Friday, July 18th "2025" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 199, known as Nelson Mandela Day, National Caviar Day, World Listening Day. Your star sign is Cancer and your birthstone is Ruby.
1970 – Radio 1 DJ Kenny Everett was sacked after he joked on air that the wife of the conservative transport minister Mary Peyton had ‘crammed a fiver into the examiner’s hand’, when taking her driving test.
Todays birthdays
1941 – Martha Reeves (84), American R&B and pop singer (“Nowhere to Run”, “Jimmy Mack”), born in Eufaula, Alabama, United States.
1950 – Richard Branson (75), English business magnate and co-founder of the Virgin Group, born in Blackheath, London.
1957 – Nick Faldo (68), English golfer (US Masters 1989, 90, 96; British Open 1987, 90, 92), born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
1967 – Vin Diesel (58), American actor (The Fast and the Furious franchise, Riddick, Pitch Black ), born in Alameda County, California, United States.
1977 – Kelly Reilly (48), English actress (Eden Lake, Flight), best known for her role as Beth Dutton in the Paramount series, Yellowstone, born in Chessington, Greater London.
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
1920 – The unveiling of the Cenotaph War memorial in Whitehall, London to commemorate the war dead. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and takes its name from the Greek words kenos and taphos meaning empty tomb.
1923 – Matrimonial Causes Act 1923 in Britain granted women equal divorce rights with men. This act removed the previous legal double standard where men could divorce women for adultery alone, but women needed to prove additional factors against their husbands. The 1923 Act allowed either spouse to petition for divorce based on adultery.
1934 – The Queensway Tunnel, the first Mersey road tunnel in Liverpool, was officially opened by King George V. The ceremony, held at the Old Haymarket entrance, involved a grand opening with crowds lining the streets and the King pressing a golden switch to raise the curtains revealing the tunnel. The tunnel, which connects Liverpool and Birkenhead, was a significant feat of engineering and the longest road tunnel in the world at the time.
1970 – Radio 1 DJ Kenny Everett was sacked after he joked on air that the wife of the conservative transport minister Mary Peyton had ‘crammed a fiver into the examiner’s hand’, when taking her driving test.
1975 – Former British MP John Stonehouse was flown back from Australia to face charges relating to his attempt to falsify his own death.
2000 – Police confirmed that the body they had found in a West Sussex field the previous day was that of missing eight-year old Sarah Payne. Her murderer, Roy Whiting, was convicted in December 2001 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
2009 – Henry Allingham, the world’s oldest man and one of the last surviving World War I servicemen, died, aged 113.
Today in music
1960 – Brenda Lee went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I’m Sorry’ it made No.12 in the UK. Seeking publicity the 4′ 11 tall singer was once billed as a 32-year- old midget and had the nickname Little Miss Dynamite.
1973 – Bruce Springsteen played the first of four nights at Max’s Kansas City in New York City, New York, supported by Bob Marley and The Wailers who were on their first ever North American tour.
1978 – Def Leppard made their live debut at Westfield School, Sheffield, England in front of 150 students.
1994 – Seal released their hit single “Kiss from a Rose.” The song went on to win a Grammy Award and was Song of the Year.
1998 – The Beastie Boys went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Hello Nasty’, only the second rap album to make No.1 in the UK, the first being Wu-Tang Clan.
2013 – During her The Truth About Love Tour Pink broke two records at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia becoming the artist who had performed the most shows at the venue, with 18 sold out shows and the first artist to sell more than 250,000 tickets at the venue.
2019 – Ed Sheeran broke yet another streaming record. His collaborative album ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’, racked up 69 million streams in a month on Spotify, which was the highest by any artist. This new record wasn’t the first that Sheeran had broken. His previous album ‘Divide’ set a new record of 56 million streams on the day of release, while ‘Shape Of You’ picked up over 10 million streams on its first day.
Today in history
64 AD – A fire started in the enormous Circus Maximus stadium in Rome, now the capital of Italy. When the fire was finally extinguished six days later, 10 of Rome’s 14 districts had burned. Ancient historians blamed Rome’s infamous emperor, Nero, for the fire.
1290 – King Edward I signs a royal decree expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England. Edward told the sheriffs of all counties he wanted all Jews expelled before All Saints’ Day (1 November) that year.
1389 – France and Britain agreed to the Truce of Leulinghem. It inaugurated a 13-year peace; the longest period of sustained peace during the Hundred Years’ War.
1801 – HMS Investigator sets off on a voyage to determine if New Holland (Australia) is one island or two, under command of Matthew Flinders, with botanist Robert Brown and artists Ferdinand Bauer and William Westall aboard.
1872 – Britain introduced the concept of voting by secret ballot. This meant voters could vote in private without being intimidated into voting for a particular party. It also meant that it was harder for bribers to ensure that voters did as requested.