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 282 of the year.

Thursday, October 9th Daily Prep.

Known as World Post Day, National Moldy Cheese Day, World Sight Day, International Beer and Pizza Day. Your star sign is Libra and your birthstone is Pink Tourmaline.
1991 – The first sumo tournament held outside of Japan began at the Royal Albert Hall. The Grand Sumo Tournament was the first of its kind in the sport’s 1,500-year history to be staged off Japanese soil.
The first sumo tournament held outside of Japan began at the Royal Albert Hall. The Grand Sumo Tournament was the first of its kind in the sport's 1,500-year history to be staged off Japanese soil.
Today’s birthdays
1952 – Sharon Osbourne (73), British-American television personality (The Osbournes), music manager, and author, born in Brixton, London.
1955 – Steve Ovett (70), retired British track athlete (Gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow), born in Brighton, Brighton and Hove.
1957 – Ini Kamoze, (68), Jamaican reggae singer (“Here Comes the Hotstepper”), born in Port Maria, Jamaica.
1966 – David Cameron (59), British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016, born in London.
1971 – Sian Evans (54), Welsh singer and the lead vocalist with the band Kosheen (“Catch”), born in Caerphilly, Wales.

1978 – Nicky Byrne (47), Irish singer and a member of Westlife (“You Raise Me Up”, “Seasons in the Sun”), born in Dublin, Ireland.

1979 – Chris O’Dowd (46), Irish actor and comedian best known for his role as Roy Trenneman in the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd, born in County Roscommon, Ireland.
1996 – Bella Hadid (29), American fashion model (29 appearances on international Vogue covers), born in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Famous deaths
2006 – Paul Hunter (b. 1978), English professional snooker player. He was a three-time Masters champion, winning the event in 2001, 2002, and 2004. A tournament in Fürth, Germany, was renamed the Paul Hunter Classic in his memory.
The day today
1948 – English football legend Billy Wright first captained the England international team (aged 24), against Northern Ireland.
1963 – British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan resigns and is replaced by Alec Douglas-Home.
1967 – Marxist revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara is reportedly killed during a battle between army troops and guerillas in the Bolivian jungle.
1976 – The listing of the art-deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe, Lancashire. The hotel was built in 1933, by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). In its heyday it was ‘the place’ to stay and quickly attracted the wealthy middle classes. From 1988 the hotel stood derelict, but after major refurbishment the Midland re-opened its doors to the public in the summer of 2008.
1986 – The musical “The Phantom of the Opera” had its first performance at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London with stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
1988 – The death of the footballer Jackie Milburn (full name John Edward Thompson Milburn). By the time Milburn left Newcastle in 1957, he had become the highest goalscorer in Newcastle United’s history. He remained so until he was surpassed by Alan Shearer in February 2006.
1990 – One thousand radio stations from over 100 countries around the world simultaneously broadcast John Lennon’s “Imagine” in honor of what would have been his 50th birthday.
1991 – The first sumo tournament held outside of Japan began at the Royal Albert Hall. The Grand Sumo Tournament was the first of its kind in the sport’s 1,500-year history to be staged off Japanese soil. The event was a major success, drawing a large audience and receiving national media coverage.
1997 – The campaign to ban landmines, a cause made popular by Diana, Princess of Wales was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2006 – Google announced that it had acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion, with the deal being officially announced and closed in November 2006. This strategic acquisition allowed Google to become a dominant force in the online video market by combining its search expertise with YouTube’s rapidly growing platform.
2014 – A report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) found that populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish had declined on average by 52 per cent in the last 40 years. Almost the entire decline was down to human activity, through habitat loss, deforestation, climate change, over-fishing and hunting.
2014 – Gatwick, Heathrow, and JFK airports enhanced their screening for the Ebola virus as a response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The screenings involved passengers flying from affected regions having their temperature taken and completing risk questionnaires, with medical personnel available for assessment.
2022 – Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen secures his second consecutive World F1 Drivers Championship after finishing in front of Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
2023 – The Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire, starts generating power for the UK electricity grid.
Today in music
1958 – Eddie Cochran recorded the classic song, ‘C’mon Everybody’, which became a 1959 UK No.6 single for Cochran and a 1979 hit for the Sex Pistols.
1965 – The Beatles started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Paul McCartney ballad ‘Yesterday’ giving the group their tenth US No.1. The track was not released as a single in the UK until 1976.
1969 – For the first time in the history of the show, the BBC’s Top Of The Pops producers refused to air the No. 1 song, ‘Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus’, the erotic French language love song by Serge Gainsbourg and actress Jane Birkin. The song, an instrumental with the voices of Gainsbourg and Birkin apparently recorded in the act of love and superimposed over the top, caused such a stir in Britain that the original label, Fontana, dropped the record despite it being No. 2 on the charts.

1971 – Rod Stewart was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Maggie May’, (first released as a B side to ‘Reason To Believe’). The first of six UK No.1’s for Stewart, spent five weeks at the top of the chart.

1976 – The Sex Pistols signed to EMI records for £40,000. The contract was terminated three months later with the label stopping production of the ‘Anarchy In The UK’ single and deleting it from its catalogue. EMI later issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last few months.
1981 – During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Support act was Prince, who dressed in his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat ran off stage after 15 minutes due to the crowd booing and throwing beer cans at him.
1985 – Marking what would have been John Lennon’s 45th birthday, Yoko Ono formally opened the three and a half acre garden at the Strawberry Fields site in New York’s Central Park. The area was planted with trees, shrubs and flowers gathered from across the world and with a $1m donation from Yoko.
1993 – Take That had their second UK No.1 single with ‘Relight My Fire’. The song which was written and released by Dan Hartman in 1979, where it topped the US dance charts for six weeks. The Take That version featured Scottish singer Lulu and gave her a No.1 hit nearly 30 years after her first hit in 1964.
1999 – Eurythmics, George Michael, David Bowie, Robbie Williams and Bono all appeared at ‘Netaid’ an event to raise money for global poverty. The concerts in London, New York and Geneva were all broadcast live on the internet.
Today in history
1192 – King Richard I of England departed the Holy Land for England after signing the Treaty of Jaffa with Sultan Saladin, which established a three-year truce and effectively ended the Third Crusade. The treaty, signed on September 2, 1192, allowed Christian pilgrims access to Jerusalem while leaving the city under Muslim control.

1470 – Henry VI of England was restored to the throne after being deposed in 1461. Six months later he was deposed again and then murdered in the Tower of London.

1779 – The first ‘Luddite’ riots broke out in a lace factory in Loughborough as workers protested against labour-saving machinery which was likely to make them redundant. Similar riots begin at a spinning cotton factory in Manchester.
1799 – The sinking of HMS Lutine off the coast of Holland, with the loss of 240 men. The ship’s bell was salvaged from the wreck and was later presented to shipping insurers Lloyds of London. The Lutine Bell has been rung ever since to mark a marine disaster.
1897 – Henry Stumey set off in his 4.5hp Daimler from Land’s End, and became the first person to drive to John o’ Groats. His 929 mile journey took him 10 days.
1834 – The Cook Islands become a territory of the United Kingdom. They comprise 15 islands split between two island groups and named after British Captain James Cook, who visited during the 1770s.