On this day

[Richard Frost]

Monday 11th October 2021

International Day of the Girl Child
International Day of the Girl Child is an annual and internationally recognized observance on October 11 that empowers girls and amplifies their voices. Like its adult version, International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, International Day of the Girl Child acknowledges the importance, power, and potential of adolescent girls by encouraging the opening up of more opportunities for them. At the same time, this day is designated to eliminate gender-based challenges that girls face around the world, including child marriages, poor learning opportunities, violence, and discrimination.

A Selection of Birthdays

1675 Samuel Clarke, English philosopher and theologian, born in Norwich (d. 1729)
1738 Arthur Phillip, British admiral, 1st Governor of New South Wales (1788-92), born in Cheapside, London (d. 1814)
1821 George Williams, English philanthropist and founder of YMCA, born in Dulverton, West Somerset, (d. 1905)
1869 Frederic Norton, English composer (Chu Chin Chow), born in Broughton-in-Salford (d. 1946)
1872 Emily Davison, English suffragette who died when hit by King George's horse at Epsom Derby, born in Greenwich, S E London (d. 1913)
1910 Major General Francis James Claude Piggott CB CBE DSO 1965 soldier, born in Tokyo (d. 1996)
1926 John Dewes, English cricketer (England opener late 40's early 50's), born in Latchford, Cheshire, (d. 2015)
1926 Jean Alexander, English actress (Hilda Ogden on Coronation Street), born in Liverpool (d. 2016)
1937 Sir Bobby Charlton CBE, English soccer midfielder (106 caps; World Cup 1966; Manchester United) and manager (Preston NE), born in Ashington, Northumberland
1944 Rodney Marsh, British football forward (9 caps; QPR, Manchester City) and broadcaster (Sky Sports), born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire
1947 Al Atkins, English musician (Judas Priest), born in West Bromwich, West Midlands
1957 Dawn French, Welsh comedian and TV actress (Supergrass, French & Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley), born in Holyhead
1957 Paul Bown, English actor (Watching), born in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
1961 Neil Buchanan, English television presenter (Finders Keepers), born in Aintree, Liverpool
1962 Phil Newport, English cricketer (England pace bowler in 3 Tests 1988-91), born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
1962 Nicola Bryant, English actress (Doctor Who-Peri Brown), born in Guildford, Surrey
1970 Andy Marriott, English-Welsh football goalkeeper, born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
1971 Natalie Jay, English actress (Baywatch), born in Hendon, London
1973 Steven Pressley, Scottish football player and manager, born in Elgin
1980 Nyron Nosworthy, English-Jamaican footballer, born in Brixton, South London

On this day in British History

1698 France, England & Netherlands ratified the First Partition Treaty, which eventually led to the War of the Spanish Succession
1726 Benjamin Franklin returns to Philadelphia from England
1776 Brigadier-General Arnold's Lake Champlain fleet defeated by British during the Battle of Valcour Island (American Revolutionary War)
1899 South African Boers declare war on Great Britain
1956 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Maralinga, Australia
1982 English ship Mary Rose, which sank during an engagement with France in 1545, raised at Portsmouth, England
2001 Caribbean writer V.S. Naipaul is awarded the Noble Prize for Literature

Northern Ireland

1969 Three people shot dead during street violence in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast

Deaths in History

1721 Edward Colston, English merchant, philanthropist and slave trader, dies at 84
1889 James Prescott Joule, English physicist (b. 1818)
2000 Donald Campbell Dewar, Scottish politician (1st minister of Scotland's first Parliament in almost 300yrs), dies from health complications at 63
2003 Franklyn Perring, English botanist (co-author of Atlas of the British Flora, 1962), dies of cancer at 76

[macliam]

Monday 11th October 2021

On this day in British History[/b

1649 - Massacre at Wexford when the town falls to Cromwell - in the sack that followed, between 1,500 to 2,000 soldiers and civilians died, over 300 of whom drowned escaping across the river; another 3,000 were taken prisoner, for the loss of only 20 Parliamentarians.

1921 - Anglo-Irish negotiations open with Griffith and Collins leading the Irish delegation - this would end in the treaty for 26 counties to form a Free State within the commonwealth, which would cause civil war between the pro and anti treaty forces.

1922 - The Irish Constitution for the Free State, drafted by the Thomas Cosgrove Dáil, is adopted. This established a written constitution, which survived until replaced by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937.. which declared a Republic.

[Richard Frost]

Tuesday 12th October 2021

A selection Of Birthdays

1537 Edward VI Tudor, King of England (1547-53), born in Hampton Court Palace, Middlesex (d. 1553)
1576 Thomas Dudley, British colonial governor of Massachusetts, born in Northamptonshire (d. 1653)
1602 William Chillingworth, English religious leader, born in Oxford (d. 1644)
1763 John Ross, English composer and organist, born in Newcastle upon Tyne (d. 1837)
1808 John Liptrot Hatton, English composer and pianist, born in Liverpool (d. 1886)
1832 Walter T Watts-Dunton, English lawyer, poet and writer (Aylwin), born in St. Ives (d. 1914)
1865 Arthur Harden, English biochemist (Nobel Prize 1929), born in Manchester (d. 1940)
1866 Ramsay MacDonald, British Prime Minister (Labour: 1924, 1929-35), born in Lossiemouth, Morayshire (d. 1937)
1872 Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (Hugh the Drover), born in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire (d. 1958)
1875 Aleister Crowley, British occultist, founded the religion of Thelema, born in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire (d. 1947)
1880 (James) Healey Willan, British-Canadian organist, composer, and educator, born in Balham, South London (d. 1968)
1884 Godfrey Tearle, English-American actor (39 Steps, Mandy, At Dawn We Die), born in NYC, New York (d. 1953)
1906 Brigadier Edmund Charles Wolf Myers CBE DSO, (Eddie) British WWII soldier and engineer, born in Kensington, West London (d. 1997)
1925 Gilbert Parkhouse, Welsh cricketer (England batsman in 7 Tests 1950-59), born in Swansea, Glamorgan (d. 2000)
1929 Brian Cobby, British actor (Evita, The Nudist Story) and the first male voice of the British speaking clock, born in Brighton, East Sussex (d. 2012)
1935 Luciano Pavarotti, Italian operatic tenor (Oh Giorgio, The Three Tenors), born in Modena, Italy (d. 2007)
1941 Michael Mansfield QC English barrister, born in Finchley, North London
1944 Angela Rippon, British television personality, born in Plymouth, Devon
1946 Daryl Runswick, British composer, arranger, musician, producer and educator, born in Leicester,
1948 Rick Parfitt, English pop guitarist and singer (Status Quo-Wanderer), born in Woking, Surrey
1950 Robin Askwith, English actor (Confessions Sex Comedies), born in Southport, Lancashire
1956 David Vanian, British singer (The Damned), born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
1958 Bryn Merrick, British musician (The Damned), born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan (d. 2015)
1963 Alan McDonald, Northern Irish footballer, born in Belfast (d. 2012)
1966 Brian Kennedy, Northern Irish musician and author, born in Belfast
1974 Stephen Lee, English snooker player, born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire
1980 Ledley King, English soccer defender (England 21 caps), born in London
1981 Brian Kerr, Scottish football manager, born in Dublin
1986 Li Wenliang, Chinese doctor who tried to raise the alarm over COVID-19, born in Beizhen, China (d. 2020)
1990 Henri Lansbury, English footballer (Aston Villa), born in Enfield, North London/Middlesex
1997 Boris, Prince of Bulgaria, born in Madrid, Spain

On This day in British History

1216 King John of England loses his crown jewels in The Wash as the flood tide swamps his wagons, probably near Fosdyke, perhaps near Sutton Bridge
1659 English "Rump" Parliament dismisses John Lambert and other Parliamentary generals
1740 English evangelist George Whitefield preaches to 30,000 people in Boston in the US during the 'Great Awakening'
1776 British Brigade begins guarding Throgg Necks Road in Bronx
1860 British & French troops capture Beijing
1879 British troops occupy Kabul, Afghanistan
1899 South Africa Boer Republic declares war on Britain
1915 Despite international protest, Edith Cavell an English nurse in Belgium, is executed by the Germans for aiding the escape of Allied prisoners
1984 IRA bombs the Grand Hotel, Brighton, where British PM Margaret Thatcher is staying, 5 die
1986 Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit the People's Republic of China
2020 UK PM Boris Johnson announces a new three-tier system in England for COVID-19 restrictions as cases surge

Northern ireland

1988 Pope John Paul II is the target of anti-papal heckling by Protestant leader Ian Paisley at a European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg, France

Scotland

1823 Charles Macintosh of Scotland begins selling raincoats (Macs)

Deaths in History

1176 William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel, English politician
1678 Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (b. 1621)
1679 William Gurnall, English writer (b. 1617)
1758 Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth, British field marshal (b. 1680)
1845 Elizabeth Fry, English prison reformer, social reformer and Quaker Minister, dies of a stroke at 65
1860 Harry Smith, military commander and leader of British-Indian forces (Battle of Aliwal), dies at 73
1887 Dinah Craik, English writer (John Halifax, Gentleman), dies at 61
1915 Edith Louisa Cavell, British nurse, executed by German firing squad in Belgium during World War I at 49
1948 Alfred Kerr, German-British writer, dies at 80
1984 Sir Anthony Berry, British politician (bombing victim) (b. 1925)
2001 Quintin Hogg, British politician, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, dies at 94 (b. 1907)

[Richard Frost]

Wednesday 13th October 2021

Italy switches sides during the Second World War, declaring war on former Axis partner Germany.

International Day for Disaster Reduction
The United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction is marked globally to promote a worldwide culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction, as well as to recognise how people and communities throughout the globe are decreasing their vulnerability to catastrophes and increasing awareness about the significance of mitigating the risks that they face.

A Selection of Birthdays

1162 Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile, born in Domfront Castle, Normandy (d. 1214)
1453 Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales and the only son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou, born in London (d. 1471)
1537 Jane Grey, Queen of England in 1553 for 9 days, born in Bradgate, Leicestershire (d. 1554)
1566 Richard Boyle, Irish politician, 1st Earl of Cork, born in Canterbury, Kent (d. 1643)
1696 John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, English statesman and writer (d. 1743)
1713 Allan Ramsay, Scottish painter, born in Edinburgh (d. 1784)
1797 William Motherwell, Scottish civil servant and poet, born in Glasgow (d. 1835)
1862 Mary Kingsley, English ethnographer and explorer who became the first European to enter parts of Gabon, Africa, born in London (d. 1900)
1877 Bernard Bosanquet, English cricketer (pioneer of googly), born in Bulls Cross, Enfield, Middlesex (d. 1936)
1901 Edward Chapman, British actor (Things to Come, Promoter, Rembrandt), born in Harrogate, Yorkshire (d. 1977)
1904 Wilfred Pickles, British actor (Billy Liar, Gay Dog), born in Halifax, Yorkshire (d. 1978)
1908 John Grant, British rear-admiral (Royal Navy) (d. 1996)
1911 Ashok Kumar [Dadamoni, Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly], Indian actor (Mahal, Afsana), born in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency, British India (d. 2001)
1915 Terry Frost, British artist, born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire (d. 2003)
1915 Jack Patrick Fallon, Canadian-British jazz double and electric bass player, born in London, Ontario, Canada (d. 2006)
1918 Jack MacGowran, Irish actor (King Lear, The Quiet Man, The Exorcist), born in Dublin (d. 1973)
1923 Cyril Shaps, British actor, producer and voice artist (The Pianist), born in Highbury, London (d. 2003)
1925 Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1979-90), born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, (d. 2013)
1931 Janice Elliott, English novelist, born in Derby (d. 1995)
1938 Hugo Young, British journalist (The Guardian), born in Sheffield (d. 2003)
1940 Chris Farlowe [John Henry Deighton], English singer (Out of Times), born in London
1941 John Snow, English cricketer (fiery England quickie Unpopular with Aussies), born in Peopleton, Worcestershire
1941 Neil Aspinall, Welsh music executive (The Beatles), born in Prestatyn, (d. 2008)
1946 Edwina Currie, British politician (C), born in Liverpool
1954 Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli nuclear technician and peace activist, born in Marrakesh, French Morocco also known as John Crossman, is an Israeli former nuclear technician and peace activist who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986. He was subsequently lured to Italy by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, where he was drugged and abducted. He was secretly transported to Israel and ultimately convicted in a trial that was held behind closed doors. Vanunu spent 18 years in prison, including more than 11 in solitary confinement, though no such restriction is mentioned in Israel's penal code, nor imposed by his verdict. Released from prison in 2004, he was further subjected to a broad array of restrictions on his speech and his movement, and arrested several times for violations of his parole terms, giving interviews to foreign journalists and attempting to leave Israel. He claims having suffered "cruel and barbaric treatment" at the hands of prison authorities, and suggests that these would have been different if he had not converted to Christianity.
1958 Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian progressive journalist, author, and editor in chief (Al-Arab News Channel), born in Medina, Saudi Arabia (d. 2018)
1967 Steve Vickers, English footballer (Middlesbrough), born in Bishop Auckland
1970 Paul Potts, British opera singer and winner of Britain's Got Talent 2007, born in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire
1971 Sacha Baron Cohen, British comedian and actor (Ali G, Borat), born in London
1973 Peter Dumbreck, Scottish race car driver, born in Kirkcaldy, Fife
1977 Gareth Batty, English cricketer, born in Bradford, Yorkshire
1979 Wes Brown, English footballer, born in Longsight, Manchester
1980 Scott Parker, English footballer (West Ham United), born in Lambeth, South London
1981 Ryan Ashford, English footballer (Sholing), born in Honiton, Devon
1981 Kele Okereke, Nigerian-English musician (Bloc Party), born in Liverpool
1996 Joshua Wong, Chinese activist (Demosistō), born in Hong Kong
2324 Beverly Crusher, fictional doctor on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", born in Copernicus City, Luna

On this day in British History

1399 Henry of Bolingbroke is crowned King Henry IV of England in Westminster Abbey, a few weeks after deposing Richard II
1536 Pilgrimage of Grace begins in Northern England, protest against King Henry VIII's break with the Pope
1659 Major general John Lambert drives out English Rump government
1702 Dutch and English troops occupy Liège
1710 English troops occupy Acadia (Nova Scotia)
1914 Pro-German Boers begin opposition to British authority in South Africa
2008 HM Treasury infused £37 billion ($64 billion, 47 billion euros) of new capital-bailout into Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, Lloyds TSB and HBOS Plc, to avert a financial sector collapse.

Deaths in History

1415 Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, English military leader (b. 1381)
1508 Edmund de Ros, 11th Baron de Ros, English politician (b. 1446)
1759 John Henley, English clergyman, dies at 64
1812 Isaac Brock, English general (conquered Detroit), dies in battle at 43
1947 Sydney Webb, English socialist and economist (founded London School of Economics) and husband of Beatrice Webb, dies at 88
1997 Richard Mason, English author (The World of Suzie Wong), dies at 78

[Richard Frost]

Thursday 14th October 2021

William, Duke of Normandy and his army defeat the English forces of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066

A Selection of Birthdays

1633 James II of England and James VII of Scotland [Stuart], King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1685-88), born in St. James's Palace, London (d. 1701)
1644 William Penn, English Philosopher, Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania, born in London (d. 1718)
1687 Robert Simson, Scottish mathematician (Simson line), born in West Kilbride, Ayrshire (d. 1768)
1712 George Grenville, British Prime Minister (1763-65) who introduced the Stamp Act (1st international tax to the colonies in America), born in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire (d. 1770)
1726 Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, English sailor and politician, born in Leith, Midlothian (d. 1813)
1790 Christian, son of Fletcher Christian (leader of the historical mutiny on the Bounty), born in Pitcairn Island (d. 1831)
1827 William Harcourt, British Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, born in York (d. 1904)
1855 George Edwardes, British composer (Gaiety Girl), born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire (d. 1915)
1869 Joseph Duveen, British art connoisseur (Elgin marbles), born in Hull, Yorkshire (d. 1939)
1872 Reginald "R.F." Doherty, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1897-1900), born in Wimbledon (d. 1910)
1882 Charlie Parker, English cricketer (legend Gloucs SLA, but 2-32 in only Test), born in Prestbury, Gloucestershire (d. 1959)
1882 Éamon de Valera, Irish politician (President of Ireland (1937-48, 51-54, 57-59)), born in NYC, New York (d. 1975)
1890 Frank Conroy, British actor (Call of the Wild), born in Derby, Derbyshire (d. 1964)
1896 Bud Flanagan [Chaim Reuben Weintrop], English comedian (duo with Chesney Alley), born in London (d. 1968)
1906 Benita Hume, British actress (Tarzan Escapes, High Treason, Halls of Ivy), born in London (d. 1967)
1912 Jack Crapp, English cricketer (England batsman 1948-49), born in St Columb Major, Cornwall (d. 1981)
1912 Jack Young, English cricketer (Middlesex & England slow left-armer post-WW2), born in Paddington, West London (d. 1993)
1927 Roger Moore, British actor (The Saint, James Bond), born in London (d. 2017)
1939 Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer (Chaps, Polo Ralph Lauren), born in The Bronx, New York
1940 Christopher Timothy, Welsh actor (All Creatures Great & Small), born in Bala, Snowdonia
1940 Cliff Richard [Harry Webb], English rock vocalist ("Move It"; "Living Doll"; "We Don't Talk Anymore"), born in Lucknow, British India
1942 Billy Harrison, Irish rock guitarist (Them), born in Belfast
1945 Colin Hodgkinson, English musician (Whitesnake), born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
1945 Lesley Joseph, British stage and screen actress (Birds of a Feather - "Dorien") and radio broadcaster, born in Finsbury Park, London
1946 Justin Hayward, English vocalist (Moody Blues - "Nights in White Satin"), born in Swindon, Wiltshire
1946 Dan McCafferty, Scottish rock vocalist (Nazareth - "Love Hurts"), born in Dunfermline
1947 Al Atkins, British rock singer (Judas Priest, 1969-73), born in West Bromwich, West Midlands
1949 Katy Manning, English actress (Doctor Who-Jo Grant), born in Guildford, Surrey
1951 Marcia Barrett, Jamaican-British rock vocalist (Boney M), born in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
1953 Roland Butcher, Barbados born English cricketer (1st cricketer of Caribbean descent to play for England 1981), born in Saint Philip Parish, Barbados
1954 Carole Malone, English TV presenter, journalist and broadcaster. born in West Allotment, near Newcastle upon Tyne
1958 Thomas Dolby [Robertson], British new-wave rock singer and musician (She Blinded Me With Science), born in London,
1960 Steve Cram, English runner (world record mile/2 km) born in Gateshead
1968 Matthew Le Tissier, English footballer, born in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey
1975 Teresa "Shaznay" Lewis, British singer (All Saints), born in Islington, London
1977 Jonathan Kerrigan, English actor, born in Lincolnshire
1977 Freddy Kempf, British musician (BBC Young Musician of the Year), born in Croydon
1978 Paul Hunter, English snooker player (Masters 2001, 02, 04), born in Leeds, Yorkshire (d. 2006)
1978 Steven Thompson, Scottish footballer, born in Paisley
1980 Ben Whishaw, English actor (A Very English Scandal), born in Clifton, Bedfordshire
1986 Tom Craddock, English footballer, born in Darlington

On this day in British History

1066 Battle of Hastings: William, Duke of Normandy and his Norman army defeat the English forces of Harold II who is killed in the battle
1322 Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence
1773 American Revolutionary War: The United Kingdom's East India Company tea ships' cargo are burned at Annapolis, Maryland.
1840 Maronite leader Bashir II surrenders to the British forces and goes into exile in Malta.
1892 Arthur Conan Doyle publishes "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" collection of 12 stories originally published serially in "The Strand Magazine"
1899 Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill departs to South Africa
1913 Senghenydd Colliery Disaster, the United Kingdom's worst coal mining accident, an explosion claims 439 lives.
1926 A. A. Milne's book "Winnie the Pooh" released
1939 German U-47 sinks British battleship HMS Royal Oak, 833 killed
1944 British troops march into Athens
1953 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Emu Field, Australia
1957 Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first Canadian monarch to open the Parliament of Canada with the Speech from the Throne.
1968 Opening of the rebuilt Euston railway station in London
1969 The United Kingdom introduces the 50p (fifty-pence) coin, replacing the ten-shilling note, in anticipation of currency decimalisation in 1971
2020 A copy of William Shakespeare's First Folio sells for a record $9.98 million at auction in New York

Northern Ireland

1843 British arrest Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell for conspiracy
1972 North Irish Loyalist paramilitaries raid Headquarters of the 10 Ulster Defence Regiment in Belfast and stole rifles and ammunition

Scotland

1322 Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence
1586 Mary Queen of Scots goes on trial for conspiracy against Elizabeth
1745 French help convoy reaches Montrose Scotland

Deaths in History

1066 Harold II, last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England (1066), dies at Battle of Hastings, at about 44
1565 Thomas Chaloner, English statesman and poet (b. 1521)
1619 Samuel Daniel, English poet (b. 1562)
1660 Thomas Harrison, English Puritan soldier (b. 1606)
1758 Francis Edward James Keith, Scottish soldier and Prussian field marshal, dies at 62
1961 Harriet Shaw Weaver, British political activist, and magazine editor (The Egoist), dies at 85
1984 Martin Ryle, English radio astronomer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (b. 1918)
2005 Jody Dobrowski, English murder victim (b. 1981)
2006 Maurice Grosse, British paranormal investigator (b. 1919)
2007 Frank Hauser, British theatrical director (Oxford Playhouse), dies at 85
2008 Martin Peake, 2nd Viscount Ingleby, British peer and business man, dies at 82

[Richard Frost]

Saturday 16th October 2021

World Food Day
Did you know that today, 7.3 billion people consume 1.6 times what the earth’s natural resources can supply. If we’re to build a future where people and nature thrive, we need to reconsider the food we eat and how it’s produced! World Food Day is an opportunity to look at the ways we produce and consume food.

A Selection of Birthdays

1396 William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English soldier (d. 1450)
1430 King James II of Scotland (d. 1460)
1758 Noah Webster, lexicographer (Webster's Dictionary), born in West Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1843)
1797 James Brudenell, British Earl Of Cardigan (led the Charge of the Light Brigade), born in Hambleden, Hampshire (d. 1868)
1837 John Francis Barnett, British composer, born in London (d. 1916)
1841 Itō Hirobumi, Japanese samurai, 1st Prime Minister of Japan (4 terms between 1885 and 1901) and Resident-General of Korea (1905-09), born in Tsukari, Suō, Japan (d. 1909)
1849 Charles Harford Lloyd, British organist and composer, born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire (d. 1919)
1854 Oscar Wilde [Fingal O'Flahertie Wills], (The Picture of Dorian Gray), born in Dublin (d. 1900)
1861 John Bagnell Bury FBA was an Anglo-Irish historian, classical scholar, Medieval Roman historian and philologist. He objected to the label "Byzantinist" explicitly in the preface to the 1889 edition of his Later Roman Empire. He was Erasmus Smith's Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin (1893–1902), born in Clontibret, County Monaghan (d. 1927)
1863 Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain KG (16 October 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a British statesman, son of Joseph Chamberlain and older half-brother of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer (twice) and was briefly Conservative Party leader before serving as Foreign Secretary, In the last years before the outbreak of World War I, Chamberlain was concerned with one issue above all others: Home Rule for Ireland. The issue that had prompted his father to leave the Liberal Party in the 1880s now threatened to spill over into outright civil war, with the government of H. H. Asquith committed to the passage of a Third Home Rule Bill. Chamberlain was resolutely opposed to the dissolution of the Union with Ireland. He negotiated the Locarno Pact (1925), aimed at preventing war between France and Germany, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.born in Birmingham (d. 1937)
1890 Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader and leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence in the early 20th century, born in Clonakilty, Ireland (d. 1922)
1904 Reginald Dixon, British theatre organist, born in Sheffield (d. 1985)
1910 William Leonard "Will" Reed, British pianist and composer, born in South London (d. 2002)
1922 Max Bygraves [Walter William Bygraves], British actor (Charley Moon, Spare the Rod, Tom Brown's School Days), born in London (d. 2012)
1922 Robert Urquhart, Scottish actor (Dunkirk, Bulldog Breed, Dark Avenger), born in Ullapool (d. 1995)
1925 Angela Lansbury, British actress (Gaslight, Murder She Wrote), born in London
1927 Lee Montague, British actor (Uncle Sasha-Holocaust), born in London
1932 John Grant, British Labour/SDP politician born Finsbury Park, North London (d. 2000)
1936 Peter Bowles, English actor, born in London
1941 Derek David Bourgeois, British composer, conductor and educator (National Youth Chamber Orchestra) born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey (d. 2017)
1942 Dave Lovelady, English drummer (The Fourmost - "A Little Loving"), born in Litherland, Merseyside
1944 Bob Cottam, cricketer (England fast-medium on 2 India/Pakistan tours) born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
1951 Daniel Gerroll, actor (Big Business), born in London
1959 Gary Kemp, British rock guitarist and lyricist (Spandau Ballet - "True"), born in Smithfield, London
1964 Stephen Paul "Steve" Lamacq [Lammo], British disc jockey (BBC Radio 6), born in Islington, London
1967 Davina McCall, British television presenter, born in Wimbledon, London
1973 David Gerald Unsworth is an English former professional footballer who was most recently caretaker manager of Everton. born in Chorley, Lancashire
1984 Shayne Ward, British singer (UK X Factor - "That's My Goal"), and actor (Coronation Street), born in Tameside, Greater Manchester

On This day in British History

1710 British troops occupies Port Royal, Nova Scotia
1775 Portland, Maine burned by British
1847 Charlotte Brontë's book "Jane Eyre" published
1849 British seize Tigre Island in Gulf of Fonseca from Honduras
1900 Great Britain and Germany sign the Anglo-German Treaty, agreeing to maintain territorial integrity of China and support 'open door' policy called for by US Secretary of State
1901 Baron Hayashi of Japan begins negotiations in London to make an alliance with the British and strengthen Japan's position against Russians
1915 Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria
1916 T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) meets with Fasal Hoessein
1950 The first edition of C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is released in London
1957 Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip visis Williamsburg Virginia
1964 Harold Wilson's Labour party wins British election
1987 Great Storm of 1987: 175-kph hurricane force winds hit London and much of the South of England killing 23 people and causing widespread blackouts
1993 Anti-Nazi riot breaks out in Welling in Kent, after police stop protesters approaching British National Party headquarters

Northern Ireland

1968 The People's Democracy (PD), formed on Oct 9, organise a march of 1,300 students from the Queen's University of Belfast to the City Hall in the centre of the city, Northern Ireland
1972 2 members of the Official Irish Republican Army are shot dead by the British Army in County Tyrone
1972 A Protestant youth member (15) of the Ulster Defence Association, and a UDA member (26) are run over by British Army vehicles during riots in east Belfast
1993 IRA bomb attack on fish & chips restaurant in Belfast, 10 killed
2018 Man Booker Prize is won by Anna Burns' "Milkman", the first winner from Northern Ireland

Wedding of Interest

1992 Author J. K. Rowling (27) weds Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes

Deaths in History

1555 Hugh Latimer, English bishop and royal chaplain, at 80 burned at the stake, one of the Oxford Martyrs
1555 Nicholas Ridley, English theologist/bishop of Rochester, burned at the stake one of the Oxford Martyrs
1594 William Allen, English cardinal/founder seminary of Douai, dies at 62
1774 Robert Fergusson, Scottish poet (Scottish Poems), dies at 24
1781 Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, British naval officer (b. 1705)
1793 John Hunter, Scottish surgeon and founder of pathological anatomy in England, dies at 65
1995 Murdo Alex MacLeod, Free Church of Scotland minister, dies at 60

[Richard Frost]

Sunday 17th October 2021

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
The COVID-19 pandemic that gripped the world during the past year has resulted in reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty and extreme poverty. According to the World Bank, between 88 and 115 million people are being pushed into poverty as a result of the crisis, with the majority of the new extreme poor being found in South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries where poverty rates are already high”. In 2021, this number is expected to have risen to between 143 and 163 million. These ‘new poor’ will join the ranks of the 1.3 billion people already living in multidimensional and persistent poverty who saw their pre-existing deprivations aggravated during the global pandemic. As a matter of fact, the measures imposed to limit the spread of the pandemic often further pushed them into poverty – the informal economy which enables many people in poverty to survive was virtually shut down in many countries.

As we embark on the post-COVID recovery and getting back on track with the Sustainable Development Goals, many are talking of “building back better,” but the message is clear from the people living in extreme poverty that they do not want a return to the past nor to build back to what it was before. They do not want a return to the endemic structural disadvantages and inequalities. Instead, people living in poverty propose to build forward.

Building forward means transforming our relationship with nature, dismantling structures of discrimination that disadvantage people in poverty and building on the moral and legal framework of human rights that places human dignity at the heart of policy and action. Building forward means not only that no one is left behind, but that people living in poverty are actively encouraged and supported to be in the front, engaging in informed and meaningful participation in decision-making processes that directly affect their lives. In building forward, we need to let ourselves be enriched by the wealth of wisdom, energy and resourcefulness that people living in poverty can contribute to our communities, our societies and ultimately to our planet.

A selection of Birthdays
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1711 Jupiter Hammon, Lloyd Harbor NY, slave and poet, 1st African American to publish poetry
1725 John Wilkes, English radical, journalist (The North Briton) and politician, born in London (d. 1797)
1840 Yaa Asantewaa, Ghanaian queen of Ashanti Empire, led fight against British colonialism, born in Besease, Ghana (d. 1921) appropriate date
1864 Elinor Glyn, British novelist (3 Weeks) born in Jersey
1890 Roy Kilner, English cricketer born in Wombwell, Barnsley, Yorkshire,(d. 1928)
1892 Herbert Norman Howells CH CBE was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music born in Lydney, Gloucestershire (d. 1983
1921 George Mackay Brown, Scottish poet, author and dramatist with a distinctly Orcadian character. He is seen as one of the great Scottish poets of the 20th century. born in Stromness, Orkney (d. 1996)
1922 Louis Benjamin, showman, born in London (d.1994)
1934 Johnny Haynes, English soccer forward (56 caps; Fulham 594 games), born in London (d. 2005)
1935 Alan Brown, cricketer (England opening attack Brown & White vs Pak 1961) born in Rainworth Nottinghamshire.
1937 Paxton Whitehead, English actor (Back to School), born in East Malling, Kent
1938 Robert "Evel" Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil (Snake River Canyon), born in Butte, Montana (d. 2007)
1940 Peter Stringfellow, British nightclub owner (Stringfellows), born in Sheffield (d. 2018)
1940 Jim Smith, English soccer midfielder and manager (Birmingham City, QPR, Portsmouth, Derby County), born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire (d. 2019)
1941 Alan Howard, British rock bassist (Brian Poole & The Tremeloes - "Do You Love Me?")
1946 Vicki Hodge, actress (Confessions of a Sex Maniac), born in London
1946 Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British stage producer born in Enfield North London
1950 Eric Hughes, English rugby league utility back (10 Tests England, 8 Great Britain; Widnes 481 games), born in Prescot. (d. 2020)
1956 Mae Jemison, 1st African American woman in space (STS 47), born in Decatur, Alabama
1957 Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino, Italian-Welsh session and touring rock bassist (Paul Young; The Who; John Mayer Trio), born in Cardiff, Wales
1960 Guy Henry, British actor (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), born in London
1966 Mark Gatiss, English actor and writer born in Sedgefield, Co. Durham
1972 Eminem [Marshall Bruce Mathers III], American rapper and movie star (The Real Slim Shady, Stan and 8 Mile), born in St. Joseph, Missouri
1974 Matthew Macfadyen, British actor, born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
1983 Felicity Jones, English actress (Rogue One), born in Birmingham

On This day in British History

1651 Future King Charles II flees from England
1660 Nine Regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered, another is hanged.
1662 Charles II of Great Britain sells Dunkirk to France for 2.5 million livres (320,000 English pounds)
1777 British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War
1871 Great Britain annexes Griqualand, South Africa
1876 Henry Morton Stanley reaches Lualaba River
1877 Henry Morton Stanley reaches Boma during trip cross Africa
1917 1st British bombing of Germany
1951 Egyptian army fires on British troops
1956 England's 1st large scale nuclear power station opens
1957 Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip visit the White House
1959 Queen Elizabeth II is fined $140 for withdrawing her race horse
1960 US & Britain sign an accord granting US access to the British nuclear submarine base in Holy Loch, Scotland
1967 Memorial service for Music Entrepreneur and Beatles Manager Brian Epstein at New London Synagogue
2019 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces new Brexit deal with the EU, removes the Northern Ireland backstop clause

Northern Ireland

1971 It is estimated today that approximately 16,000 households were withholding rent and rates for council houses as part of the campaign of civil disobedience against internment organised by the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Northern Ireland
1972 The Ulster Defence Association open fire on the British Army in several areas of Belfast

Scotland

1346 Battle of Neville's Cross: King David II of Scotland is captured by Edward III of England at Calais, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years
1922 Scottish worker begins hunger march from Glasgow to London

Weddings in History

1826 Historian and Essayist Thomas Carlyle (30) weds Jane Welsh (25)

Deaths in History

1586 Philip Sidney, English Elizabethan era poet (Arcadia) and soldier, dies in battle at 32
1660 Adrian Scrope, English regicide (b. 1601)
1673 Thomas Clifford, English statesman (1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh), dies at 43
1780 William Cookworthy, English chemist, dies at 75
1979 John Stuart, Scottish actor (Kittie, Superman, Number Seventeen), dies at 81
1999 Ralph Grey, Baron Grey of Naunton, Governor of Northern Ireland (1968-73), dies at 89

[Richard Frost]

Monday 18th October 2021

A Selection of Birthdays

1662 Matthew Henry, Welsh non-conformist minister born in Broughton, Flintshire (d. 1714)
1785 Thomas Love Peacock, English author (Headlong Hall) born in Weymouth, Dorset (d. 1866)
1875 Len Braund, cricketer (great England all-rounder in 23 Tests 1901-08) born in Clewer, Berkshire (d. 1955)
1915 Thomas Round, British tenor (Gilbert and Sullivan For All), born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, (d. 2016)
1926 Chuck Berry [Charles Andersen], American rock n' roll guitarist and singer-songwriter (Roll Over Beethoven), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 2017)
1939 Lee Harvey Oswald, American assassin of JFK, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1963)
1947 Paul Chuckle, (Paul Harman Elliott) British comedian, born in Rotherham, West Yorkshire
1949 Joe Egan, Scottish singer-songwriter (Stealers Wheel - "Stuck In The Middle With You"), born in Paisley
1950 Sheila White, actress (I Claudius), born in London
1956 Martina Navratilova, Czech/American tennis player (18 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Prague, Czech Republic
1960 Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian actor (Double Impact, Kickboxer, No Retreat), born in Brussels, Belgium
1968 Rhod Gilbert, Welsh comedian (Never Mind the Buzzcocks), born in Carmarthen
1974 Robbie Savage, Welsh footballer, born in Wrexham
1977 Simon Rix, British rock bassist (Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby") born in Leeds, West Yorkshire

On this day in British History

1667 English fleet plunders Suriname plantations
1776 Battle of Pelham: Colonel John Glover & Marblehead regiment meet British Forces in Bronx
1910 E. M. Forster publishes novel "Howards End"
1919 David Beatty is created 1st Earl Beatty, Viscount Borodale, and Baron Beatty of the North Sea and Brooksby
1944 Allied generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery confer in Brussels, Belgium
1960 In Britain, News Chronicle & Daily Mail merge and London Evening Star merges with Evening News
1962 James Watson (US), Francis Crick (UK) and Maurice Wilkins (UK) win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in determining the structure of DNA

Deaths in History

1541 Margaret Tudor, Queen consort of Scots as wife of James IV of Scotland (1503-13), dies at 51
1744 Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, close friend of Queen Anne of Great Britain, dies at 84
1770 John Manners, Marquess of Granby, British soldier (b. 1721)
1865 Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, British Prime Minister (1855-58 and 1859-65), dies of fever at 80
1871 Charles Babbage, English mathematician/inventor (calculator), dies of renal failure at 79
2007 Alan Coren, English writer and satirist (b. 1938)

[Richard Frost]

Tuesday 19th October 2021

19 October (Tuesday) THE BIRTHDAY OF THE PROPHET / MILAD UL NABI (12th Rabi'ul-Awwal) (Sunni)
24 October (Sunday) THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S BIRTHDAY / MILAD UL NABI (17th Rabi'ul-Awwal) (Shi'a)Widely celebrated and a public holiday in many Muslim countries. Qur’anic readings and songs in praise of the Prophet feature. The exact date of the Prophet’s birth is uncertain.

A selection of Birthdays

1562 George Abbott, English theologist & Archbishop of Canterbury (1611-1633), born in Guildford, Surrey (d. 1633)
1605 Thomas Browne, English philosopher and writer (Garden of Cyrus), born in London (d. 1682)
1610 James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, Anglo/Irish statesman and soldier, born in Clerkenwell, London (d. 1688)
1680 John Abernethy, Irish Protestant minister, born in Coleraine (d. 1740)
1688 William Cheselden, English surgeon and anatomist, influential in establishing surgery as a scientific medical profession. Via the medical missionary Benjamin Hobson, his work also helped revolutionize medical practices in China and Japan in the 19th century. born in Somerby, Leicestershire (d. 1752)
1784 James Henry Leigh Hunt, British writer, Hunt co-founded The Examiner, a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre of the Hampstead-based group that included William Hazlitt and Charles Lamb, known as the "Hunt circle". Hunt also introduced John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson to the public. born in Southgate, N. London (d. 1859)
1851 Empress Myeongseong, Empress of Korea (d. 1895)
1889 Uncle Art Satherley, British-American record producer (1968 Academy of Country Music Award), born in Bristol (d. 1986)
1908 Patrick Cairns "Spike" Hughes, British jazz double bassist and composer (Elegy), born in London (d. 1987)
1914 Harold Gimblett, English cricket batsman (3 Tests, 1 x 50; 265 career FC sixes; Somerset CCC), born in Bicknoller, Somerset (d. 1978)
1918 Robert Charles Evans, mountaineer/doctor, born in Liverpool (d. 1995)
1925 Francis Bernard Heptonstall better known by the stage name Bernard Hepton, was an English theatre director and actor. Best known for his stage work and television roles in teleplays and series, he also appeared briefly on radio and in film.(6 Wives of Henry VIII) Born in Bradford, W. Yorkshire (d. 2018)
1930 Thomas ap Rees, British botanist, born in Frome, England (d. 1996)
1931 John le Carré [pen name for David Cornwell], English novelist (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold), born in Poole, Dorset (d. 2020)
1937 Nicholas Palmer, television writer/producer, born in London (d. 2011)
1940 Sir Michael John Gambon CBE, Anglo/Irish actor (Singing Detective, Paris at Night) born in Dublin
1941 Simon Ward, actor (4 Musketeers, 4 Feathers), born in London (d. 2012)
1943 Robin Greville Holloway, British composer (Seascape And Harvest), born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
1946 Sir Philip Pullman, CBE, FRSL English writer born in Norwich
1949 Sir James Angus Rhoderick Neil McGrigor, 6th Baronet (born 19 October 1949) is a Scottish Conservative Party politician, who is a councillor in Argyll and Bute. He had previously been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region from 1999 until 2016. born in London.
1954 Sam Allardyce, English football manager, born in Dudley
1957 Karl Wallinger, Welsh rocker (World Party - "Give It All Away"), born in Prestatyn
1960 Dan "Woody" Woodgate, British rock drummer (Madness - "Our House"; Voice of Beehive), born in Kensington, West London
1960 Jonathan FeBland, English musician and artist, born in London
1961 David Egerton, English rugby union #8 (7 caps; Bath Rugby) and broadcaster (BBC), born in Pinner, London (d. 2021)
1968 Sinitta [Malone], British-American singer (So Macho, Toy Boy), born in Seattle, Washington

On This day in British History

1216 King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry
1682 English Lord Shaftesbury flees to Holland
1739 England declares war on Spain [OS=Oct 30]
1781 British forces under General Charles Cornwallis sign terms of surrender to George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown at 2 pm, ending the US Revolutionary War
1870 British steamship SS Cambria wrecked off the north-west of Ireland with the loss of 178 lives
1882 Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza meets Journalist and Explorer Henry Morton Stanley
1915 US bankers arrange a $500 million loan to the British and French
1932 British government signs trade agreement with Soviet Union
1944 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill flies back to London from Moscow
1954 Egypt and Great Britain sign treaty; British troops depart
2019 UK parliament votes for the Letwin amendment in a special Saturday sitting, which forces Boris Johnson to ask the EU for an extension and delays vote on his Brexit deal

Northern Ireland

1968 Derry Citizen's Action Committee, formed Oct 9, stages illegal sit-down at Guildhall Square as part of large civil disobedience campaign
1971 A group of Northern Ireland Members of Parliament begin a 48 hour hunger strike against the policy of Internment
1988 Britain bans broadcast interviews with IRA members

Scotland

1969 Scottish Matra-Ford driver Jackie Stewart finishes 4th in season ending Mexican Grand Prix to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 26 points from Jacky Ickx of Belgium

Deaths in History

727 Saint Frideswide, patron saint of Oxford, England
1216 king-john">King John of England (1199-1216), agreed to the Magna Carta, dies at 49
1432 John de Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English politician (b. 1392)
1682 Thomas Browne, English philosopher and writer (Garden of Cyrus), dies at 77
1745 Jonathan Swift, Irish author and satirist (Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal), dies at 77
1937 Betty Carver, wife of English WWII Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, dies
1957 V. Gordon Childe, British archaeologist and prehistorian, dies at 65
1993 Jack Roy Armstrong, English historian (Traditional buildings), dies at 91
2014 Lynda Bellingham, Canadian-born English actress, dies from colon cancer at 66

[Richard Frost]

Wednesday 20th October 2021

The Queen opens the Sydney Opera House. Construction had taken more than 14 years and cost more than ten times its original budget. It is now seen as one of the most distinguished buildings of the 20th century.

World Statistics Day
World Statistics Day is observed on October 20 (every five years, starting from 2010) to show the role of statistical data plays in informed decision making and thus for sustainable development.

PAVARANA DAY Buddhist [date not certain]
The last day of the Rains Retreat (the Vassa) is known as Pavarana Day or ‘Leaving the Vassa’. Pavarana means ‘to invite’ and on this day monks who have completed the Retreat invite their fellows to admonish them for any failings. It is also known as ‘Sangha Day’.

CONFERRING OF GURUSHIP ON THE GURU GRANTH SAHIB Sikh
In 1708 Guru Gobind Singh declared that, instead of having another human Guru, from now on Sikhs would regard the scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, as their Guru.

A Selection of Birthdays

1632 Christopher Wren, English astronomer and architect (St. Paul's Cathedral), born in East Knoyle, Wiltshire (d. 1723)
1660 Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven PC styled 17th Baron Willoughby de Eresby between 1666 and 1701, and known as 4th Earl of Lindsey between 1701 and 1706, and as 1st Marquess of Lindsey between 1706 and 1715, was a British statesman and nobleman. born in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire (d. 1723)
1784 Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, British Prime Minister (1855-58 and 1859-65), born in Westminster, Middlesex (Now Central London) (d. 1865)
1785 George Ormerod, English historian and antiquarian, born Manchester (d. 1873)
1788 Philip Knapton, English composer and organist (Caller Herrin), born in York (d. 1833)
1792 Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde, British army officer (Opium Wars, Sepoy-uprising), born in Glasgow, (d. 1863)
1823 Thomas Hughes, English politician and author (Tom Brown's School Days), born in Uffington, Oxfordshire (d. 1896)
1858 John Burns, English politician and trade Unionist, born in London (d. 1943)
1859 George Studd, English cricket batsman (4 Tests; Middlesex), born in Netheravon, Wiltshire (d. 1945)
1891 James Chadwick, English physicist (Nobel 1935 discovered neutron), born in Bollington, Cheshire (d. 1974)
1904 Anna Neagle, English actress (London Melody, Nurse Edith Cavell), born in London (d. 1986)
1904 Tommy Douglas, Canadian politician (Father of Medicare), born in Falkirk, Scotland (d. 1986)
1917 Ken Cranston, English cricketer/Dentist (England all-rounder captained once in 1948) born in Liverpool (d. 2007)
1924 Stanley Booth-Clibborn, British Anglican Bishop of Manchester, born in London (d. 1996)
1931 Ken Morrison, English supermarket tycoon (Morrisons), born in Bradford (d. 2017)
1934 Timothy West, English actor (Brass), born in Bradford
1937 Emma Tennant, English writer (Pemberley: or, Pride and Prejudice Continued), born in London (d. 2017)
1938 Iain Macmillan, Scottish Abbey Road photographer, born in Carnoustie (d. 2006)
1939 Raymond Jones, British keyboardist and songwriter, born in Oldham
1940 Kathy Kirby, English singer (Secret Love), born in Ilford (d. 2011)
1945 Ric Lee, English drummer (Ten Years After-Cannock, Staffs), born in Mansfield
1945 Hector the Bulldog, Warner Bros. cartoon character (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series), first debuts in "Peck Up Your Troubles"
1955 David Profumo, English novelist (Bringing the House Down), born in London
1956 Danny Boyle, English film director (Trainspotting; Slumdog Millionaire), born in Manchester
1957 Chris Cowdrey, English cricket batsman and captain (6 Tests, 3 ODIs; son of Colin), born in Farnborough, Kent
1964 Kamala Harris, American lawyer and politician (Vice President United States 2021-present; 1st African-American, Asian-American attorney general of California, born in Oakland, California
1965 Norman Blake, Scottish musician (Teenage Fanclub), born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire
1967 Susan Tulley, English actress (Michelle-EastEnders), born in London
1971 Dannii Minogue, Australian singer, sister of Kylie Minogue, born in Melbourne, Victoria
1972 Will Greenwood, English rugby union centre (55 caps England, 2 British & Irish Lions; Leicester Tigers, Harlequins), born in Blackburn
1977 Matt Jansen, English footballer, born in Carlisle
1978 Paul Wilson, Scottish bass player (Snow Patrol), born in Kinlochleven
1979 Paul Ifill, English footballer, born in Brighton
1979 Paul O'Connell, Irish rugby player and coach, born in Limerick
1980 Gary Jarman, English musician (The Cribs), born in Wakefield
1984 Andrew Trimble, Northern Irish rugby player (Irish national team), born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland
1985 James Sutton, British auto racer (Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2007), born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire

On this day in British History

1634 British King Charles I disbands new "Ship Money" tax
1714 Georg Ludwig von Hannover crowned as Britain's King George I at Westminster Abbey
1818 US and Britain agree to joint control of Oregon country
1847 12 year old English boy William Nelman poisons his grandpa with arsenic, became famous court case. The significance of this murder trial is that it began to establish precedent regarding the definition of 'insanity'.
1899 Battle at Talana Hill, Natal: British army vs Boers
1930 British White Paper restricts Jews from buying Arab land in Palestine.
1950 Nobel Prize Winning Chemist, Archer John Porter Martin and James Lovelock give the first demonstration of gas chromatography at a meeting of the Biochemical Society. The technique is rapidly adopted by the petrochemical industry.
1963 Alec Douglas-Home's Conservative Party forms British government
1972 John Betjeman is appointed British Poet Laureate by Queen Elizabeth II

Northern Ireland

1910 The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, launched from Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast
1971 Senator in the US Congress Edward Kennedy calls for a withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland and all-party negotiations to establish a United Ireland
1988 Britain ends suspects' right to remain silent in crackdown on IRA

Wedding of Interest

1943 British Children's writer Enid Blyton marries 2nd husband surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters at City of Westminster registry office, London
2006 "Liberty X" member Michelle Heaton (27) weds Pop Idol's Andy Scott-Lee (26) in Hertfordshire

Deaths in History

1640 John Ball, English Puritan clergyman and author (A Short Catechisme, containing all the Principal Grounds of Religion), dies at about 55
1713 Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician (b. 1652)
1842 Grace Darling, English heroine who saved shipwreck survivors, dies of tuberculosis at 26
1890 Richard Burton, English Geographer, explorer and translator (Arabian Nights), dies at 69
1984 Paul Dirac, Theoretical Physicist and Nobel Laureate (quantum electrodynamics, Nobel 1933), dies at 82
1988 Sheila Scott, English aviator (completes 1st round-the-world solo flight by a woman), dies at 61