On This Day 2025
Hello, … Welcome to day 259 of the year.

Tuesday, September 16th Daily Prep.

Known as Mayflower Day, National Choose Your Chocolate Day and National Stepfamily Day. Your star sign is Virgo and your birthstone is Sapphire.
1947 – English racing motorist, 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.
English racing motorist, 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.
Today’s birthdays

1950 – Loyd Grossman (75), American-British author and presenter (Through the Keyhole, Masterchef from 1990 to 2000), born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States.

1955 – Janet Ellis (70), English television presenter (Blue Peter between 1979 and 1987) and mother of musician Sophie Ellis-Bextor, born in Chatham, Kent.

1956 – David Copperfield (69), American stage magician and illusionist, born in Metuchen, New Jersey, United States.

1962 – Stephen Jones (63), English musician and vocalist with the indie band Babybird (“You’re Gorgeous”), born in Telford, Shropshire.

1965 – Lorne Spicer (60), English television presenter best known for Cash in the Attic and Boot Sale Challenge, born in Upminster, Greater London.

1969 – Justine Frischmann (56), English artist, retired musician and co-founder of Elastica (“Stutter”) and Suede (“Trash”), born in Kensington, London.

1976 – Tina Barrett (49), English singer and member of the pop group S Club 7 (“Don’t Stop Movin’”, “Bring It All Back “), born in Hammersmith, London.

1984 – Katie Melua (41), British singer and songwriter (“The Closest Thing to Crazy”), born in Kutaisi, Georgia.

Famous deaths

1977 – Marc Bolan (b. 1947), English guitarist, singer-songwriter and a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex.

2021 – Clive Sinclair (b. 1940), English entrepreneur and inventor, best known for being a pioneer in the computing industry (ZX Spectrum computers).
The day today

1915 – The opening of Britain’s first Women’s Institute, (regularly referred to as simply the WI) at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Anglesey, Wales. Its two aims were to revitalise rural communities and to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. It is now the largest women’s voluntary organisation in the UK.

1920 – The Wall Street bombing took place in Manhattan, New York City. The explosion happened at 12:01 pm and instantly killed 30 people. Eight people died later, and 143 were left seriously injured.

1947 – English racing motorist, 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.

1960 – Donald Campbell crashed his land speed record car, Bluebird CN7, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in north west Utah.
1961 – Pakistan established its national space agency, the SUPARCO. The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission was the first of its kind in the Muslim world and the developing world. Pakistan’s renowned theoretical physicist, Abdus Salam, was placed at the head of the program. By the early 1960s, the agency was already launching imported rockets.

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

1956 – Anne Shelton was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Lay Down Your Arms.’ Shelton was a British vocal star of the 40s & 50s and one time singer with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

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.

2009 – Mary Travers from Folk trio Peter, Paul And Mary, passed away after suffering from leukemia for several years. She was 72. Mary’s lead vocal can be heard on the group’s biggest hit, 1969’s ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane’.

2022 – 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 (anglicised as Owen Glendower), 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.

1847 – The United Shakespeare Company bought the house in which playwright William Shakespeare was born at Stratford Upon Avon in Warwickshire for £3,000. It became the first building in Britain to be officially preserved.

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.

1890 – Agatha Christie, English detective novelist was born. Her most notable works being Murder on the Orient Express and The Mousetrap among others.