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 306 of the year.

Sunday, November 2nd Daily Prep.

Known as World Ballet Day, Deviled Egg Day, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). Your star sign is Scorpio and your birthstone is Topaz.
1982 – The first edition of ‘Countdown’ the British TV game show involving word and number puzzles. It was hosted by Richard Whiteley and Carol Vorderman and was also the first programme to be aired on Channel 4.
The first edition of ‘Countdown’ the British TV game show involving word and number puzzles.
Today’s birthdays
1941 – Brian Poole (84), English singer and the lead singer of 1960s beat band Brian Poole And The Tremeloes (“Silence Is Golden”), born in Dagenham, East London.

1952 – Maxine Nightingale (73), British R&B and soul music singer (“Right Back Where We Started From”), born in Wembley, London.

1961 – k.d. lang (64), Canadian singer-songwriter (“Constant Craving”, “Miss Chatelaine”), born in Edmonton, Canada.
1966 – David Schwimmer (59), American actor, director and producer best known for his role as Ross Gellar in Friends, born in New York, New York, United States.
1972 – Samantha Womack nee Janus (53), English actress (Up ‘n’ Under, Kingsman: Secret Service) and model known for her role as Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders, born in Brighton.
1977 – Leon Taylor (48), English former competitive diver (Silver medal Athens Olympics), born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Famous deaths
1993 – River Phoenix (b. 1970), American actor (Stand By Me, My Own Private Idaho, Sneakers).

2020 – Sean Connery (b. 1930), Scottish actor (The Rock, Entrapment, Highlander) and the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film in Dr No (1962).

The day today
1924 – The Sunday Express became the first British national newspaper to print a crossword puzzle.

1936 – The world’s first regular TV service was started by the British Broadcasting Corporation at Alexandra Palace at 3:00 p.m. It was defined as ‘high-definition’ (with 200 lines of resolution) and was renamed BBC1 in 1964. An estimated 100 TV owners tuned in.

1953 – The foundation of the Samaritans, (the world’s first crisis hotline organisation), by the Anglican priest Chad Varah, who was born in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire.
1960 – Penguin publishers were cleared of obscenity for printing the D.H. Lawrence novel ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’. The first edition was printed privately in Florence in 1928 but the unexpurgated edition could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960. The book was notorious at the time for its story of the physical relationship between a working-class man and an upper-class woman, with explicit descriptions of sex, and its use of then-unprintable words.
1964 – The first episode of the television soap opera ‘Crossroads’ was broadcast on ITV. The first lines spoken in the show was “Crossroads Motel. How Can I Help You?” and spoken by Jill Richardson.
1982 – The first edition of ‘Countdown’ the British TV game show involving word and number puzzles. It was hosted by Richard Whiteley and Carol Vorderman and was also the first programme to be aired on Channel 4.
1989 – “Blackadder Goes Forth” final episode “Goodbyeee” airs on BBC-TV.
1991 – Australia beat England 12-6 in the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham. Will Carling led England out on home soil against Nick Farr-Jones’ Wallabies, who had defeated the reigning champions, New Zealand, in the semi-final at Lansdowne Road.
2008 – British McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 4th in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to clinch his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point over Felipe Massa.
2011 – Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th goal for Real Madrid in his 105th game for the club in a 2-0 Champions League win over Olympique Lyon.
2012 – It was announced that more than 100 post boxes, painted gold to celebrate the success of Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, would remain gold on a permanent basis.
Today in music
1963 – Gerry & the Pacemakers reached the number one spot with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.
1969 – Sugar Sugar by The Archies was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The single became the longest running One Hit Wonder in the UK with eight week’s at the top of the charts.
1991 – U2 scored their second UK No.1 single with ‘The Fly’, taken from their album ‘Achtung Baby’. The song was also a showcase for a persona Bono had invented called “The Fly”.
1996 – American vocalist and guitarist Eva Cassidy, died of skin cancer aged 33. Two years after her death, Cassidy’s music was brought to the attention of British audiences, when her versions of ‘Fields of Gold’ and ‘Over the Rainbow’ were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2. She is the only artist to score three posthumous UK No.1 albums.
2002 – Armed police arrested an international gang who were planning to kidnap former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and her two young children. The gang had planned to ransom Victoria for £5m.
2008 – X-Factor Finalists started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Hero’, to raise money for Help for Heroes ‘ a charity that provides support for wounded servicemen and women, and the Poppy Appeal. The song was a Top 10 hit for Mariah Carey in 1993.
2009 – Ronnie Wood was given an Outstanding Contribution award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour ceremony in London. Who guitarist Pete Townshend presented the award to Wood, who had joined The Rolling Stones full time in 1976.
2015 – Adele went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Hello’, the lead track from her third album 25. ‘Hello’ became the first song to sell more than a million digital copies in a single week and the third highest weekly sales total since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.
2016 – Taylor Swift was the highest-paid woman in music, according to Forbes’ annual list, having earned more than double her nearest competitor Adele. The 26-year-old pop star had amassed earnings of $170m (£137.8m) over the past year, mainly thanks to a world tour named after her recent 1989 album.
Today in history
1470 – The birth of King Edward V of England, one of the two ‘princes in the Tower’. Along with his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, Edward ‘disappeared’ after being sent (allegedly for safety reasons) to the Tower of London. Responsibility for their deaths is widely attributed to his uncle, Richard III, but the actual events have remained controversial for centuries.
1636 – The birth of Edward Colston, Bristol-born merchant and Member of Parliament. Much of his wealth, although used often for philanthropic purposes, was acquired through the trade and exploitation of slaves. He endowed schools and almshouses and his name is commemorated in several Bristol landmarks, two schools and the Colston bun (a yeast dough flavoured with dried fruit and spices).
1871 – British police began their Rogues’ Gallery, taking photographs of all convicted prisoners.
1896 – The first motor insurance policies were issued in Britain by the General Accident Company. The annual premium was 30 shillings (£1.50) and the terms excluded damage caused by frightened horses.
1899 – Boer War: The start of the Siege of Ladysmith in Natal when Boers encircled British troops and civilians inside the town. The siege lasted for 118 days.