September 16th "2024" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 260 of the year! Known as Mayflower Day, National Choose Your Chocolate Day, National Stepfamily Day. Your star sign is Virgo and your birthstone is Sapphire.
1947 – John Cobb became the first man on land to exceed 400 mph, establishing a two-way record of 394.19 mph that stood for almost 17 years and it was the last Land Speed Record set by an internal combustion piston engined car.
Todays birthdays
1950 – Loyd Grossman (74), American-British author and presenter (Through the Keyhole, Masterchef from 1990 to 2000), born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States.
1955 – Janet Ellis (69), English television presenter (Blue Peter between 1979 and 1987) and mother of musician Sophie Ellis-Bextor, born in Chatham, Kent.
1965 – Lorne Spicer (59), English television presenter best known for Cash in the Attic and Boot Sale Challenge, born in Upminster, Greater London.
1976 – Tina Barrett (48), British singer and member of the pop group S Club 7 (“Don’t Stop Movin’”, “Reach”), born in Hammersmith, London.
1984 – Ketevan “Katie” Melua (40), Georgian and British singer and songwriter (“The Closest Thing to Crazy”), born in Kutaisi, Georgia.
Famous deaths
2007 – Colin McRae (b. 1968), Scottish race car driver (1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship Drivers’ title in 1995.)
The day today
1915 – The opening of Britain’s first Women’s Institute, (regularly referred to as simply the WI) at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Anglesey, Wales.
1960 – Donald Campbell destroyed Bluebird in a crash at 350mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in north west Utah. He was only slightly hurt.
1968 – Britain introduced a ‘two tier’ postal system – First and Second Class. Letters and parcels bearing the more expensive 1st class stamps would be given priority of delivery.
1992 – Black Wednesday, when the GB Pound Sterling was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and was forced to devalue against the German mark.
2002 – The world’s first self cleaning glass was launched after being developed by scientists at the leading glass company of Pilkington’s in St Helens.
Today in music
1977 – The death of Marc Bolan (born Mark Feld). Bolan was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter and was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. He died in a car crash in London, two weeks before his 30th birthday and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio.
1979 – The Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’ was released. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song’s opening lyric “I said a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop” is world-renowned.
1985 – Kate Bush released her fifth studio album Hounds of Love. The album’s lead single, ‘Running Up That Hill’, became one of Bush’s biggest hits and the album produced three further successful singles, ‘Cloudbusting’, ‘Hounds of Love’, and ‘The Big Sky’.
2001 – Austrian act DJ Otzi went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Hey Baby’, a Euro-dance version of Bruce Channel’s No.2 hit from 1962.
2002 – Robbie Williams overtook Elvis Presley (13 No.1s), to become the solo artist with the most UK No.1 albums ever when his latest album XXV topped the UK chart. Only The Beatles had more UK No.1 albums than Robbie with 15 across their career.
Today in history
1387 – King Henry V was born at Monmouth Castle. He went on to win the Battle of Agincourt against the French on St Crispin’s Day.
1400 – Owain Glyndŵr, Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales, instigated the Welsh Revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England.
1485 – Yeomen Warders, the bodyguard of the English Crown – popularly known as ‘Beefeaters’ – was established by King Henry VII. Yeoman Warders work full time at the Tower of London. They are retired from the Armed Forces, have at least 22 years of service and must also hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.
1859 – British explorer Dr. David Livingstone discovered Lake Nyasa – now Lake Malawi, in central Africa. He was from humble beginnings and was born in Blantyre, eight miles south east of Glasgow.
1861 – The Post Office Savings Banks opened in Britain.