Wednesday, July 16th "2025" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 197, known as World Snake Day, Fresh Spinach Day, Guinea Pig Appreciation Day. Your star sign is Cancer and your birthstone is Ruby.
1945 – The Manhattan Project: The world’s first nuclear explosion occurred, when a plutonium implosion device was tested at a site located 210 miles south of Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada.
Todays birthdays
1951 – Lorraine Chase (74), English actress (Lame Ducks, Love & Bullets) and former model, best known for her role as Steph Stokes in Emmerdale, born in Deptford, London.
1958 – Michael Flatley (67), Irish-American dancer-choreographer (Riverdance; Lord of Dance), flute player, and filmmaker, born in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
1966 – Johnny Vaughan (59), English television presenter (The Big Breakfast) and radio presenter (Capital FM between 2004 – 2011) and a film critic, born in Barnet, London.
1971 – Corey Feldman (54), American actor (Goonies, Stand by Me, Lost Boys, The ‘Burbs), born in Reseda, Los Angeles, California, United States.
1989 – Gareth Bale (36), Welsh former professional footballer (Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Wales), born in Cardiff, Wales.
Famous deaths
2013 – Alan Whicker (b. 1921), Journalist and broadcaster who’s TV career stretched nearly six decades. He was best known for his documentary series, Whicker’s World.
The day today
1940 – Adolf Hitler planned to invade Britain under the guise name “Operation Sealion.”
Britain would become the only country in western Europe to stand against the Nazis with success.
1945 – The leaders of the three Allied nations (Winston Churchill, Harry S Truman and Josef Stalin) gathered in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.
1955 – Stirling Moss won the British Grand Prix at the Aintree track near Liverpool, the first time an Englishman had triumphed in the race. His success in a variety of categories placed him among the world’s elite and he is often called ‘the greatest driver never to win the World Championship’.
1970 – Prime Minister Edward Heath declared a state of emergency in response to a national dock strike, the first such declaration in Britain since 1926. This action was taken under the Emergency Powers Act of 1920, which allowed the government to implement special measures during times of national crisis. The strike, which involved dockworkers, disrupted essential supplies and services, leading to the government’s intervention.
1987 – The two biggest airlines in the UK (One time rivals British Caledonian and British Airways) merged in order to compete with America’s giant air corporations.
2000 – Footballer George Best’s doctor begged every barman in Britain to refuse to serve alcohol to the footballing legend to help him beat his addiction. Best was controversially granted an NHS liver transplant in 2002 and died in 2005, aged 59, due to complications from a drug used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs.
2018 – 12 new moons are discovered orbiting Jupiter bringing the planet’s moon total to 79. Eleven of the new moons are part of the outer group of moons that orbit Jupiter in a retrograde direction (opposite to Jupiter’s spin). The twelfth moon, named Valetudo, has a unique orbit that crosses the paths of the retrograde moons and is thought to be a remnant of a larger moon that was broken apart in a collision.
Today in music
1964 – The Rolling Stones had their first UK No.1 single with It’s All Over Now, although their American tour, just a month earlier had been, in Bill Wyman’s words, ‘a disaster’.
1966 – Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton formed Cream. The three piece group only lasted two years, leaving behind some classic recordings including ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ ‘Badge,’ ‘Strange Brew,’ and ‘White Room.’
2000 – Coldplay went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut release Parachutes. The release spawned the hit singles ‘Shiver’, ‘Yellow’, ‘Trouble’, and ‘Don’t Panic’ and won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2002.
2001 – Robbie Williams started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Eternity / The Road To Mandalay.’ The 4th No.1 for the former Take That singer.
2007 – Three masked men, carrying sledgehammers and crowbars, broke into the home of former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona and escaped with goods including the singers BMW M5 sports car, two laptops, two gaming machines and two televisions. The robbers held a knife to the neck of the former pop star during the raid on her home in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
2012 – Queen’s 1975 classic Bohemian Rhapsody was voted as the UK’s “Favorite No. 1 Single,” narrowly beating out Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ for the top spot. The poll conducted by the Official Charts Company had The Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ at No.5, with Adele’s hit ‘Someone Like You’ at No.3.
2023 – English actress, singer, and songwriter Jane Birkin was found dead at her home in Paris age 76. She had the 1969 UK No.1 single with Serge Gainsbourg ‘Je t’aime…Moi non plus’, the only French language UK chart-topper. She is also known as being the namesake of the popular Hermès Birkin bag.
Today in history
622 AD – The journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers began. This was known as the Hijrah. Muhammed and his followers left Mecca on their journey to Medina. This marks the start of the Muslim calendar.
1377 – The Coronation of Richard II, aged 10. He was king of England until he was deposed in 1399.
1439 – As the Plague spread throughout England and Europe, Henry VI banned kissing as a precaution to prevent its deadly trail. Although the Black Death, or Bubonic Plague was and had spread throughout Europe during 1438 and 1439, it is not believed that this particular outbreak was linked.
1557 – The death, aged 41, of Anne of Cleves, Queen of England and 4th wife of Henry VIII.
1723 – The birth of Sir Joshua Reynolds, an influential English painter, specialising in portraits. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy. King George III appreciated his merits and knighted him in 1769.