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 299 of the year.

Sunday, October 26th Daily Prep.

Known as National Pumpkin Day, Newport Wales Marathon, Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night. Your star sign is Scorpio and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
1918 – Stonehenge was given over to the British Government by its private landowner. Cecil Chubb donated the monument to the government and was the last private individual to own Stonehenge. The gift was made with the conditions that the entrance fee would not exceed one shilling and local residents would receive free access.
Stonehenge was given over to the British Government by its private landowner. Cecil Chubb donated the monument to the government and was the last private individual to own Stonehenge.
Today’s birthdays
1946 – Keith Hopwood (79), British rock guitarist and backing singer with Herman’s Hermits (“I’m Into Something Good”), born in Urmston, Manchester.
1966 – Judge Jules (59), British dance music DJ (Ibiza Anthems, Ministry of Sound) and record producer voted best DJ in the world by DJ Mag in 1995, born in London.
1969 – Sarina Wiegman (56), Dutch football manager and former player (current manager of the England women’s national team since September 2021), born in The Hague, Netherlands.
1971 – Audley Harrison (54), British former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2013, born in London.
1973 – Austin Healey (52), British former rugby union player (Leicester Tigers, England and the British & Irish Lions), born in Wallasey, Borough of Wirral, Merseyside.
1973 – Seth MacFarlane (52), American animator, television producer (American Dad!, Family Guy) and filmmaker (Ted, The Orville), born in Kent, Connecticut, United States.
1982 – Nicola Adams (43), British former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2019 and retired with an undefeated record, born in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Famous deaths
2002 – Richard Harris (b. 1930), Irish actor (Gladiator, Camelot) who played as Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets.

2004 – John Peel (b. 1939), English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, from 1967 until his death in 2004.

The day today
1918 – Stonehenge was given over to the British Government by its private landowner. Cecil Chubb donated the monument to the government and was the last private individual to own Stonehenge. The gift was made with the conditions that the entrance fee would not exceed one shilling and local residents would receive free access.

1929 – London’s world famous buses were painted red. When the LGOC (The London General Omnibus Company) took over Vanguard in 1908, the red livery, the ‘General’ fleet name and the wheel symbol came together to form a powerful brand. Red has been the colour of London buses ever since, becoming famous around the world.

1950 – The first sound and vision broadcast from the House of Commons was broadcast, showing George VI reopening the chamber after repair work carried out on damage sustained during the war.
1968 – Future world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman wins the Olympic heavyweight gold medal when the final against Jonas Čepulis (Soviet Union) is stopped in round 2 at the Mexico City Games.
1977 – The birth of Dame Sarah Storey, Britain’s most decorated female Paralympian. Her list of major achievements (as of October 2015) include being a 21-time World champion (6 in swimming and 15 in cycling), a 21-time European champion (18 in swimming and 3 in cycling) and a holder of 72 world records.
1986 – Leading politician Jeffrey Archer was forced to resign from the deputy chairmanship of the Conservative party following allegations that he made a payment to a prostitute to avoid a scandal. He denied the allegations and later fought a successful libel case.
1986 – French McLaren driver Alain Prost retains his Formula 1 World Drivers Championship with a victory in the season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide winning the title by 2 points over Nigel Mansell.
1992 – The London Ambulance Service was thrown into chaos after the failure of a new Computer Aided Dispatch system. Its poor design and implementation led to significant delays in the assigning of ambulances, with reports of 11 hour waits. Media reports at the time claimed that up to 30 people may have died as a result of the chaos. The then-chief executive, John Wilby, resigned shortly afterwards.
2012 – Six care workers at Winterbourne View care home (Gloucestershire) were given prison sentences for ‘particularly cruel … callous and degrading’ abuse of disabled patients.’ The defendents were secretly filmed by BBC Panorama, slapping extremely vulnerable residents, soaking them in water, trapping them under chairs, taunting and swearing at them, pulling their hair and poking their eyes.
2017 – A statue was unveiled in the Community Garden, Congleton in Cheshire, for a military dog who was awarded the Dickin Medal (the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross). Treo, who died in 2015, saved many lives by uncovering improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during his time serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Today in music
1958 – Bill Haley and his Comets played the first rock ‘n’ roll concert in Germany. Over 7,000 rock ‘n’ roll fans turned the show into a riot.
1965 – Queen Elizabeth II formally presented The Beatles with their Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) medals at Buckingham Palace.
1966 – English singer Alma Cogan died of ovarian cancer aged 34. She scored the 1955 UK No.1 single ‘Dreamboat’, plus 20 other UK Top 40 hits. In the 50s Cogan was the most consistently successful female singer in the UK and the youngest female act to top the charts during the 50s.
1985 – Whitney Houston went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Saving All My Love For You’, also a No.1 hit in the US.
1996 – The Spice Girls had their second UK No.1 single when ‘Say You’ll Be There’ started a two-week run at the top of the charts. The song included a harmonica solo, played by Judd Lander who also played the harmonica solo on Culture Club’s 1984 hit ‘Karma Chameleon’.
2008 – AC/DC went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Black Ice’ the bands fifteenth studio album which went on to become a No.1 hit in 29 different countries and the second-best selling album of 2008.
2010 – Former Culture Club vocalist Boy George stunned an audience in London, England after reportedly flying into a rage and tossing his drink on a woman who was talking during his show. Before emptying his glass on her from the stage, George was heard shouting, “Why don’t you shut the f**k up, you rude c**t!”
2011 – A coroner’s inquest on the death of Amy Winehouse reached a verdict of misadventure. The report explained that Winehouse’s blood alcohol content was 416 mg per decilitre at the time of her death, more than five times the legal drink-drive limit. According to the coroner ‘The unintended consequences of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden death’.
2015 – Justin Bieber cleaned up at the MTV’s EMAs – (European Music Awards), winning best male, best North American act, best collaboration for ‘Where Are You Now?’, with Skrillex and Diplo, biggest fans and best look. One Direction won the prize for best pop, Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ won best song and Rihanna was named best female.
2024 – Kylie Minogue scored her 10th No.1 album in the UK with her seventeenth studio album Tension II. In doing so, she became the only female artist to have secured chart-topping LPs in five consecutive decades. In Australia, It became Minogue’s eighth No.1 studio album, her fifth consecutive No.1, and her ninth No.1 album overall in the country. The album also debuted at No.1 on the Official Vinyl UK Albums Chart.
Today in history
899 AD – King Alfred the Great, Saxon King of Wessex is believed to have died on this date. A soldier and scholar, he fought against the invading Danes and formed England’s first navy. His son, Edward the Elder became King. Winchester was Alfred’s capital, and he developed the town and to keep it safe from attack.
1640 – The Treaty of Ripon was signed, by Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Scottish Covenanters. It was a major setback for Charles, and its terms were humiliating. It stipulated that Northumberland and County Durham were to be ceded to the Scots as an interim measure, that Newcastle was to be left in the hands of the Scots, and that Charles was to pay them £850 a day to maintain their armies there.
1775 – King George III went before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution.
1859 – The Royal Charter steam clipper was wrecked in Dulas Bay, off the coast of Anglesey, with almost 460 dead, the highest death toll of any shipwreck off the Welsh coast. The exact number of dead was not verified as the passenger list was lost in the wreck.
1836 – 11 football clubs and schools from London met at The Freemasons’ Tavern to form the Football Association and to agree on a code of football rules.
1881 – The most famous western gunfight happened at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The fight lasted 30 seconds between a posse of Lawmen involving Wyatt Earp and a group of outlaws. Three men died from gunshot wounds.