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 323 of the year.

Wednesday, November 19th Daily Prep.

Known as Play Monopoly Day, International Men’s Day, Woman’s Entrepreneurship Day, National Bagpipes Day and Have A Bad Day Day. Your star sign is Scorpio and your birthstone is Topaz.
1994 – The first draw took place of Britain’s first National Lottery with a television programme presented by Noel Edmonds.
The first draw took place of Britain's first National Lottery with a television programme presented by Noel Edmonds.
Today’s birthdays
1942 – Calvin Klein (83), American fashion designer who launched the company that later became Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968, born in The Bronx, New York, United States.
1949 – Dennis Taylor (79), Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator, born in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
1961 – Meg Ryan (64), American actress (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, City of Angels), born in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States.
1961 – Crystal Waters (64), American house and dance music singer (“Gypsy Woman”, “100% Pure Love”, “Destination Calabria” with Alex Gaudino), born in New Jersey, United States.
1962 – Jodie Foster (63), American actress (The Silence of the Lambs, Panic Room, Flight Plan), born in Los Angeles, California, United States.
1979 – Katherine Kelly (46), English actress (In Flight, The Crow Girl), known for her role as Becky McDonald on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

1980 – Adele Silva (45), English actress who played the role of Kelly Windsor in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale on and off from 1993 to 2011, born in Norbury, Staffordshire.

Famous deaths
2017 – Charles Manson (b. 1934), American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The day today
1911 – Doom Bar (previously known as Dunbar sands or Dune-bar) in Cornwall claimed two ships in a single day, Island Maid and Angele, the latter killing the entire crew, except the captain. There have been over 600 beachings, wrecks and capsizings at Doom Bar since records began early in the 19th century, with about 300 ships being wrecked.
1947 – George VI created Philip Mountbatten and issued Letters Patent creating him Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich in preparation for his wedding to George’s elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II), the following day.
1960 – The first VTOL (vertical take off and landing) aircraft P.1127, made by the British Hawker Siddeley Company was flown, untethered, for the first time. It’s first conventional flight, (i.e. a horizontal take off) was on 13th March 1961.
1967 – The Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, stood by his decision to devalue the pound saying it would tackle the ‘root cause’ of Britain’s economic problems. The Bank of England spent £200m in a single day trying to shore up the pound from its gold and dollar reserves.
1969 – Pelé, the legendary Brazilian soccer star, scored his 1,000th goal. Known primarily as Pelé, Edson Arantes do Nascimento started playing for the Brazilian national soccer team when he was just 16. Over his twenty-year career, he scored close to an average of one goal per game, totaling 1,279 goals.
1994 – The first draw took place of Britain’s first National Lottery with a television programme presented by Noel Edmonds. The numbers drawn were 30, 3, 5, 44, 14 and 22, the bonus was 10, and seven jackpot winners shared a prize of £5,874,778.
2009 – Floods in Cumbria brought devastation to towns such as Cockermouth. In just 24-hours the total rainfall at Seathwaite was 31.44cm (12.4 inches); a UK record for a single location in any given 24-hour period. William Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, on Main Street and his house was one of many historic houses in the region to be affected by the floods.
2010 – The film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, based on J.K. Rowling’s 2007 fantasy novel, was released worldwide.
2012 – Two farmers were cleared of health and safety charges in a trial at Plymouth Crown Court in connection with the death of ELO cellist Mike Edwards. Edwards was killed in 2010 when a large hay bale rolled off a Devon hillside and crushed his van.
2012 – An abseiling Santa Claus at the Broad Street Mall in Reading got his beard tangled in the rope, leaving him dangling upside down for 30 minutes during a Christmas lights switch-on event. Army personnel were called to help free him from the rope.
Today in music
1964 – The Supremes became the first all girl group to have a UK No.1 single when ‘Baby Love’ went to the top of the charts. Written and produced by Motown’s main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, it was also the second of five Supremes songs in a row to go to No.1 in the United States.
1988 – Bon Jovi started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with lead single from the band’s album New Jersey, ‘Bad Medicine’, which became the group’s third US No.1, and a No.17 hit in the UK.
2000 – The Beatles started an eleven-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with The Beatles 1. The album features virtually every number-one single released from 1962 to 1970. Issued on the 30th anniversary of the band’s break-up, it was their first compilation available on one CD. The world’s best-selling album of the 21st century, 1 has sold over 31 million copies.
2000 – LeAnn Rimes started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’, the singer’s first UK chart topper. Written by Diane Warren and featured on the soundtrack of the film Coyote Ugly.
2003 – Police issued an arrest warrant for Michael Jackson following allegations of sexual abuse of a 12-year old boy. Jackson who was in Las Vegas filming a video, negotiated with police to arrange a time and place to hand himself in.
2004 – Record producer Terry Melcher, who was behind hits by the Byrds, Ry Cooder and The Beach Boys, died aged 62 after a long battle with skin cancer. The son of actress Doris Day, he co-wrote ‘Kokomo’ for The Beach Boys, produced ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ for the Byrds, as well as hits for The Mamas & the Papas.
2016 – Kanye West abruptly ended a concert before being committed at the recommendation of authorities to the UCLA Medical Center with hallucinations and paranoia. While the episode was first described as one of “temporary psychosis” caused by dehydration and sleep deprivation, West’s mental state was abnormal enough for his 21 cancelled concerts to be covered by his insurance policy. He was reportedly paranoid and depressed throughout the hospitalization.
2021 – Adele’s fourth studio album, “30,” was released. The album is a deeply personal work that explores themes of heartbreak, healing, motherhood, and fame, largely inspired by her divorce. “30” followed her 2015 album “25” and features the hit singles “Easy on Me” and “Oh My God”.
2023 – Taylor Swift was at No.1 on the UK chart with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) the fourth re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter. A re-recording of Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989 (2014), it was part of her ongoing re-recording projects following the 2019 dispute over the masters of her back catalogue. In the United States, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) marked Swift’s 13th No.1 album on the Billboard 200 and record-extending sixth album to sell over one million first-week copies.
Today in history
1600 – The birth of Charles I, King of England and Scotland who believed that the king ruled by Divine Right, until his action in dissolving Parliament led to the civil war with Cromwell and his eventual execution.
1620 – The ship Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod, America. Its 87 passengers were a Protestant sect, known as The Pilgrim Fathers. (Note:- The Pilgrim Fathers were thwarted in their first attempt to sail to America when they left from Havenside, near Boston, Lincolnshire in September 1607.
1794 – The United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain sign Jay’s Treaty, which attempts to resolve some of the lingering problems left over from the American Revolutionary War.
1850 – The British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson became Britain’s Poet Laureate. He succeeded William Wordsworth and was followed by Alfred Austin. Some of his most celebrated poems include “Claribel” and “Mariana.”
1861 – The first major shipment of petroleum and refined oil products took place when the 224-ton brigantine Elizabeth Watts delivered 1,329 barrels (about 182 tons) of crude and refined products from Philadelphia to London.