March 2nd

National Day

• Egg McMuffin Day
• Dr. Seuss Day
• World Teen Mental Wellness Day

Birthdays

• 1947 – Harry Redknapp, English former football manager (West Ham, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur) and player, born in Poplar, East London.
• 1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American singer/songwriter (“Livin’ on a Prayer”, “You Give Love a Bad Name”), born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States.
• 1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor (Layer Cake, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre), born in Chester, Cheshire.
• 1977 – Chris Martin, English singer/songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of
• Coldplay (“Viva La Vida”, “Yellow”), born in Whitestone, Devon.
• 1988 – James Arthur, English singer and songwriter (“Say You Won’t Let Go”) who won the ninth
• series of The X Factor in 2012, born in Middlesbrough.

On This Day

• 1958 – A British team, led by explorer Vivian Fuchs, completed the first crossing of the Antarctic. His 12-man party endured severe hardships to travel the 2,500 from the Filchner Ice Shelf to McMurdo Sound in just 99 days.
• 1969 – The maiden flight of Concorde, the Anglo-French supersonic airline. The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes.
• 2001 – Joanne Kathleen Rowling (J. K. Rowling), author of Harry Potter, received an OBE from HRH Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.

Music

• 1967 – Engelbert Humperdinck was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Release Me.’ The singers first of two number 1’s, the song spent six weeks at the top of the chart and a record fifty six weeks on the chart.
• 1996 – Oasis scored their second UK No.1 single when ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ went to No.1. From the bands ‘What’s The Story Morning Glory’ album it was the first Oasis single to feature Noel on lead vocals instead of his brother, Liam Gallagher.
• 2005 – Christina Aguilera started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Linda Perry written and produced song ‘Beautiful’. The singers fourth UK No.1 which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Also on this day… Norah Jones started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut album ‘Come Away With Me’. The album spent over a year on the chart and was also a US No.1.
• 2008 – Three months after its initial release, the deluxe edition of Amy Winehouse’s Grammy Award-winning album ‘Back to Black’ went to No.1 on the UK album chart.

History

• 1484 – The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.
• 1545 – The birth of Sir Thomas Bodley, English diplomat, scholar and founder of the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is second only in size to the British Library.
• 1797 – The Bank of England printed the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
• 1807 – William Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of Portland becomes British Prime Minister for the second time after the fall of William Grenville’s Whig government.
• 1882 – An unsuccessful attempt was made by Scotsman Roderick Maclean to assassinate Queen Victoria. As she was leaving Windsor railway station he stepped forward from the cheering crowd, lifted a revolver and fired into her carriage. Before a second shot could be fired, he was overpowered by the crowd and arrested by Superintendent Hayes. Remaining calm, the Queen and her companions rode on to Windsor Castle.