October 20th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 294 of the “leap” year! Known as World Osteoporosis Day, World Toy Camera Day, International Chef Day, World Statistics Day. Your star sign is Libra and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
1946 – ‘Muffin the Mule’, a wooden puppet operated by Annette Mills (sister of actor Sir John Mills) first appeared in a children’s television programme on BBC TV.
Todays birthdays
1956 – Danny Boyle (68), English director and producer (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, The Beach, 127 Hours), born in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester.
1961 – Ian Rush (63), Welsh former professional footballer (Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996), born in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales.
1967 – Susan Tully (57), English actress known for her roles as rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in Grange Hill and as Michelle Fowler in EastEnders, born in Highgate, London.
1971 – Dannii Minogue (53), Australian singer (“This Is It”), television personality, and actress (Home and Away), born in Melbourne, Australia.
1971 – Snoop Dogg (53), American rapper (“Drop It Like It’s Hot”, “The Next Episode”, “Gin and Juice”) and actor, born in Long Beach, California, United States.
Famous deaths
2020 – Robbie Coltrane (b. 1950), Scottish actor, comedian and writer (Harry Potter film series, Nuns on the Run, GoldenEye).
The day today
1915 – Prime Minister David Lloyd George granted women their ‘Right to Serve’, thus opening up many new areas of employment for women. Trade Unionists were concerned that the move would depress wages.
1955 – The Return of the King, the third installment in The Lord of the Rings book series by J. R. R Tolkein, was published.
1988 – The British Government announced plans to change the law so that remaining silent could incriminate rather than protect a suspect.
1996 – Oscar winners ‘Wallace and Gromit’ disappeared after being left in a taxi in New York. Both the life-size plastic models from Britain’s award winning animation film were later found safe and well!
1997 – ‘Brown Monday’ on the London Stock Exchange with £10 billion being wiped off the value of shares after British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown failed to clarify his Government’s stance on the European single currency.
Today in music
1960 – Roy Orbison had his first UK No.1 single with ‘Only The Lonely’ and his first of 33 hits. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley so Orbison decided to record the song himself.
1964 – The Rolling Stones played their first live concert in France when they appeared at the Paris Olympia.
2003 – Amy Winehouse released her debut album Frank, (named after Frank Sinatra). The album went on to sell over one million copies in the UK alone.
2003 – A jury finds Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy guilty of assaulting a nightclub worker. The singer was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid community service and ordered to pay her victim £500 compensation, plus £3,000 prosecution costs.
2006 – George Michael openly smoked a cannabis joint during an interview on a TV show. The singer was filmed backstage in Madrid, Spain where the drug is legal. Michael said “It’s the only drug I’ve ever thought worth taking, this stuff keeps me sane and happy.”
Today in history
1632 – The birth of English architect Christopher Wren. He was responsible for the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral following the Great Fire of London.
1714 – The Coronation of King George I. There were several riots in the South and West of England to protest George’s accession.
1822 – The British newspaper The Sunday Times was first published and has a history of innovation stretching from a female proprietor in 1887 and a female editor in 1894, through to pioneering the publication of large illustrations, book serialisations, separate sections and the first colour magazine supplement in 1962.
1827 – Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.
1890 – The death of Sir Richard Francis Burton, English explorer, writer, soldier and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia and Africa and the discovery of Lake Tanganyika. Burton was one of the first non Muslims to enter the secret cities of Mecca and Medina.