Prof. Frank McDonough

@FXMC1957 • 89,397 subscribers

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

Shorts

237,887 views

Videos

sweetdream.ai

Watch Anya Live

Anya is streaming live right now! Join her private show and enjoy exclusive content.

Private Show

Join now for exclusive access

Free preview available • Premium content

872,947 views • 9 days ago

1,909,039 views • 2 months ago

1,765,217 views • 7 months ago

24,708 views • 8 days ago

246,943 views • 3 months ago

139,554 views • 2 months ago

1,607,320 views • 2 years ago

400,718 views • 9 months ago

90,193 views • 1 month ago

904,614 views • 2 years ago

899,284 views • 2 years ago

193,088 views • 5 months ago

386,618 views • 1 year ago

29,545 views • 28 days ago

151,967 views • 6 months ago

467,405 views • 2 years ago

32,811 views • 1 month ago

92,748 views • 6 months ago

56,695 views • 3 months ago

169,668 views • 1 year ago

Live Cam

Prof. Frank McDonough

Shorts

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

Videos

Watch Anya Live

31 October 1973. 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).

22 August 1962. The Beatles were filmed for the 1st time by Granada TV at the original Cavern Club in Liverpool. The filming occurred just a week after Pete Best was sacked from the group. This is the only film of The Beatles at the Cavern Club.

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.

This is what Halloween was like in the UK when I was young.

18 July 2000. 1st series of reality TV show Big Brother began on Channel 4. It followed 11 contestants isolated from the outside world. The winner was Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips who exposed Nick Bateman (“Nasty Nick”) for breaking house rules.

3 September 1939. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced on BBC radio at 11:15 AM that Germany had not responded to the British ultimatum to remove its troops from Poland and so “this country is at war with Germany”.

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

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.

13 September 1972. 1st episode of ITV crime drama series Van der Valk was broadcast. It featured a detective based in Amsterdam called Simon ("Piet") Van Der Valk, played by Barry Foster. There were 32 episodes produced, until 19 February 1992.

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.

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.

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.

12 October 1965. 1st episode of 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.

“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).

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.

25 September 1975. German techno group Kraftwerk demonstrated Autobahn's “machinemusik" on the BBC1 programme Tomorrow's World. It was the group’s 1st British TV appearance which began their huge influence on techno artists and groups around the world.

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

Kevin Keegan took part of the Be Smart, Be Safe road safety campaign in 1976.

Robert Redford (1936-2025). A famous scene from Butch Cassidy &amp; The Sundance Kid.

Robert Redford (1936-2025). A famous scene from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.