Thursday, May 29th "2025" Daily Prep
Welcome to day 149, known as Ascension Day, Mount Everest Day, National Biscuit Day, National Snail Day, Oak Apple Day. Your star sign is Gemini and your birthstone is Emerald.
1954 – Diane Leather, of Birmingham University, became the first woman to run a mile in under 5 minutes. Her time was 4 min 59.6 seconds at the Midland Counties WAAA Championships at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.
Todays birthdays
1949 – Francis Rossi (76), English musician and co-founder of Status Quo (“Rockin’ All Over the World”, “Down Down”), born in Forest Hill, London.
1959 – Rupert Everett (66), English actor (My Best Friend’s Wedding, St. Trinian’s – 2007), born in Burnham Deepdale, Kings Lynn, Norfolk.
1961 – David Palmer (64), English drummer, percussionist and songwriter best known as a former member of ABC (“The Look of Love”), born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
1967 – Noel Gallagher (58), English musician, singer and songwriter with Oasis (“Don’t Look Back in Anger”) before splitting in 2009, born in Longsight, Manchester.
1975 – Mel B (50), English singer, songwriter who rose to fame as part of the Spice Girls (“Wannabe”, “2 Become 1”), born in Hyde Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire.
1975 – Sarah Millican (50), English stand up comedian and writer (Thoroughly Modern Millican), born in South Shields, South Tyneside.
Famous deaths
1984 – Eric Morecambe (b. 1926), English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise.
The day today
1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary and his sherpa Tenzing Norgay, became the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest in the Himalayas. The news of the British expedition broke in Britain on Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Day, 2nd June. The Queen knighted Edmund Hillary later that year.
1954 – Diane Leather, of Birmingham University, became the first woman to run a mile in under 5 minutes. Her time was 4 min 59.6 seconds.
1968 – Manchester United become the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Portuguese side Benfica by four goals to one.
1977 – Nigel Short, an 11 year old English schoolboy, qualified as the youngest ever competitor in a national chess championship. He had already beaten Viktor Korchnoi during an exhibition game. He earned the title of Grandmaster at the age of 19.
1982 – In the first Papal visit to Britain since 1531, Polish born Pope John Paul II prayed alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first ever pontiff to visit the cathedral. He was acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century and was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history. He visited 129 countries during his pontificate, was the second-longest serving Pope in history and the first non-Italian Pope since 1523.
1985 – 39 football fans were killed and at least another 400 injured when a wall collapsed during crowd violence at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, only minutes before the start of the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus.
2014 – Canoe fraudster John Darwin, who was found to have benefited from faking his own death in 2002, was ordered by a court to pay a £40,000 lump sum to the authorities after two of his pensions matured. A “Proceeds of Crime Act” hearing at Teesside Crown Court heard that Darwin had so far only paid back £121 of the £679,073.62 he was found to have benefited from his ‘death’. Anne Darwin, now split from her husband, has repaid more than £500,000 under a separate Proceeds of Crime order after selling properties held in her name.
Today in music
1962 – Chubby Checker won a Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording for ‘Let’s Twist Again’ and Ray Charles won Best Rhythm & Blues Recording for ‘Hit The Road Jack’.
1965 – The Beach Boys started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Help Me Rhonda’, the group’s second US No.1. The recording session was interrupted by the Wilson brothers’ drunken father, Murry, who arrived at the studio to criticize the Boys enthusiasm. The recording reel continued to record the confrontation, which still circulates among fans.
1977 – Manchester band Warsaw, (later to become Joy Division) made their live debut supporting The Buzzcocks at The Electric Circus, Manchester, England.
1997 – The Manic Street Preachers won the best song award for ‘A Design For Life’ at the 42nd Ivor Novello awards. Other winners included The Spice Girls for Hit of the year with ‘Wannabe’, Elvis Costello for Outstanding contribution to music, George Michael won Songwriter Of The Year and Most Performed work for ‘Fastlove.’
2002 – A 16ft by 6ft mosaic designed by John Lennon went on display at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. The mosaic had been built into Lennon’s swimming pool at his Kenwood home in Surrey where he lived between 1964 and 1968.
2005 – Gorillaz scored their first UK No.1 album when ‘Demon Days’ went to the top of the charts.
2020 – Lady Gaga released her sixth studio album Chromatica. This gave Gaga her sixth consecutive Billboard 200-topping album, the eighth woman to claim six chart-topping albums, and, at nine years and two days, the record for the fastest six album No.1 tally by a female artist. It was also Gaga’s fourth No.1 entry on the UK charts.
Today in history
1660 – Charles II marched into London and was restored to the throne, 11 years after the execution of his father Charles I.
1798 – The United Irishmen Rebellion against British Rule took place. Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen were massacred by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
1829 – The death of Humphry Davy, the English scientist who invented a lamp for miners that enabled them to work safely in the presence of flammable gases.
1871 – Whit Monday (celebrated the day after Pentecost) became the first official Bank Holiday in Britain.
1884 – The first steam cable tramway began operating, in London’s Highgate.