Famous deaths
2018 – Chas Hodges (b. 1943), English musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, pianist and guitarist of the musical duo Chas & Dave.
On This Day 2025
Hello, … Welcome to day 334 of the year.

Sunday, November 30th Daily Prep.

Known as Cyber Safety Sunday, Saint Andrews Day, National Personal Space Day. Your star sign is Sagittarius and your birthstone is Topaz.
1996 – A block of gray sandstone known as the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland, 700 years after it had been taken to England as war booty by King Edward I.
Today’s birthdays
1935 – Woody Allen (90), American filmmaker (Annie Hall, Manhattan) and actor, born in The Bronx, New York, United States.

1937 – Ridley Scott (87), English filmaker known for directing films such as; Alien, House of Gucci, Gladiator, Hannibal and Blade Runner, born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear.

1955 – Billy Idol (70), English singer (“Rebel Yell”, “White Wedding”), songwriter, musician and actor, born in Stanmore, Harrow, Greater London.
1957 – Colin Mochrie (67), Scottish-born Canadian actor and improv comedian (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), born in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
1959 – Lorraine Kelly (66), Scottish television presenter (Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and This Morning), born in Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland.
1960 – Gary Lineker (65), English sports broadcaster and former professional footballer (Leicester City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, English national side), born in Leicester.
1965 – Ben Stiller (60) American actor (Night at the Museum, Zoolander, Meet the Parents), born in New York, New York, United States.

1966 – John Bishop (59), English comedian and former semi pro footballer (Crewe Alexandra F.C., Runcorn F.C.), born in Everton, Liverpool.

1985 – Kaley Cuoco (40), American actress (8 Simple Rules), best known for her role as Penny in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, born in Camarillo, California, United States.
Famous deaths
2013 – Paul Walker (b. 1973), American actor who was best known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise.

2018 – George H. W. Bush (b. 1924), The 41st president of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. He also served as the 43rd vice president under President Ronald Reagan.

2022 – Christine McVie (b. 1943), English musician, songwriter and vocalist with the rock band Fleetwood Mac.

2023 – Shane MacGowan (b. 1957), British-born Irish singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the original lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues.
The day today
1936 – The Crystal Palace in London caught fire and was destroyed. The building was initially constructed in 1851 using cast iron and plate glass. A small fire started following an explosion in the women’s cloakroom, and around 89 fire engines and over 400 firemen came to help put out the ever-growing blaze. Sadly, the firefighters were unable to succeed, and the palace was destroyed within hours.
1955 – Floodlights were used for the first time at Wembley Stadium, during an international game with Spain.
1968 – The Trade Descriptions Act of 1968 came into force making it a criminal offense for businesses to make false or misleading claims about the goods and services they sell. This includes providing false information about an item’s description, price, or quality.
1982 – A letter bomb sent by the Animal Rights Militia exploded at 10 Downing Street injuring an office manager who was handling the package. The device, addressed to the Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher), caused burns to the staff member’s hands and face.
1982 – “Gandhi,” a film biography directed by Richard Attenborough, and starring Ben Kingsley and John Gielgud, premieres in New Delhi, India. Wins Best Picture 1983.
1983 – Seaweed contaminated by heavy radioactivity was discovered in Cumbria, near the Sellafield nuclear plant. A study by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Food Standards Agency found that potential doses from using seaweed to produce foodstuffs are “extremely small”.
1996 – A block of gray sandstone known as the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland, 700 years after it had been taken to England as war booty by King Edward I.
1999 – Following a ban on exporting beef products from the UK, the government announced that the ban on beef on the bone would be lifted. In 1996 the European Union placed a ban on exports of British beef. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), more widely known as Mad Cow Disease, was detected in British beef. BSE had been linked with the human brain disease vCJD, so exports were banned.
2005 – Actor David Jason married his long-term partner Gill Hinchcliffe the day before he received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. The couple married in a private, secret ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London with only 12 guests present.
2011 – Up to two million public sector workers from 30 trade unions went on strike over reforms to their pensions, hitting public services as diverse as health, refuse and tax collection. Thousands of schools were closed and ports and airports were affected as border control staff walked out. It was the biggest day of strike action in more than 30 years, with warning of more stoppages to follow if ministers refused to negotiate on the dispute.
2022 – Russia passed a stricter ban on “LGBT propaganda.” Russia’s upper house of parliament unanimously voted against promoting homosexual relationships in advertising, books, and films. Anyone caught violating this ban can be fined as much as 5 million rubles (around £48,000).
Today in music
1963 – The Beatles second album With The Beatles became the first million selling album by a group in the UK. The album stayed at the top of the charts for 21 weeks, displacing Please Please Me, so that The Beatles occupied the top spot for 51 consecutive weeks.
1979 – British rock band Pink Floyd released their 11th studio album, The Wall. The album was a commercial success, topping the charts in numerous countries and is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

1982 – Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was released. It spent 190 weeks on the UK album chart became the biggest selling pop album of all time, with sales over 66 million copies. Seven singles were released from the album, including ‘Beat It’, which featured guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather on ‘Billie Jean’.

1985 – Wham! Were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I’m Your Man’, the duo’s third UK No.1, a No.3 hit in the US.
1989 – The Happy Mondays and fellow Mancunians The Stone Roses both made their debut appearance on UK TV music show Top Of The Pops. The Mondays performed ‘Hellelujah’ and the Stones Roses ‘Fools Gold.’
1991 – Michael Jackson scored his fourth UK No.1 album with his eighth studio album Dangerous. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide making it one of the best selling albums of all time.
1996 – American singer and ukulele player Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) died from a heart attack on stage while playing his hit ‘Tiptoe Through the Tulips’ at a club in Minneapolis.
1999 – Elton John was blasted by the Boy Scout Association after he appeared on stage at London’s Albert Hall performing ‘It’s A Sin’ with six male dancers dressed as Boy Scouts who had peeled off their uniforms during the performance.
2001 – The first Top Of The Pops UK Awards were held in Manchester, with categories voted by viewers of the BBC show. Winners included: Best pop act: Westlife, Best R&B Act: Destiny’s Child, Best Rock Act: U2, Best Dance Act: Fatboy Slim, Best Newcomer: Nelly Furtado, Best Single: Kylie Minogue, ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, Best Album: Travis, ‘The Invisible Band’, Artist on top of the world: Jennifer Lopez, Hall of Fame Award went to Paul McCartney.
2012 – Rihanna was at No.1 on the UK album chart with her seventh studio album Unapologetic. The album produced seven singles including ‘Diamonds’, which became Rihanna’s twelfth No.1 song, tying her with Madonna and The Supremes for fourth most No.1 songs in the history of the chart.
2021 – Adele was at No.1 on the UK chart with her fourth studio album, 30. Its lead single, ‘Easy on Me’, topped the charts in 27 territories, while 30 was the world’s best-selling album of 2021, selling a total of over 5.5 million copies in less than two months of its release.
2022 – English musician and singer Christine McVie died of a stroke at the age of 79. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, notably Chicken Shack, in the mid-1960s British Blues scene. She initially began working with Fleetwood Mac as a session player in 1968, before officially joining the band two years later. Eight songs she wrote or co-wrote, including ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Everywhere’ and ‘Little Lies’, appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 Greatest Hits album.
2023 – The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan died aged 65, following a recent hospital stay after being diagnosed with encephalitis. The singer-songwriter, whose hits include 1987’s ‘Fairytale of New York’ and ‘A Pair of Brown Eyes’, had been unwell for some time. He had formed the Irish punk band Pogue Mahone, later shortened to The Pogues, in 1982 and released seven studio albums. MacGowan also had well-documented problems with drugs and alcohol.
Today in history
1016 – Cnut the Great (Canute), King of Denmark, claimed the English throne after the death of Edmund II, often known as Edmund Ironside. The cognomen ‘Ironside’ was given to Edmund because of his valour in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great.
1487 – The first German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) is promulgated in Munich by Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria, stating beer should be brewed from only three ingredients – water, malt and hops.
1782 – Britain and the United States signed the preliminary articles of the Treaty of Paris as part of the Peace of Paris, a collection of treaties concluding the American Revolution.
1872 – The first football match between England and Scotland took place, at Hamilton Crescent Glasgow. It ended in a 0-0 draw.
1874 – Birth of Sir Winston Leonard Churchill, British statesman, journalist, historian and Nobel prize-winner for literature. He was a descendant of the great Duke of Marlborough, and was born in Blenheim Palace. The great wartime Prime Minister, with his highly quotable speeches, was considered by many as ‘the greatest living Englishman’.