PHOTO OF THE DAY. Human-size chess game in 1924 with actual soldiers in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).📷 google images

FACT OF THE DAY. 3 October 1990. Communist East German Democratic Republic was abolished and became part of the Federal Republic of Germany thus reuniting Germany for the first time since 1945. People in Berlin celebrated. This day is now celebrated as German Unity Day.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 3 October 1929. Gustav Stresemann died (aged 51). He served as German chancellor in 1923, but as foreign minister from 1923 to 1929 he became the most influential German politician of the Weimar era. He signed the Locarno treaties and took Germany into the League of Nations.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Women street cleaners in Liverpool during WW1 (1916).📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 2 October 1869. Mohandas K Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India. He was the key advocate of non-violent resistance to British rule in India. His method of non-violent protest inspired other movements for peace, civil rights and freedom across the world.

FACT OF THE DAY. 2 October 1925. John Logie Baird, a Scottish engineer and inventor, performed the 1st test of a working TV system in his London lab where he successfully transmitted the 1st TV picture which was a greyscale image of the head of a ventriloquist’s dummy.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. The head of Statue of Liberty displayed in Paris (1878). 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 1 October 1935. Julie Andrews was born in Walton-on-Thames. She made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also starred as Maria von Trapp in the hugely popular Sound of Music. She was married to film director Blake Edwards.

FACT OF THE DAY. 1 October 1971. The world’s 1st brain-scan using Computed Tomography (CT) was performed at Atkinson Morley Hospital, Wimbledon, London. It was carried out by Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and Dr Jamie Ambrose. Sir Godfrey was subsequently awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. James Dean (died #OTD in 1955) outside his trailer during the filming of GIANT (1955). 📷 google images

FACT OF THE DAY. 30 September 1938. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to Britain from Munich and waved the worthless “Anglo-German peace agreement” in which Britain and Germany had promised “never to go to war with one another again”. He later admitted it was a huge error.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 30 September 1967. BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4 were all launched. Tony Blackburn, a former pirate Radio Caroline DJ, presented the 1st Radio 1 show. The 1st pop hit he played on his breakfast show was Flowers in the Rain by The Move.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Horrror film stars Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and Peter Cushing (1983). 📷 Terry O’Neill

PERSON OF THE DAY. 29 September 1981. Bill Shankly, Liverpool’s inspirational manager, died (aged 68). After becoming LFC manager in 1959, he transformed the club from a 2nd division side when he arrived to one of the best teams in England and Europe.

FACT OF THE DAY. 29 September 1758. Horatio Nelson, one of Britain’s most heroic naval figures, was born in Burnham Thorpe. In 1805 he was shot and killed during his greatest victory at the Battle of Trafalgar aboard his flagship HMS Victory.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. A Paris cinema in 1958. 📷 alamy images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 28 September 1865. Elizabeth Garret Anderson became the 1st resident English woman to officially qualify as a doctor. She later became the 1st woman to officially qualify as a surgeon in England.

FACT OF THE DAY. 28 September 1066. England was invaded by the Norman ruler “William the Conqueror”, who claimed the English throne. His claim derived from his familial relationship with the childless Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, who may have encouraged William’s hopes for the throne.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. A gas lamplighter in London (1935). 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 27 September 2024. Maggie Smith died (aged 89). She appeared in over 50 films including the Harry Potter series and starred in the TV drama series Downton Abbey. She won 2 Oscars for Best Actress in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress in California Suite.

FACT OF THE DAY. 27 September 1825. Britain’s 1st public railway service to use steam locomotives began with the official opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The line connected coal mining collieries near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington in County Durham.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. The 6 photos taken by Iain Macmillan for the Abbey Road album cover (1969)

PERSON OF THE DAY. 26 September 2008. Paul Newman, one of the greatest film actors, died, (aged 83). His many films include: Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, and The Sting. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Colour of Money.

FACT OF THE DAY. 26 September 1955. Frozen Birdseye Fish Fingers went on sale in Britain for the 1st time. They were made by Birds Eye at its factory in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It was thought they would give a boost to the fishing industry.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Rolling Stone, Brian Jones, in London café (1963). 📷 Terry O’Neill

PERSON OF THE DAY. 25 September 1980. Led Zeppelin star John Bonham, one of the greatest drummers in rock history, died (aged 32). His untimely death led to the break up of the group. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No 1 in its list of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.

FACT OF THE DAY. 25 September 1066. English King Harold Godwinson and his army repelled an invading Norwegian force led by King Harald Hardrada and the English king’s brother Tostig Godwinson at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. It was Harold’s last military victory.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Flare fire at night, on the Western Front, in WW1 (1917). 📷 google images

PERSON OF THE DAY. 24 September 1941. Linda McCartney (née Eastman) was born in New York City, USA. She was a talented photographer, animal rights activist and a member of the pop group Wings. She was married to former Beatle Paul McCartney from 1969 until her death in 1998.

FACT OF THE DAY. 24 September 1898. Howard Florey was born in Adelaide, Australia. He shared the Nobel Prize in 1945 with Sir Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for the development of penicillin. Florey and Chain were central as they turned penicillin from Fleming’s discovery into a drug.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. David Bowie as Aladdin Sane (1973). 📷 Brian Duffy

FACT OF THE DAY. 23 September 2000. British rower Steve Redgrave won his 5th consecutive Olympic gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He’s the most successful male rower in Olympic history and the only man to have won gold medals at 5 consecutive Olympic Games in an endurance sport.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 23 September 1949. Bruce Springsteen was BORN IN THE USA (in Long Branch, New Jersey). Nicknamed “The Boss” he has sold more than 135 million records and won 20 Grammy Awards. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: The 2 people used in American Gothic by Grant Wood stand next to the iconic painting. They were Wood’s sister, Nan Graham, and his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby (1942). 📷 Cedar Rapids Museum of Art Archives

PERSON OF THE DAY. 22 September 2022. Hilary Mantel died (aged 70). She was twice been awarded the Booker Prize, the 1st for Wolf Hall, a fictional account of Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in the court of Henry VIII and the 2nd for Bring Up the Bodies.

FACT OF THE DAY. 22 September 1735. Robert Walpole became the 1st British Prime Minister to occupy 10 Downing Street. It was originally designated as the office of First Lord of the Treasury. Despite its large size few early prime ministers lived there.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Stonehenge in the snow. 📷 Bill Brandt (1947).

PERSON OF THE DAY. 21 September 1972. Liam Gallagher (William John Paul Gallagher) was born in Manchester. He’s lead singer of Oasis and of Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014. The influence on his vocal and personal style came from John Lennon. Oasis reformed in 2024 for a World Tour.

FACT OF THE DAY. 21 September 1962. University Challenge, presented by Bamber Gascoigne, was screened on Granada TV for the 1st time. The original series ran for 913 episodes on ITV until 1987. The BBC revived the programme in 1994 with Jeremy Paxman as host.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. LIFE magazine photographer, Margaret Bourke-White, takes a photo from the 61st floor of the Chrysler Building, New York City (1934). 📷 Time magazine

PERSON OF THE DAY. 20 September 2004. Brian Clough died (aged 69). He was one of the greatest managers of all time. His top achievements were a top division league title with Derby and a league title, 2 European Cups and 4 League Cups with Nottingham Forest. His 44 days at Leeds were a failure.

FACT OF THE DAY. 20 September 1973. Billy Jean King defeated former US Open champion Bobby Riggs, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in what was billed as the “Battle-of-Sexes” Tennis match in Houston, Texas. Riggs had confidently predicted that he would win easily beforehand.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Supermodel Twiggy (1967) 📷 David Bailey

PERSON OF THE DAY. 19 September 1949. The original Super Model Twiggy (Lesley Hornby) was born in London. She was named “The Face of 1966” by the Daily Express. Her fame spread worldwide. She featured in newspapers and magazines. After modelling she had a successful career in acting and pop music.

FACT OF THE DAY. 19 September 2022. Funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II was held in Westminster Abbey, London followed by a procession to Wellington Arch where the coffin was transferred from a gun carriage to a hearse to travel to St George’s chapel, Windsor, for a private interment.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Jimi Hendrix in Montagu Place, London. 📷 David Magnus (1967).

PERSON OF THE DAY. 18 September 1709. Dr Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield. He compiled A Dictionary of the English Language. He was a devout Anglican and a committed Tory. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography described him as “the most distinguished man of letters in English history”.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 18 September 1709. Dr Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield. He compiled A Dictionary of the English Language. He was a devout Anglican and a committed Tory. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography described him as “the most distinguished man of letters in English history”.

FACT OF THE DAY. 18 September 1970. Jimi Hendrix (aged 27) died of alcohol-drug overdose, combining 2 bottles of red wine with 9 Vesparax sleeping tablets. The inquest recorded an “Open verdict”. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him the Greatest Guitarist of all time.

PHOTO OF THE DAY. Madonna's High School Yearbook photo (1972) 📷 google images