their lessons in the afternoons to allow them to sleep later in the mornings. Headmaster Guy Holloway said that the change to 1:30 pm from the usual time of 9:00 am would be more productive and less stressful for students.
Today in music
1965 – The Rolling Stones recorded a version of ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ at Chess Studios in Chicago, with Brian Jones on harmonica. The group re-recorded it two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood, with a different beat and the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox that Keith Richards had recently aquired, adding sustain to the sound of the guitar riff.
1969 – The Moody Blues started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘On The Threshold Of A Dream’ (their first No.1 album).
1969 – Frank Sinatra’s version of ‘My Way’ made the British Top ten for the first time. Over the next three years it re-entered the Top 50 singles chart on eight different occasions. Paul Anka re-wrote the original French song for Sinatra, after he told Anka he was quitting the music business. Anka changed the melodic structure and lyrics to the song with Sinatra in mind.
1970 – David Bowie was awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Song ‘Space Oddity’ which he performed that night accompanied by the Les Reed Orchestra. The event was transmitted live via satellite to venues in America, France, Spain, Australia, Holland and Venezuela. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs ‘Ashes to Ashes’, ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ and ‘Blackstar’.
1986 – The Pet Shop Boys went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘West End Girls’, which was also the duo’s first US No.1.
1986 – Falco was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Rock Me Amadeus.’ Falco became the first-ever Austrian act to score a UK and US No.1 hit single and the first German speaking artist to achieve a No.1 on the US charts. Falco died of severe injuries received on 6 February 1998, when his Mitsubishi Pajero collided with a bus in the Dominican Republic. It was later determined that the bus driver was speeding, for which the driver served three years in prison. His estate claims he has sold 20 million albums and 15 million singles, which makes him the best selling Austrian singer of all time.
Today in history
1292 – Edward I of England was recognized as the overlord of Scotland in 1292, leading Scottish nobles were compelled to swear oaths of allegiance to him and acknowledge him as their feudal lord. This event, along with the subsequent invasion of Scotland in 1296, marked a significant loss of Scottish independence.
1307 – The Battle of Loudoun Hill; fought between a Scots force led by Robert Bruce and the English commanded by Aymer de Valence. The battle took place beneath Loudoun Hill, in Ayrshire and ended in a victory for Bruce. It was his first major military victory.
1768 – John Wilkes (English radical, journalist and politician) was imprisoned for writing an article for the North Briton newspaper severely criticising King George III. This action provoked rioting in London.
1773 – The parliament of Great Britain passed the Tea Act, a piece of legislation that ultimately led to the Boston Tea Party.
1774 – Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette become King and Queen of France.
1824 – The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London opened to the public. It houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.