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March 25th
1306 - Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at Scone. 1609 - English navigator Henry Hudson set off on his third and final attempt to find the Nort-West passage to the spice islands of the east. 1634 - On this date in 1634, the first colonists to Maryland arrived at St. Clement's Island on Maryland's western shore and founded the settlement of St. Mary's. In 1632, King Charles I of England granted a charter to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, yielding him proprietary rights to a region east of the Potomac River in exchange for a share of the income derived from the land. The territory was named Maryland in honour of Henrietta Maria, the queen consort of Charles I. Before settlement began, George Calvert died and was succeeded by his son Cecilius, who sought to establish Maryland as a haven for Roman Catholics persecuted in England. In March 1634, the first English settlers, a carefully selected group of Catholics and Protestants, arrived at St. Clement's Island aboard the Ark and the Dove. Religious conflict was strong in ensuing years as the American Puritans, growing more numerous in Maryland and supported by Puritans in England, set out to revoke the religious freedoms guaranteed in the founding of the colony. In 1649, Maryland Governor William Stone responded by passing an act ensuring religious liberty and justice to all who believed in Jesus Christ. In 1654, however, the so-called Toleration Act was repealed after Puritans seized control of the colony, leading to a brief civil war that ended with Lord Baltimore losing control of propriety rights over Maryland in March 1655. Although the Calverts later regained control of Maryland, anti-Catholic activity persisted until the 19th century, when many Catholic immigrants to America chose Baltimore as their home and helped enact laws to protect their free practice of religion. 1807 - After a campaign by William Wilberforce and the Quakers, the British parliament voted to abolish the slave trade - and charged the Navy with enforcing its decision. 1807 - The world's first ever railway passengers were a bunch of oyster fans who travelled from Swansea to Mumbles in a horse drawn converted truck along a specially-laid iron track. 1867 - Born this day, Arturo Toscanini, symphony conductor. 1867 - Born this day, Gutzon Borglum, Mount Rushmore sculptor. 1881 - Born this day, Bela Bartok, composer. 1896 - The first modern Olympic Games began in Greece on this day. 1901 - The first diesel motor went on sale in Britain. 1908 - Born this day, David Lean, film director. 1909 - Died this day, Anna Sewell, author, whose works include Black Beauty. 1911 - 147 people died when they were trapped by a fire that swept through the Triangle Shirt Waist factory in New York City. 1918 - Died this day, Claude Debussy, French composer. 1920 - Born this day, Howard Cosell, sports commentator. 1921 - Born this day, Simone Signoret, French actress. 1922 - Born this day, Eileen Ford, head of the Ford Modeling Agency. 1924 - Born this day, Bonnie Guitar, singer (Dark Moon). 1925 - King George of Greece was deposed and the country proclaimed a republic. 1925 - Born this day, Flannery O'Conner, writer, in Savannah, Georgia. 1928 - Born this day, James Lovell, astronaut. 1934 - Born this day, Johnny Burnette, singer, 1961 UK No.3 and US No.8 single Your Sixteen. Died 1 August 1964, in a boating accident on Clear Lake, California. 1935 - Born this day, Gloria Steinem, feminist writer, publisher. 1938 - Born this day, Hoyt Axton, US singer, songwriter, actor, wrote for Three Dog Night, John Denver, Ringo Starr, Glen Campbell. His mother Mae wrote Heartbreak Hotel. 1940 - Born this day, Anita Bryant, former Miss America, singer (Paper Roses). 1942 - Born this day, Aretha Franklin, soul singer, born in Memphis, Tennessee. 1967 US No.1 and UK No.10 single Respect, 1968 UK No.4 single I Say A Little Prayer and 1987 UK No.1 single with George Michael I Knew You Were Waiting, plus over 15 other UK top 40 hits. 1942 - Born this day, Richard O'Brien, actor, writer, TV presenter (Crystal Maze, Rocky Horror creator). 1943 - Born this day, Paul Michael Glaser, actor, director (Starsky and Hutch). 1944 - On this day, RAF Lancaster tail gunner Sergeant Nickolas Alkemade jumped from a blazing aircraft at 18,000ft without a parachute and survived a landing in trees and deep snow. 1944 - Born this day, Frank Oz, muppeteer, film director. 1947 - Born this day, Sir Elton John [Reginald Kenneth Dwight], born in Pinner, Middlesex, England. Started his career in 1964, as a weekend pub pianist at the Northwood Hills Hotel for £1 a night. Elton teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967. Bernie used to send the lyrics by post and the two didn't meet until after they had written 20 songs. The pair signed to Dick James music as staff writers, being paid £10 a week. Elton's first single I've Been Loving You To Long was released by Phillips in 1968, it didn't chart. In 1997, Bernie and Elton recorded a new version of Candle In The Wind. Elton performed the song live at Diana Princess of Wales funeral. A record 31.5 million TV viewers across the UK watched Elton play the special tribute to Diana. It went on to become the biggest selling single of all time. The 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboys became the first album ever to debut at No.1 on the US chart. In 2000, Sir Elton stormed out of the opening of his new Broadway musical show, Aida, complaining that his songs had been ruined. After Jimmy Helms pulled out of a gig at Shoreditch College in 1977, the members of the social committee decided to call upon famous local Elton John who lived up the road and ask if he would perform. He did the gig for two bottles of wine. The singer has scored over 60 UK top 40 singles and 8 US No.1 singles. Sir Elton had a pacemaker fitted during an operation at a London hospital during 1999. In the same year The Sunday Times Rich List reported that Elton was worth £160 million. 1947 - Born this day, Duncan Browne, UK singer, songwriter, 1972 UK No.23 single Journey. Died 28 May 1993. 1947 - A mine explosion in Centralia, Illinois, killed 111 men, most of them asphyxiated by gas. 1947 - Born this day, Jack Hall, Charlie Daniels Band, 1979 US No.3 and UK No.14 single The Devil Went Down To Georgia. 1948 - Born this day, Bonnie Bedelia, actress. 1949 - Born this day, Neil Jones, Amen Corner, 1969 UK No.1 single If Paradise Is Half As Nice. 1949 - Born this day, Nick Lowe, Brinsley Schwarz, Rockpile, solo, producer, 1978 UK No.7 single I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass. 1949 - Laurence Olivier's Hamlet won five Oscars at the same time, becoming the first British film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. 1951 - Born this day, Maisie Williams, Boney M, 1978 UK No.1 and US No.30 single Rivers of Babylon. 1953 - The Queen Mother's grandmother, Queen Mary, widow of George V, died in her sleep at Marlborough House. A tall, regal figure, she was instantly recognisable by her dress style which remained unchanged for 50 years. Her jewelled toques sat on top of tightly packed curls. She wore the same style of coat and carried a silver topped cane. 1954 - Commercial television passed approval discussions in the House of Commons. 1954 - The Radio Corporation of America began commercial production of colour (color) television sets. 1954 - Audrey Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday. 1957 - The European Common Market was formed, incorporating France, West Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Belgium and Holland. 1958 - Having been sworn in as Private 53310761 the previous day Elvis Presley received the regulation short back and sides haircut from army barber James Peterson. Presley would earn $78 per month as an army private. 1960 - Roy Orbison recorded Only The Lonely. 1960 - Tom Pillibi by Jacqueline Boyer (music by André Popp, text by Pierre Cour) won the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 for France. 1960 - Born this day, Steve Norman, guitar, sax, Spandau Ballet, 1983 UK No.1 and US No.4 single True, plus 16 other UK top 40 singles. 1961 - Elvis Presley appeared in concert for the last time in eight years. It was at a benefit for the USS Arizona memorial in Hawaii. 1964 - Disney's The Misadventures of Merlin Jones with Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello opened in US theatres. 1964 - The Beatles made their debut on UK TV show Top Of The Pops singing Can't Buy Me Love. 
1965 - Born this day, Sarah Jessica Parker, actress. 1965 - Appearing at The Odeon Cinema, Stockton, Cleveland, were Bobby Vee, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Heinz and The Zombies. 1966 - Born this day, Jeff Healey, Canadian guitarist, singer, blind from the age of one. Plays the guitar on his lap. 1966 - The Beatles posed with mutilated dolls and butchered met for the cover of Yesterday and Today. After an outcry, the album was pulled from shops for a change of cover. 1967 - Somethin' Stupid by Frank and Nancy Sinatra entered the Billboard chart (it eventually reached No.1). 1967 - The Turtles' Happy Together hit No.1 on the US pop charts. 1967 - The Who made their US concert debut in New York as part of a rock & roll extravaganza promoted by DJ Murray the K. 1967 - Born this day, Debi Thomas, Olympic silver medalist figure skater. 1968 - The 58th and final episode of The Monkees TV series was broadcast in the US. 1969 - Roy Orbison married German born Barbara Wellhonen. 1969 - Born this day, Cathy Dennis, singer, 1991 US No.2 and UK No.5 single Touch Me All Night Long. 1969 - John and Yoko started their 'bed-in' at The Amsterdam Hilton hotel. 1969 - Died this day, Billy Cotton, bandleader, aged 69. 1971 - Born this day, Michael McKeegan, bass, Therapy?, 1993 UK No.9 single Screamager. 1972 - America started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with their debut hit Horse With No Name, it made No.3 in the UK. The group scored eight other US top 40 hits during the 70's. 1972 - Lindisfarne started a four week run at No.1 on the UK chart with their debut album Fog On The Tyne. 1972 - Roberta Flack started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with First Take. 1973 - Appearing at Wembley Empire Pool, were Slade supported by Home. Two shows, 2pm and 7pm, tickets were £1.50. 1974 - Born this day, Finley Quaye, singer, 1997 UK single Even After All. 1998 Brit award for best male solo artist. 1975 - Born this day, Melanie Blatt, singer, All Saints, 1998 UK No.1 and US No.4 single Never Ever. 1975 - King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot to death by a deranged nephew in his palace in Riyadh. 1976 - Phyllis Major, wife of US singer, songwriter Jackson Browne, committed suicide. 1977 - Elvis Costello released his debut single Less Than Zero, it didn't make the Top 40. 1978 - Born this day, Bill Kenny, lead singer of The Ink Spots. UK No.10 single Melody Of Love. 1978 - 20 Golden Greats by Buddy Holly and The Crickets went to No.1 on the UK album chart, giving Holly his first ever No.1 LP almost 20 years since his first release in 1959. 1985 - Sally Field declared 'You like me' after winning her second Oscar for Places of the Heart. 1986 - Guns N' Roses signed a world-wide deal with Geffen Records. 1989 - Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Anything For You. 1989 - Madonna had her sixth UK No.1 with Like A Prayer. Also No.1 in the US. 1989 - Mike And The Mechanics went to No.1 on the US singles chart with The Living Years, it made No.2 in the UK. 1989 - The Oxford and Cambridge boat race crews both had women coxes for the first time. Oxford won. 1990 - Motley Crue's Tommy Lee was arrested for mooning at the audience during a gig in Augusta. Lee was charged with indecent exposure. 1990 - An arson fire swept an overcrowded, illegal Bronx social club, killing 87 people in the worst mass slaying in US history and the deadliest New York blaze since the Triangle Shirt Waist factory disaster exactly 79 years earlier. Julio Gonzalez, 36, was charged with arson and murder. 1991 - Sophia Loren was given an honorary award by the Oscar academy. 1991 - Michael Jackson escorted Madonna to the Academy Awards. 1992 - The humourous magazine Punch, was to close because of falling sales. 1992 - In a further sign of the capitalist revolution, veterans of the former Soviet KGB announced plans to sell cloak-and-dagger tales to Hollywood for movies and TV. 1993 - Four of the five suspects arrested in the World Trade Center bombing pleaded innocent in a Manhattan federal court. A fifth suspect did not enter a plea. 1993 - This day saw Barbara Harmer at the controls of Concorde. The first woman to pilot the Concorde. 1994 - The last US soldiers left Mogadishu, Somalia, although a handful remained behind to protect US diplomats and to provide support for United Nations (UN) peacekeepers. 1994 - Tax returns made public by the Clintons showed they'd lost $46,635 dollars on their Whitewater investment, which was less than they'd previously claimed ($68,800). 1995 - Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder was rescued after a riptide carried him 250 feet offshore in New Zealand. 1995 - The charity record Love Can Build A Bridge featuring Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton went to No.1 on the UK singles chart for one week. 1996 - Oscar winners from the 68th awards, held this day at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, included Mel Gibson and Susan Sarandon. The film Braveheart won the Best Film Oscar. Nicolas Cage was named as best actor for Leaving Las Vegas, Susan Sarandon was best actress for Dead Man Walking and the supporting winners were Kevin Spacey for The Usual Suspects and Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite. Kirk Douglas, aged 79, received an Honourary Oscar. Another special award went to legendary animator Chuck Jones. The Oscar for Best Director went to Mel Gibson for Braveheart. Emma Thompson became the first person to win Oscars for both acting and writing, when she won the award for the Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. Braveheart also won for Cinematography - John Toll, and Sound Effects Editing - Lon Bender and Per Hallberg. 1996 - The FBI surrounded the Montana compound of a tax-evading group called the Freemen, beginning a lengthy standoff. 1997 - Chinese Premiere Li Peng, during a meeting in Beijing with Vice President Al Gore, denied reports that China had funneled campaign cash to the Clinton-Gore campaign. 1997 - The British film The English Patient won nine Oscars at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. 1997 - This day in 1997 saw the Vatican launch its own website. 1998 - The first known physician-assisted suicide to be legal under Oregon state law was reported by the group Compassion In Dying. 2000 - Politicians in Dublin acted swiftly to seize on the positive aspects of David Trimble's Ulster Unionist leadeship vote win. 2000 - Former Bay City Rollers drummer Derek Longmuir was given 300 hours community service after being caught with a hoard of child pornography. 2001 - Shaggy went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Angel. 2001 - Comedienne Marti Caine was honoured this day with a blue plaque at the BBC's television centre. The star who died in 1995 of cancer, was remembered along with Yes, Minister actor Paul Edington and Willie Rushton. The blue plaques were presented by the Comic Heritage which raises cash for charity. 2001 - Gladiator won the best picture Oscar at the Academy Awards. Bob Dylan won the Best Original Song Academy Award for Things Have Changed from the movie Wonder Boys. 2002 - A massive earthquake devastated rural areas of Afghanistan. The quake, with a 6.1 magnitude, killed at least 600 and officials said the death toll could be twice that. 2002 - Consignia's new chief announced a fresh round of postal job cuts, bringing the total to 15,000. 2002 - Bono made an appearance at the air rage trial of REM's Peter Buck telling the court, 'I came to court because Peter is actually famously known for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match'. 2002 - So Solid Crew singer Asher D was jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of carrying a loaded gun. The 19 year-old singer claimed he bought the gun for his own safety after being constantly threatened by thugs who were jealous of his fame. 2003 - Two British soldiers died in a 'friendly fire' incident near Basra. |
Trivia
Trivia - petty details or considerations, matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.
Trivial - of very little importance or value; insignificant: "Don't bother me with trivial matters." Trivially - unimportant, nugatory, slight, immaterial, inconsequential, frivolous, trifling.