Prof. Frank McDonough

@FXMC1957 • 85,934 subscribers

Historian and author. I post facts that happened on This Day in History at 9:00 AM (BST). It’s a daily journey to inform, educate and entertain.

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Prof. Frank McDonough

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Can we ban that “It’s Coming Home” song now.

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10 June 1944. 642 men, women and children were murdered by the German Waffen SS in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, France. The village was never rebuilt and featured at the opening episode of the classic ITV documentary series World at War.

Blue Peter presenters: Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves reunited in 2000 to open the Blue Peter Millennium Time Capsule they had buried on 7 June 1971.

BBC Radio newsreader John Snagge gives the first news of the D-Day landing at 9:32 AM to the British public.

17 March 1999. Rod Hull died (aged 63). He always appeared with Emu, a mute and highly aggressive arm-length puppet. Hull died in a tragic accident while trying to adjust the TV aerial on the roof of his bungalow, then slipping and falling to his death.

6 June 1980. Last edition of ITV children’s show Magpie was broadcast. It was designed to compete with the BBC’s Blue Peter by being more “groovy” and focusing on popular culture. It had run since 30 July 1968 in 25 minute twice weekly episodes.

23 March 1971. Last episode of Beverly Hillbillies was broadcast on US-CBS TV. It featured the poor Clampett family from Missouri who move to Beverly Hills, California, after finding oil. There were 9 series of 274 episodes since 26 September 1962.

5 February 1976. In one of the greatest sporting moments, Austrian skier Franz Klammer produced an exceptional and exhilarating run to win the Men’s Downhill gold medal at the Innsbruck Winter Olympic Games.

Times change. In 1975 ITV’s coverage of the FA Cup Final between West Ham United and Fulham featured comedian Freddie Starr dressed as Adolf Hitler holding a tickling stick.

26 May 2014. Last episode of The Fast Show was broadcast on BBC2. The show was reliant on quick-fire fast sketches, running gags and many catchphrases. There had been 4 series, consisting of 28 episodes since 27 September 1994.

“And the sun shines now.” The moving BBC radio commentary on the Hillsborough Disaster by Peter Jones. He never recovered from the trauma of Hillsborough. On 31 March 1990 he had a stroke during University Boat Race and died 36 hours later (aged 60).

8 May 1945. 3 PM. Winston Churchill’s VE Day speech on BBC Radio.

The opening of Private Ryan recreates the American landing on Omaha Beach.

31 October 1973. The 1st episode of the 26-part classic ITV documentary series, World at War, was broadcast. It was narrated by Laurence Olivier, with music by Carl Davies. It cost £900,000 (worth £11 million today).

Richard Harris (died #OTD in 2002) tells a story about working on a London theatre productions of Macbeth with an anti-Irish leading actor.

Fascinating colour footage of the D-Day landings - 6 June 1944.

Robert Redford (died #OTD in 2025) tells Michael Parkinson the story of a practical joke he played on his friend Paul Newman’s 50th birthday.

5 May 1964. Granada TV series 7 Up was broadcast for 1st time. It follows the lives of 10 males and 4 females. There have been 9 series with one every 7 years. The last was 63 Up broadcast in 2019. A final 70 Up series will be broadcast in autumn 2026.

12 October 1965. The 1st episode of the BBC dubbed French-German series, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, was broadcast. It was much loved by its young audience. Only 13 episodes were produced, and the series ended on 4 January 1966.

20 April 1969. Final episode of ITV series Joe 90 was broadcast. It follows 9 year-old Joe McClaine who becomes a spy after his adoptive father invents a device capable of transferring expert knowledge to a human brain. There had been 30 episodes.

21 March 1981. Tom Baker made his final appearance as Doctor Who on BBC1. He had been the “Fourth Doctor” for a record 7 series beginning on 28 December 1974. He was replaced by Peter Davison.