October 13th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 287 of the “leap” year! Known as National No Bra Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Day, World Thrombosis Day, Yorkshire Pudding Day. Your star sign is Libra and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
1996 – British racing driver Damon Hill, driving a Williams, won the Japanese Grand Prix to clinch his first (and only) World Championship.
Todays birthdays
1941 – Paul Simon (83), American multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter (Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence”), born in Newark, New Jersey.
1946 – Edwina Currie (78), British writer, broadcaster and former politician (Conservative Party from 1983 until 1997), born in Liverpool.
1948 – Pete Spencer (76), British drummer and songwriter with Smokie (“Living Next Door to Alice”), born in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
1970 – Paul Potts (54), British pop-opera singer and 1st winner of Britain’s Got Talent (2007), born in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire.
1971 – Sacha Baron Cohen (53), English comedian, actor, writer and producer (Ali G, Borat), born in Hammersmith, London.
Famous deaths
2006 – Paul Hunter (b. 1978), English snooker player (three-time Masters champion, winning the event at the 2001, 2002, and 2004 tournaments).
The day today
1904 – The birth, in Halifax, of Wilfred Pickles OBE, actor and radio presenter. Pickles was a proud Yorkshireman and was the first newsreader to speak in a regional accent. His BBC Radio show ‘Have A Go’, ran from 1946 to 1967 and launched such catchphrases as ‘What’s on the table, Mabel?’ and ‘Are yer courting?’, all delivered in Pickles’s inimitable style.
1988 – The British Government lost its long-running battle to stop the publication of the controversial book Spycatcher, written by a former secret service agent.
Law Lords ruled the media can publish extracts from former MI5 officer Peter Wright’s memoirs, because any damage to national security had already been done by its publication abroad.
1992 – The government announced plans to close one third of Britain’s deep coal mines, putting 31,000 miners out of work.
1996 – British racing driver Damon Hill, driving a Williams, won the Japanese Grand Prix to clinch his first (and only) World Championship.
2014 – The Royal College of Midwives took part in strike action for the first time in the organisation’s 133 year history, in protest at the government’s decision not to grant a 1% ‘across the board’ pay rise. The 4 hour strike, (from 7:00 a.m. at hospitals in England) also included nurses, paramedics, hospital porters and ambulance crews.
Today in music
1965 – The Who recorded “My Generation” at Pye studios, London. When released as a single it reached No.2 on the UK chart, held off the No.1 position by The Seekers “The Carnival Is Over”. Roger Daltrey would later say that he stuttered the lyrics to try to fit them to the music. The BBC initially refused to play the song because it did not want to offend people who stutter.
1979 – Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”, his second US solo No.1, a No.3 hit in the UK.
1984 – Stevie Wonder started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “I Just Called To Say I Love You”, his 7th US No.1, also No.1 in the UK.
2002 – Will Young went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut album ‘From Now On.’ Young came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise. His debut single, “Anything is Possible”, was released two weeks after the show’s finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the United Kingdom.
2011 – American band Maroon 5 were on the top 10 of the UK singles chart with “Moves Like Jagger”, featuring Christina Aguilera. Its lyrics referred to a male’s ability to impress a female with his dance moves, which he compared to those of Mick Jagger.
Today in history
1269 – The present church building at Westminster Abbey is consecrated in the presence of King Henry III. The church was built in the Gothic style, influenced by French cathedral architecture. The rebuilding project began after Henry III demolished the second church, which was built by Edward the Confessor and consecrated in 1065. The rebuilding took place from 1220 to 1272.
1399 – Henry IV (the first King of the House of Lancaster) was crowned king of England.
1884 – Greenwich was chosen as the universal time meridian of longitude from which standard times throughout the world are calculated.
1894 – The first Merseyside ‘derby’ football match was played at Goodison Park between Liverpool and Everton, with Everton winning 3 – 0.
1899 – The start of the siege of the British garrison at Mafeking by Boer forces. The commander of the garrison, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell and his forces held firm for 217 days.