Welcome to day 244 of the year! Known as Tofu Day as well as Letter Writing Day and No Rhyme or Reason Day. If you were born on this day, you were likely conceived the week of December 9th 2022 and your star sign is “Virgo”.
1985 – After 73 years, the wreck of the liner ‘Titanic’ was found, by Dr Robert Ballard. The Commander in the US Navy, was under strict instructions not to disclose anything related to the true background of the discovery expedition.
Todays birthdays
1946 – Barry Gibb (77), English singer-songwriter (The Bee Gees), born in Douglas, Isle of Man.
1957 – Gloria Estefan (66), Cuban-American singer, songwriter (Rhythm Is Gonna Get You). Born in Havana, Cuba.
1962 – Ruud Gullit (61), Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s (Chelsea; A.C. Milan). Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
1967 – Steve Pemberton (56), English actor, comedian (League of Gentleman; Happy Valley, Benidorm). Born in Blackburn.
1996 – Zendaya (27), American actress (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Euphoria), singer and dancer, born in Oakland, California.
The day today
1939 – At dawn on 1st September, Germany made a massive invasion of Poland and bombed Warsaw at 6am, beginning World War II in Europe. The service to 2,000 televisions also ceased in Britain. There would be no more TV for seven years.
1951 – The Premier supermarket opened in Earl’s Court, London; the first supermarket in Britain.
1958 – Iceland expanded its fishing zone, putting it into conflict with the United Kingdom and the beginning the Cod Wars.
1971 – The British penny and the threepenny piece coins ceased to be legal tender as decimalization continued.
2001 – England beat bitter rivals Germany 5-1 in the World Cup qualifying tie, with Michael Owen scoring a hat-trick.
Today in music
1974 – The Osmonds were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Johnny Bristol song ‘Love Me For A Reason’, the group’s only UK No.1. Also a UK No.2 hit for Boyzone in 1994.
1984 – After a 25-year career, Tina Turner had her first solo No.1 single in the US with ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’. This song was originally written for Cliff Richard, however the song was rejected. It was then offered to Donna Summer, who has stated she sat with it for a couple of years but never recorded it.
2002 – Coldplay scored their second UK No.1 album with A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The album won the band the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album for the second time in a row.
2013 – Classic Beatles albums finally went platinum after the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) changed its sales award rules. Gold or platinum status has become synonymous with record success but the system has only been in place since 1973. This made Sgt. Pepper’s a triple-platinum album, having sold more than 900,000 copies since 1994. In total, the album is estimated to have sold 5.1 million units in the UK since its 1967 release. The albums Revolver, Help!, Rubber Soul, and The White Album also now had platinum status.
2016 – A Blue Plaque marking the first home Freddie Mercury lived in when he arrived in England was unveiled. The Queen frontman moved to the semi-detached home in Feltham, west London, after his family left Zanzibar in 1964 when Mercury was 17.
Today in history
1159 – The death of Pope Adrian IV, (Nicholas Breakspear), the only English pope.
1532 – Lady Anne Boleyn was made Marquess of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII. Less than 4 years later Henry had her investigated for high treason. She was found guilty of adultery and incest and was executed on 19th May 1536.
1865 – Joseph Lister performed the first antiseptic surgery.
1886 – The Severn Tunnel, (railway tunnel) between England and Wales, was opened for goods traffic.
1974 – The SR-71 Blackbird sets (and holds) the record for flying from New York to London in the time of one hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds at a speed of 1,435.587 miles per hour (2,310.353 km/h).