Thursday, May 22nd "2025" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 142, known as Chardonnay Day, National Solitaire Day, Sherlock Holmes Day, World Goth Day. Your star sign is Gemini and your birthstone is Emerald.
1981 – Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was sentenced to life imprisonment after the judge described him as ‘an unusually dangerous man’. He was found guilty of killing 13 women and the attempted murder of 7 others.
Todays birthdays
1959 – Steven Patrick “Morrissey” (66), English singer and songwriter with the rock band, The Smiths (“This Charming Man”), born in Davyhulme, Urmston, Greater Manchester.
1970 – Naomi Campbell (55), English model and the first black woman to appear as a model on the covers of Time and Vogue France, born in Lambeth, South London.
1978 – Katie Price (47), English media personality, model and author. She gained recognition in the late 1990s for her glamour modelling work, born in Brighton, Brighton and Hove.
1987 – Novak Djokovic (38), Serbian professional tennis player who has won a record 24 major men’s singles titles, born in Belgrade, Serbia.
1981 – Su-Elise Nash (44), English singer and former member of UK garage group, Mis-Teeq (“Scandalous”, “All I Want”), born in Dulwich, London.
Famous deaths
2000 – Barbara Cartland (b. 1901), English author known as the Queen of Romance (The Impetuous Duchess, The Wicked Marquis).
The day today
1915 – The worst rail disaster in Britain took place at Quintinshill (Gretna Green) in Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246. The accident involved a special troop train carrying a Royal Scots battalion, two goods trains, a local train and an express from London Euston. The cause of the accident was poor working practices on the part of the two signalmen involved, which resulted in their imprisonment for culpable homicide.
1936 – Aer Lingus was founded by the Irish government as the national airline of the Republic of Ireland.
1946 – George Best, former Northern Ireland and Manchester United football player was born. When he was once asked what happened to the money he had earned, Best replied – ‘I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.’
1981 – Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was sentenced to life imprisonment after the judge described him as ‘an unusually dangerous man’. He was found guilty of killing 13 women and the attempted murder of 7 others.
2013 – British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby was attacked and killed near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, British and of Nigerian descent, ran the off duty soldier down with a car, then used knives and a cleaver to hack him to death. The two men made no attempt to flee, encouraged people to take pictures of them and their victim and told passers-by that they had killed a soldier to avenge the killing of Muslims by the British armed forces.
2014 – More than 15 million British users of the auction site eBay and 233 million eBay users worldwide were warned that they could be at risk of identity theft after their personal data (passwords, names, addresses and telephone numbers) were stolen in the world’s biggest online security breach.
2017 – Twenty two people were killed and more than 200 injured when a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb was detonated as people were leaving Manchester Arena following a concert by the American singer Ariana Grande. The youngest victim, Saffie Roussos, was just eight years old. It was the deadliest terror attack on British soil since the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005.
Today in music
1958 – Jerry Lee Lewis arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport to begin his first British tour, along with his new bride, 14 year old third cousin, Myra. Although advised not to mention it, Lewis answered all questions about his private life. The public’s shock over Lewis’ marriage marks the start of a controversy leading to his British tour being cancelled after just 3 of the scheduled 37 performances.
1968 – Gary Puckett and the Union Gap were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Young Girl.’ The song which was about under-age sex, was the acts only UK No.1.
1991 – Will Sinnott from The Shamen drowned while swimming off the coast of La Gomera when he was pulled under by strong currents. The Shamen were in Tenerife filming a video for their new single ‘Move Any Mountain.’
1993 – Swedish group Ace Of Base started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘All That She Wants’.
2000 – Travis swept the board at the Ivor Novello awards. Singer Fran Healy won two awards for Best Contemporary Song for the single ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me” And Songwriter Of The Year for the Travis album ‘The Man Who.’
2004 – Morrissey appeared at the M.E.N. arena Manchester, England on his 45th birthday. It was Morrissey’s return to his home city Manchester after an absence of 12 years and the 18000 tickets sold out in only 90 minutes. During the set Morrissey performed five Smiths songs.
2014 – Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie was honoured with a lifetime achievement at this year’s Ivor Novello songwriting awards. McVie played with Fleetwood Mac for 28 years and wrote some of their most famous songs, including ‘Don’t Stop’ and ‘Little Lies’.
2017 – Drake broke Adele’s record for the most wins at the Billboard Music Awards after the Canadian rapper picked up 13 prizes, beating Adele by one. The event which was held in Las Vegas also saw Twenty One Pilots pick up top duo/group and top rock artist with Metallica winning in the rock album category.
Today in history
1455 – In the Wars of the Roses, Richard of York and the Nevilles attacked the court at St Albans, capturing Henry VI and killing Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset.
1623 – British Forces made a treaty with the ‘Potomac River tribes’ proposing a toast to perpetual friendship. The Indian chief and 200 men then dropped dead from poisoned wine.
1795 – The Scottish explorer, Mungo Park, set sail on his first voyage to Africa which he would later relate in his book ‘Travels in the Interior of Africa’.
1807 – Most of the town of Chudleigh in Devon was destroyed by a fire that started in the bakery. After the fire, only the church and seven houses were left standing.
1840 – Britain ended the practice of sending convicts to the penal colony of Australia.