Prof Frank McDonough

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Battersea Power Station, London. 📷 Rob Baker (2013).

PERSON OF THE DAY. 3 August 1936. American sprinter Jesse Owens won the 100 metres at the Berlin Olympics. It was the first of 4 Gold Medals he won at the Berlin Games. He was credited with “single-handedly crushing Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy”.

FACT OF THE DAY. 3 August 1963. The Beatles gave their final performance at Liverpool's original Cavern Club. It was reported as the 292nd appearance by the group at the club but this has been disputed. There are only 280 documented appearances, consisting of 155 lunchtime and 125 evening shows.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Neighbours in London have a chat while wearing gas masks during the Blitz (1940). 📷google images

FACT OF THE DAY. 2 August 1934. Upon the death of President Hindenburg, Adolf Hitler amalgamated the posts of President and Chancellor to declare himself Supreme Leader (Führer) of Germany. Every German was now obliged to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler - not to the German state.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 2 August 1343. A French woman, Jeanne de Clisson, decided to become a pirate to seek revenge for the unjust execution of her husband for treason in Paris. Her crew targeted French ships in the English Channel. All crew were killed, except one, who carried her message to the King.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. A worker drinking tea on a plank, high above the Strand, London (1915). 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 1 August 1944. Anne Frank wrote the final entry in her famous diary, writing, “I get cross, then sad, and ... keep trying to find a way to become what I’d like to be and what I could be … if only there were no other people in the world.”

FACT OF THE DAY. 1 August 1944. Warsaw Uprising began. The Polish underground resistance, led by the Polish Home Army tried to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It lasted 63 days, with very little outside support from the Allies and was brutally suppressed by the German armed forces.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. A woman in New York City walking her dog in the driving rain (1957). 📷 Saul Leiter

PERSON OF THE DAY. 31 July 2012. Gore Vidal died (aged 86). His polished and erudite novels often explored the nature of corruption in public and private life and include The City and the Pillar, Julian, Myra Breckinridge, Burr and Lincoln. He was also a brilliant social and political commentator.

FACT OF THE DAY. 31 July 1970. Royal Navy ended the officially sanctioned daily rum ration for sailors, dating back to 1665. From 1850 to 1970 the ration consisted of one-8th of an imperial pint (71 ml) of rum which was given to every sailor at midday each day.

PHOTO OF THE DAY, Manchester Utd and Northern Ireland superstar George Best spotted at the 1966 World Cup Final sitting next to Mike Summerbee of Man City. 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 30 July 1898. Otto von Bismarck died (aged 83). He masterminded the unification of Germany in 1871 and served as its 1st chancellor until 1890 in which capacity he dominated European diplomacy. After his fall in 1890 German foreign policy became much more antagonistic.

FACT OF THE DAY. 30 July 1966. England beat West Germany 4-2 (after extra time) to win the FIFA Men’s World Cup Final at Wembley for the 1st and only time. Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick was the 1st scored in a Men’s World Cup Final but was equalled by Kylian Mbappé for France in the 2022 Final.

Born on 30 July: Emily Bronte (1818) author of the classic novel Wuthering Heights and Kate Bush (1958) composer of the song inspired by the novel.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Artist LS Lowry on Wellington Steps, Stockport (1962). 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 29 July 1890. Artist Vincent van Gogh (aged 37) died of a gunshot wound, self-inflicted, on 27 June 1890. He was found in his room at the Auberge Ravoux in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise in northern France. Prior to his death there had been a deterioration in his mental health.

FACT OF THE DAY. 29 July 1981. Charles, then Prince of Wales, married Lady Diana Spencer in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. It was described by the press as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". It attracted an estimated global TV audience of 750 million people.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: A George Harrison selfie at the Taj Mahal, India (1966).

PERSON OF THE DAY. 28 July 1929. Jacqueline Bouvier was born in Southampton, New York. She was wife of John F Kennedy, while he was US President from 1961 to 1963 and she ranks as one of the most popular, recognisable, and stylish First Ladies in American history.

FACT OF THE DAY. 28 July 1945. US B-25 Mitchell bomber accidentally crashed in fog into the 79th floor of Empire State Building in New York: 14 died. The accident did not compromise the building’s structural integrity but did cause damage estimated at US$1 million (equivalent to $14M today).

PHOTO OF THE DAY. The last photo of Jimi Hendrix, taken the day before he died by Monika Danneman in Notting Hill, London (1970).

PERSON OF THE DAY. 27 July 1921. Frederick Banting of the University of Toronto announced that his medical research team had proved the hormone Insulin could regulate blood sugar. It allowed DIabetes, up until then a terminal illness, to be effectively controlled.

FACT OF THE DAY. 27 July 2012. The spectacular Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics took place in the Olympic Stadium in London. It was directed by Academy Award-winning British film director, Danny Boyle. Newspaper reviews praised it as a “masterpiece” and “a love letter to Britain”.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Mick Jagger (born #OTD in 1943) and John Lennon (1968). 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 26 July 1945. Helen Mirren (Ilyena Mironov) was born in London. She was a star of the Royal Shakespeare Company before embarking on a hugely successful TV and film career. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Elizabeth II in The Queen. #80Today

FACT OF THE DAY. 26 July 1945. The results of the General Election, held on 5 July 1945, were finally declared. They revealed that the Labour Party led by Clement Attlee had won a landslide victory over Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Customers listening to new records before buying in a UK record shop (1955). 📷 google images