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 350 of the year.

Tuesday, December 16th Daily Prep.

Today is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, Stupid Toy Day and Underdog Day. Your star sign is Sagittarius and your birthstone is Blue Topaz.
1968 – The musical-fantasy film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, co-written by Roald Dahl and director Ken Hughes, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes premieres at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. The film was a big production, a major family film, and its title song earned an Oscar nomination.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, co-written by Roald Dahl and director Ken Hughes, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes premieres at the Odeon Leicester Square, London.
Today’s birthdays
1945 – Bobby George (80), English former professional darts player known as “King of Darts” and one of the game’s biggest personalities, born in Manor Park, London.
1946 – Benny Andersson (79), Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA (“Money, Money, Money”), born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1946 – Chris Ellison (79), English actor best known for his role as DCI Frank Burnside in the ITV police series The Bill and spin-off series Burnside, born in Saint Pancras, London.
1948 – Christopher Biggins (77), English actor (Porridge, Rentaghost, Rocky Horror Picture Show) and television presenter, born in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
1966 – Dennis Wise (59), English former professional football player (Chelsea, Wimbledon) and manager (Millwall, Leeds UTD), born in Kensington, London.
1988 – Anna Popplewell (37), English actress (Mansfield park), best known for her role as Susan Pevensie in the The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy, born in London.
Famous deaths
1966 – Walt Disney (b. 1901), American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur.
1984 – Lennard Pearce (b. 1915), English actor who played Grandad in the sitcom Only Fools and Horses from its first episode in 1981 until his death.
The day today
1914 – German warships attacked the seaside resort of Scarborough, believing it to be a major British port. Hartlepool and Whitby were also targeted. It was the first successful bombing on British shores for 250 years. Over five hundred shells of varying calibres were fired into Scarborough and on to the Grand Hotel. The attacks resulted in a total of 592 casualties, many of them civilians, of whom 137 died. There was public outrage towards the German navy for an attack against civilians and against the Royal Navy for its failure to prevent the raid.
1929 – Barnes Wallis saw his R100 airship carry out its first test flight. After departing from Howden in Yorkshire, she flew slowly to York then set course for the Government Airship Establishment at Cardington, Bedfordshire, cruising at around 50 mph on four engines.
1944 – The Battle of the Bulge began in the Ardennes. By 21st January, the Germans had been pushed back to their original line, having lost some 120,000 men in the offensive.
1968 – The musical-fantasy film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, co-written by Roald Dahl and director Ken Hughes, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes premieres at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. The film was a big production, a major family film, and its title song earned an Oscar nomination.
1971 – The UK recognised Bahrain’s independence when it ended its protectorate status in 1971, and Bahrain celebrates National Day on December 16th, commemorating its founding and the accession of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The UK maintains strong ties, with diplomatic events celebrating these milestones in London, highlighting the enduring relationship.
1988 – Junior Health minister Edwina Currie resigned after her earlier comments (3rd December) when she said that most of Britain’s egg production was infected with the salmonella bacteria.
1995 – The name “Euro” was officially adopted for European Currency in Madrid. Belgian Esperantist Germain Pirlot, a former teacher of French and history, is credited with naming the new currency.
2001 – Thousands of campaigners took to the streets of Edinburgh to protest against a bill to end hunting with dogs, the uncertain future of rural schools and the handling of the foot and mouth crisis. It was the largest demonstration of its kind ever witnessed in Scotland.
2012 – British Tour de France and Olympic time trial champion Bradley Wiggins was voted the 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. At the same event Sebastian Coe, the Olympics 2012 chief, was awarded the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award.
2020 – Nine-year-old Ella from London who died from a severe asthma attack in 2013 becomes the first person in the world to officially have air pollution listed as a cause of death. Her case forces recognition of air pollution as a killer, pushing for cleaner air and “Ella’s Law” for clean air rights.
2024 – New research has confirmed that the fragmented remains of at least 37 individuals from the Early Bronze Age were found at the bottom of a 15-meter-deep natural shaft in Charterhouse Warren, Somerset. The analysis indicates the victims were violently killed, systematically butchered, and likely cannibalized in a single, large-scale event. The remains belonged to a mix of men, women, and children, with half being teenagers and older children, suggesting an entire community may have been wiped out.
Today in music
1965 – Released as a double A side The Beatles ‘Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out’, became their ninth UK No.1 and their third Christmas chart topper in a row. The single was a US No.1 in January 1966.
1972 – Billy Paul started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Me and Mrs Jones’, a No.12 hit in the UK. The song which describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, was later recorded by Michael Bublé.
1974 – Guitarist Mick Taylor announced he was leaving The Rolling Stones saying he felt that now was the time to move on and do something new.
1997 – MTV aired Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged’ session for the first time. The album featured an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993. Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed its entire performance in a single take.
2001 – Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Frank and Nancy Sinatra 1967 No.1 hit ‘Somethin’ Stupid’. The Christmas No.1 for that year. From William’s album Swing When You’re Winning.
2004 – Gold and silver Black Sabbath discs were stolen from the Kent home of Ozzy Osbourne’s former manager Patrick Meehan. Police recovered the discs a week later after they were offered for sale on the internet auction site eBay.
2018 – Supporters of the #MeToo movement expressed interest in banning the song ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ because they interpret the lyrics through a contemporary lens as promoting coercive behavior and non-consensual sexual advances, particularly the man ignoring the woman’s repeated objections to staying.
2019 – Mariah Carey’s classic festive song All I Want For Christmas is You has finally topped the US charts – 25 years after it was first released. When the hit song made its debut in 1994 it was as an EP and not a single, meaning it wasn’t allowed to compete in Billboard’s Hot 100. Rule changes saw the song first enter the chart in 2000 and in recent years it has edged closer to the top spot.
2020 – After nearly 178 days, Twenty One Pilots pulled the plug on the livestream for their ‘Level Of Concern’ video, which refreshed every 3:40 with new footage uploaded by fans. The band had called on fans to submit video for the visuals, with the fan footage being used to form a constant live stream of automatically generated footage.Every time the song restarted, the footage changed – meaning the video could theoretically go on forever. Guinness declared it the longest music video ever made.
Today in history
1431 – Henry VI was crowned King of France, the only English monarch to wear both crowns. Henry was born in 1421and was only nine months old when he succeeded his father, Henry V, making him the youngest English monarch in history.
1485 – The birth of Catherine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII’s wives. At the age of three, Catherine was betrothed to Prince Arthur, heir to the English throne, and they married in 1501, but Arthur died five months later. Catherine subsequently married Arthur’s younger brother, the recently-succeeded Henry VIII, in 1509.She bore him six children but only one survived (Mary I), and Henry divorced her against the Pope’s wishes, in his pursuit for a male heir.
1653 – Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland becoming the head of state after the English Civil Wars, ruling with near-monarchical powers under a republican constitution until his death in 1658. His body was exhumed from Westminster Abbey in 1661 by order of King Charles II, hanged, beheaded, and his head displayed on a spike at Westminster Hall as revenge for his role in the execution of Charles I.
1773 – Taxes by Britain on tea and other commodities led Samuel Adams and 150 ‘Sons of Liberty’ disguised as Mohawk Indians to hold what became known as the Boston Tea Party. 342 tea chests worth £18,000 were tossed off Griffin’s Wharf into Boston Harbour. The War of Independence had begun.
1775 – The birth of Jane Austen, English novelist whose works of romantic fiction made her one of the most widely read writers in English literature. She was enthralled by Lyme Regis and collated material for her last novel Persuasion which was published posthumously and is said to be the most autobiographical of all her novels.