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 307 of the year.

Monday, November 3rd Daily Prep.

Known as National Sandwich Day, Smart Home Day, Cliché Day, National Housewife’s Day. Your star sign is Scorpio and your birthstone is Topaz.
2014 – One World Trade Center opened in New York City on the site of the former World Trade Center complex, which had been largely destroyed in the September 11, 2001, attacks.
One World Trade Center opened in New York City on the site of the former World Trade Center complex, which had been largely destroyed in the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Today’s birthdays
1948 – Lulu (77), Scottish singer (“Shout”, “Relight My Fire” with Take That), born in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire, Scotland.
1954 – Adam Ant (71), English singer and musician (“Prince Charming”, “Stand and Deliver”, “Goody Two Shoes”), born in Marylebone, London.
1957 – Dolph Lundgren (68), Swedish actor (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier, The Expendables, The Punisher) and martial artisit, born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1963 – Ian Wright (62), English television and radio personality and former professional footballer (Arsenal FC, West Ham United), born in Woolwich, London.
1971 – Dylan Moran (54), Irish comedian, writer and actor (Run Fatboy Run, Shaun of the Dead), born in Navan, County Meath, Ireland.
1973 – Ben Fogle (52), English broadcaster (Cash in the Attic), writer and adventurer (Ben Fogle’s Lost Worlds), born in Westminster, London.
1995 – Kendall Jenner (30), American model who rose to fame in the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, born in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Famous deaths
2002 – Lonnie Donegan (b. 1931), Scottish skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the “King of Skiffle”, who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians.
The day today
1906 – International Radiotelegraph Conference in Berlin selects “SOS” (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal as the worldwide standard for help. The SOS code was implemented internationally on July 1, 1908.
1941 – English broadcaster Roy Plomley conceived the idea for ‘Desert Island Discs’. The programme was first broadcast on BBC Radio in January 1942.
1941 – Japanese Admiral Osami Nagano presented the complete plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor to Emperor Hirohito for final approval. Following this presentation, the Emperor approved the plan at an Imperial Conference, setting a December start date if negotiations with the U.S. failed.
1957 – The Soviet Union sent a dog into space aboard the spacecraft Sputnik II. The dog called Laika was the first living organism to be sent into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
1968 – English Lotus driver Graham Hill wins his 2nd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship securing the title at the Mexican Grand Prix by 12 points over Scotsman Jackie Stewart.
1975 – Queen Elizabeth II opened the North Sea pipeline, the first to be built underwater bringing ashore 400,000 barrels a day to Grangemouth Refinery on the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
1985 – Two French agents in New Zealand pleaded guilty to sinking the Greenpeace ship, Rainbow Warrior and to the manslaughter of a photographer on board. They were sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.
1997 – “I’m Alan Partridge” starring and written by Steve Coogan premieres on the BBC. The first episode is called “A Room with an Alan”
2014 – Will Cornick, aged 16, who murdered Ann Maguire while she was teaching a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, showed no emotion as he was handed a minimum of 20 years in custody. Ahead of the killing in April 2014, he had also planned to murder two other teachers, including one who was pregnant.
2014 – One World Trade Center opened in New York City on the site of the former World Trade Center complex, which had been largely destroyed in the September 11, 2001, attacks.
2019 – British Mercedes driver and defending champion Lewis Hamilton finishes second in the US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas to clinch his 6th F1 Drivers World Championship.
2022 – Former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricketer Imran Khan survives an assassination attempt after being shot in the leg at a rally in Wazirabad, Pakistan.
Today in music
1960 – Elvis Presley had his fifth UK No.1 single with ‘It’s Now Or Never’, it stayed at No.1 for eight weeks. The song which was based on the Italian song, ‘O Sole Mio’, gave Presley his first post-army No.1.
1984 – Paul McCartney went to No.1 on the UK album chart with the film soundtrack to ‘Give My Regards To Broad Street’, featuring the UK No.2 single ‘No More Lonely Nights.’
1984 – Billy Ocean started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Caribbean Queen’. The song was originally called ‘European Queen’.
1990 – 25 years after their version was recorded, The Righteous Brothers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Unchained Melody’. The track had been featured in the Patrick Swayze film ‘Ghost.’ Written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, ‘Unchained Melody is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.
1992 – Bon Jovi released their fifth studio album, Keep The Faith, which spent a total of 49 weeks on the US chart. The album produced three Top 40 hits: ‘Keep The Faith’, ‘Bed of Roses’ and ‘In These Arms’.
2002 – Lonnie Donegan, died mid-way through a UK tour and shortly before he was due to perform at a memorial concert for George Harrison with The Rolling Stones. He was aged 71. Donegan who launched the skiffle craze in the UK had the 1959 hit ‘Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour’, the 1960 UK No.1 single ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’, ‘Rock Island Line’, plus over 30 other UK Top 40 singles.
2005 – Winners at this years MTV Europe awards included Coldplay who won best UK act and best song for ‘Speed Of Sound’, Green Day won best rock act and best album, Alicia Keys was named best R&B act, System of a Down won best alternative act, The Black Eyed Peas won the best pop award and for the first time, the awards included a category for best African act, won by 2 Face. Madonna, in her first live TV performance since a riding accident, launched the show by emerging from a giant disco ball. Madonna also presented MTV’s ‘Free Your Mind’ humanitarian award to Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof.
2013 – The first ever YouTube awards were held in New York City. The event featured Eminem, Lady Gaga and M.I.A making live music videos directed by the awards’ creator, Spike Jonze, and others. Eminem won Artist of the Year, while Taylor Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ took the YouTube Phenomenon award.
2019 – Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, left his wife of 29 years to move in with a ‘superfan’ 15 years his junior. It was reported that the singer was now living with fitness instructor Leana Dolci at her Paris home.
Today in history
1534 – England’s Parliament met and passed an Act of Supremacy which made King Henry VIII head of the English church, a role formerly held by the Pope. Many refused to accept the decision and between May 1535 and August 1540 eighteen Carthusian monks were executed for refusing to acknowledge the king as the head of the Church of England. Nine were starved to death in Newgate Prison, seven were hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn and two were executed in York.
1718 – The birth of John Montague, fourth Earl of Sandwich who gave his name to the Sandwich Islands, and (allegedly) to the ‘sandwich’ as a result of his reluctance to leave the gaming tables but requiring a quick and easy to eat snack.
1728 – The explorer James Cook was baptised in the parish church of St. Cuthbert at Marton, near Middlesborough. Cook was also a Captain in the British Navy and a cartographer. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
1783 – The highwayman John Austin was the last person to be publicly hanged at London’s Tyburn gallows.
1838 – The Times of India was founded, as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest selling English-language daily in the world.
1843 – The statue of English Admiral Horatio Nelson was raised to the top of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London.