October 4th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 278 of the year! Known as National Cinnamon Roll Day, National Taco Day, National Vodka Day, World Smile Day. Your star sign is Libra and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
2013 – 93 year old Clifford Dadson, from Cumbria become the oldest graduate in the UK after receiving an Arts degree from the Open University. He began studying when his wife, Rae, passed away in 2009 and has vowed to continue studying by signing up to a religious module with the university.
Todays birthdays
1947 – Ann Widdecombe (77), British politician and television personality (Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Fit Club), born in Bath, Somerset.
1958 – Anneka Rice (66), Welsh-born television (Challenge Anneka, Treasure Hunt) and radio presenter, born in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
1959 – Chris Lowe (64), English musician and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys (“Go West”, “It’s a Sin”), which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981, born in Blackpool.
1984 – Lena Katina (40), Russian musician who gained fame as one half of the pop/electronica duo t.A.T.u. (“All The Things She Said”), born in Moscow, Russia.
1976 – Alicia Silverstone (48), American actress (Clueless, Batman and Robin), born in San Francisco, California, United States.
1989 – Dakota Johnson (35), American actress (Fifty Shades film franchise), and daughter of Melanie Griffith & Don Johnson, born in Austin, Texas, United States.
Famous deaths
2010 – Norman Wisdom (b. 1915), English actor, comedian, and singer-songwriter (“I Don’t ‘Arf Love You”).
The day today
1911 – Britain’s first underground escalators were introduced. They connected the District Line and Piccadilly Line platforms at Earl’s Court underground station in London.
1958 – Aviation history was made when 2 British designed and built De Havilland Comet 4 airliners operated by BOAC (now British Airways) made the first scheduled jet passenger service flights across the North Atlantic.
1976 – British Rail began its new 125mph Intercity ‘High Speed Train’ service. At the time of its introduction it was the fastest diesel-powered train in regular service in the world and remained so for many years afterwards. Engineers have calculated that, with a certain amount of rewiring, the Mark 3 carriages can be made to last until at least 2035.
1983 – The Scottish entrepreneur Richard Noble reached a world land speed record of 663.5mph at Nevada in his jet-powered car, Thrust II, now housed in the Coventry Transport Museum. Noble was also the project director of ThrustSSC, the vehicle which holds the current land speed record, set at Black Rock Desert, Nevada by RAF pilot Andy Green on 15th October 1997.
2001 – Michael Stone was found guilty, for the second time, of the murders of Dr. Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, killed on 9th July 1996 in an attempted robbery. 9 year old Josie survived, with severe head injuries, but went on to make an excellent recovery.
Today in music
1962 – The Tornadoes were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the instrumental, ‘Telstar’, (named after a communication satellite). The track went on to be the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart also reaching No.1.
1968 – On the first night of a UK club tour Led Zeppelin (billed as The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page) appeared at the Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, supported by Terry Reid’s Fantasia, tickets cost 10/6. The Mayfair was a regular venue for up and coming acts, Pink Floyd Mott the Hoople, Def Leppard and AC/DC had all appeared at the club which was demolished in 2000.
1973 – The BBC broadcast the 500th edition of Top Of The Pops. On the show were Slade, Gary Glitter and The Osmond’s.
1980 – Queen started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “Another One Bites The Dust.” Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group’s eighth studio album The Game (1980). The song spent 15 weeks in the Billboard top 10 (the longest-running top ten song of 1980) and is credited as Queen’s best-selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies.
2007 – The Rolling Stones set a new record for the top grossing tour of all time with their “A Bigger Bang tour”. The tour which ran from late 2005 to August 2007, earned the band £247m, with The Stones playing to over 3.5 million people at 113 shows.
Today in history
1535 – The first complete English language Bible (the Coverdale Bible) was printed by London printer Miles Coverdale, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale.
1602 – Eighty Years’ War and the Anglo-Spanish War: A fleet of Spanish galleys are defeated by English and Dutch galleons in the English Channel.
1626 – The birth of Richard Cromwell, the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. He became Lord Protector on the death of his father Oliver Cromwell, but lacked his father’s authority. He tried to mediate between the army and civil society and allowed a Parliament containing many disaffected Presbyterians and Royalists to sit. The army made a threatening show of force against Richard, who formally renounced power nine months after succeeding.
1675 – The pocket watch patent was awarded to Dutch mathematician and scientist Christiaan Huygens. Huygens also patented the first pendulum clock in 1656.
1883 – The Boys’ Brigade was founded, in Glasgow, by Sir William Alexander Smith. The interdenominational Christian youth organisation combines drill and fun activities with Christian values. In May 1903, Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Association, became their vice-president. By 2003, there were 500,000 Boys’ Brigade members in 60 countries.