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 339 of the year.

Friday, December 5th Daily Prep.

Today is Krampusnacht (Krampus Night), World Soil Day and National Blue Jeans Day. Your star sign is Sagittarius and your birthstone is Blue Topaz.
1958 – Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (center) opened the Preston bypass in Lancashire. It was the first stretch of motorway in Britain and is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (center) opened the Preston bypass in Lancashire. It was the first stretch of motorway in Britain and is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.
Today’s birthdays
1959 – Lee Chapman (66), English former professional footballer (Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday) who played as a striker from 1978 until 1996, born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.
1963 – Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards (62), English Olympic ski jumper, who became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
1969 – Catherine Tate (56), English actress (Doctor Who, The Office), comedian and writer (The Catherine Tate Show), born in Bloomsbury, London.
1969 – Sajid Javid (56), British former politician who served as former health secretary, home secretary and chancellor of the exchequer, born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
1975 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (50), English professional snooker player recognised as one of the most talented players in the sport’s history, born, Stourbridge, West Midlands.
1980 – Zainam Higgins (45), English actress, singer and a member of 90’s girl group Cleopatra (“Cleopatra’s Theme”) alongside sisters Yonah and Cleo, born in Birmingham.
Famous deaths
2013 – Nelson Mandela (b. 1918), South African anti-apartheid activist and statesman who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

2020 – Peter Alliss (b. 1931), English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. As lead golf analyst for the BBC and an analyst for ABC Sports, he was regarded by many as the “Voice of golf”.

The day today
1928 – In the first Test of the 1928–29 Ashes series at Brisbane, England beat Australia by a record-breaking 675 runs. England scored 521 and 342/8 declared, while Australia was bowled out for 122 and 66 in reply.

1958 – Prime Minister Harold Macmillan opened the Preston bypass in Lancashire. It was the first stretch of motorway in Britain and is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.

1973 – During the 1973 oil crisis, the UK government introduced a temporary statutory 50 mph speed limit on all roads to conserve fuel. This measure was part of a broader set of energy-saving actions and was lifted in early 1974.

1974 – The final episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, titled “Party Political Broadcast,” aired. John Cleese left the TV show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, after the third season due to a loss of interest and difficulties working with Graham Chapman, who was struggling with alcoholism, but the group continued without him for a final, shortened fourth season. The group then transitioned to making films.

2005 – The Civil Partnership Act came into effect in the United Kingdom. It gave same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage. In addition a formal process for dissolving partnerships was put in place, akin to divorce.
2006 – Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy little black dress from film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is auctioned for charity for a record £467,200 at Christie’s, London.
2008 – Human remains previously found in 1991 are finally identified by Russian and American scientists as those of Tsar Nicholas II. On the same day, O J Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery.
2013 – The death, aged 95, of Nelson Mandela, the towering figure of Africa’s struggle for freedom and a hero to millions around the world. There are more streets named after Nelson Mandela in the UK than anywhere in the world outside South Africa. He also shares one of London’s most high profile public spaces in Parliament Square, with his statue alongside great figures from British history, such as former prime ministers Winston Churchill and Robert Peel.
2014 – Scotland lowered the legal drink-drive limit in Scotland, from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood, lower than elsewhere in the UK.

2014 – NASA successfully launched Exploration Flight Test 1 to test the Orion crew module. The flight was completed without a crew to test the various systems aboard the module to ensure safe passage for future astronauts. The Orion spacecraft is set to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo mission at some point in the 2030s.

2017 – It was announced that Russia would be banned from competing as a nation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea for state-sponsored doping. For the upcoming 2026 Games, Russian athletes may only compete as “Individual Neutral Athletes” (AIN) if they pass strict vetting to ensure no links to the Russian military or support for the war in Ukraine, and no prior doping violations. Russian teams remain banned from team events.
2019 – The World Health Organization announced that 142,000 people died of measles around the world in 2018, nearly 20,000 more than in 2017.
Today in music
1965 – The Beatles played their last ever show in their hometown of Liverpool when they appeared at The Liverpool Empire during the group’s final UK tour. Only 5,100 tickets were available, but there were 40,000 applications for tickets. The group also had the UK No.1 single with ‘We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper.’
1970 – ‘Amazing Grace’ by Judy Collins entered the UK singles chart for the first of eight times, it spent a total of 67 weeks on the chart never making the No.1 position. ‘Amazing Grace’ is a Christian hymn with lyrics written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton which was first published in 1779.
1973 – Paul McCartney and Wings released Band On The Run, his fifth album since his departure from The Beatles. Two hit singles from the album – ‘Jet’ and ‘Band on the Run’ made it McCartney’s most successful album.
1981 – Julio Iglesias was at No.1 in the UK singles chart with ‘Begin The Beguine.’ A Cole Porter song from 1935 with Spanish lyrics it was the singers only UK chart topper.
1987 – Belinda Carlisle went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’, the ex Go-Go’s member first solo No.1, also a No.1 hit in the UK.
1992 – Whitney Houston started a ten-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Will Always Love You’. The longest ever run at No.1 for a female artist the Dolly Parton penned song was taken from the Bodyguard soundtrack.
2004 – Band Aid 20 started a four week at No.1 on the UK singles chart with a new version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? The third time the song had reached No.1. The new version featured, Joss Stone, Busted, Chris Martin, Bono, Justin Hawkins, Dizzee Rascal, Tom Chaplin, Ms Dynamite, Beverly Knight, Will Young, Jamelia, Fran Healy, Sugababes, Dido and Robbie Williams.
2009 – In an interview with the UK daily newspaper The Guardian, George Michael said he had cut back on his cannabis intake and now only smoked ‘seven or eight’ spliffs per day instead of the 25 he used to smoke.
2011 – After spending 45 weeks at the top end of the UK charts, singer Adele’s second album ‘21’ become the biggest selling LP in Britain this century, surpassing the late Amy Winehouse’s 2006 LP ‘Back to Black’.
2023 – English musician, singer, songwriter Denny Laine died from interstitial lung disease in Naples, Florida, at the age of 79. With The Moody Blues he had the 1965 UK No.1 & US No.10 single ‘Go Now’. While the Moody Blues were on tour with The Beatles in 1965, Laine befriended Paul McCartney who later asked him to join his band Wings. He became a constant member of Wings for their entire run from 1971 to 1981, playing guitar, bass, keyboards, singing backing and lead vocals, and co-writing songs with McCartney including the 1977 hit ‘Mull of Kintyre’.
Today in history
1697 – The first Sunday service was held in the new St Paul’s Cathedral, London.
1717 – English pirate Blackbeard ransacks the merchant sloop “Margaret” and keeps her captain, Henry Bostock prisoner for 8 hours before releasing him. Bostock later provides first record of Blackbeard’s appearance, and the source for his name.
1766 – James Christie, the founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London. Christie’s main London salesroom is on King Street in St. James’s, where it has been based since 1823.
1830 – The birth of Christina Georgina Rossetti, the English poet who wrote a variety of romantic and children’s poems. She also wrote the words of the Christmas carol In the Bleak Midwinter.
1839 – The postage rate in Britain was changed to a standard charge of 4d (4 old pence) a half ounce instead of being charged by distance.
1899 – Lancashire businessman and philanthropist Henry Tate died at the age of 80. He was a sugar refiner who established the Tate Gallery in London and later became the 1st Baronet. His body was interred in a mausoleum at West Norwood Cemetery.