3 April 2026
► EVENTS on 3 APRIL;
On this day in 1888 in Whitechapel, London, England – The first of eleven brutal murders of women was committed. The murderer, nick-named Jack The Ripper, was never identified.
1897, Western Tasmania – The last spike was driven in the construction of the original Abt railway between Queenstown and Strahan. The railway was used to carry copper ore for shipment from Strahan, as well as passengers, but closed in 1963.
The rails were pulled up, the locomotives and rolling stock were sold and the formation left to nature. The line was rebuilt in the late 1990s for tourism purposes, and renamed the West Coast Wilderness Railway..
1929, Launceston and North-East Tasmania – Heavy rainfall commenced, which led to unprecedented flooding in the region over the next few days.
1954, Canberra – Vladimir Petrov, third secretary at the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, defected from the Soviet Union and requested political asylum in Australia. A diplomatic furore, to be known as the Petrov Affair, erupted after his wife, Evdokia, was seized from Russian agents by Australian police at Darwin airport, whilst she was being escorted back to Russia.
1982, Britain sent a naval task force to the South Atlantic to reclaim the Falkland Islands from invading Argentinian troops. A brief, but bitter war ensued.
► ARRIVALS ON THIS DATE
1922, Cincinnatti, Ohio, U.S.A.: Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff alias Doris Day, singer, actress, and outspoken animal rights activist. She began her career her late teens as a big band singer, and in 1945 had her first hit recording with Sentimental Journey.
In 1948, Doris appeared in her first film, Romance On The High Seas. She since appeared in 39 films, and recorded over 650 songs. She died in 2019.
1928, Shelby, North Carolina, U.S.A.: Don Gibson, songwriter, singer and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, who had a string of country hits from the late 50s into the early 1970s. He died 2003.
1941, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A: Jan Berry, who, with Dean Torrence, was part of the duo Jan & Dean, which pioneered the California surf pop music style adopted later by the Beach Boys. He died 2004.
1942, Norfolk, Virginia U.S.A.: Wayne Newton, singer and entertainer who has performed over 30,000 shows in Las Vegas over 40 years. His hits include Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast and Red Roses For A Blue Lady (1965), but is best known for his signature song, Danke Schoen.
1942, Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.A.: Billy Joe Royal, singer and entertainer best known for his 1965 Top 10 hit Down In The Boondocks He died in 2015.
1944, New York U.S.A.: Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis alias Tony Orlando, singer and entertainer best known for his work with the group Dawn in the early 1970s. One of the best known is Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree.
Today’s photo: Morning fog in the Derwent Valley. [J Kingshott]
Today’s Playlist
| TRACK | RELEASE YEAR | PLAY TIME | LAST PLAYED |
| Gregory M Dillon – Your Battery’s Low | 2026 | 09:05 | – |
| 70s Classic Pilot – January | 1975 | 09:10 | 20/7/2025 |
| Tres Chic – On The Wings Of A Nightingale | 2026 | 09:13 | 29/3/2026 |
| Comfort Zone –Well Known Artists and Songs + Kamahl – You’ve Got To Learn | 09:19 | 25/8/2019 | |
| + Vic Damone & Nelson Riddle Orchestra – Games That Lovers Play | 09:22 | 28/1/2024 | |
| Chillin – Let It In | 2026 | 09:26 | – |
| Romantic Strings Orchestra – And I Love You So | 09:31 | – | |
| Shelley Minson – Dance When The Music Plays | 2026 | 09:36 | – |
| Ray Conniff Singers – Yesterday | 09:41 | – | |
| For a Listener Merle Haggard – Mama’s Hungry Eyes | 09:45 | – | |
| Diamond 45s – Charting on this day 1966 Patsy Cline – Seven Lonely Days | 1966 | 09:49 | 3/3/2017 |
| Diamond 45s – Charting on this day 1966 Lou Christie – Lightnin’ Strikes | 1966 | 09:51 | 19/2/2023 |
| Kerri Perrett – White Crosses And The Rose | 09:55 | 23/5/2025 | |
| Mrs Mills – Shine On Harvest Moon | 09:58 | 28/12/2025 | |
| Jonathan King – Everyone’s Gone To The Moon | 1965 | 10:05 | 5/9/2025 |
| Allan Caswell – Swing The Blues | 2026 | 10:10 | – |
| Roseann Sureda – Back To My Heart | 2026 | 10:13 | – |
| Band Of Rain – I Love You Whatever | 2026 | 10:18 | – |
| Vintage Vinyl Doris Day – The Black Hills of Dakota From the 1953 musical film Calamity Jane | 1953 | 10:25 | 1/8/2025 |
| Don Gibson – Country Green | 10:29 | – | |
| Jan & Dean – New Girl In School | 1964 | 10:32 | 12/4/2024 |
| Dresden Philharmonic – Thunder and Lightning Polka | 10:37 | 18/2/2022 | |
| Wayne Newton – The Tip Of My Fingers | 1968 | 10:41 | – |
| Billie Jo Royal – Hush | 1967 | 10:44 | – |
| Tony Orlando – Halfway To Paradise | 1961 | 10:48 | 13/3/2020 |
| Toni West – Your Days Are Numbered | 2026 | 10:51 | 29/3/2026 |
| For a Listener ABBA – Fernando | 10:55 | 2/1/2026 | |
| Ramona Bruins – Happiness For Free | 2026 | 11:05 | – |
| Country Road – Old style country songs + Chris Strohfeld – G’Day Blue | 2018 | 11:10 | 18/10/2019 |
| + Reg Lindsay – Country Music Hall of Fame | 11:13 | – | |
| For a Listener Peter Sarstedt – Where Do You Go To | 1969 | 11:21 | 2/6/2024 |
| Vintage Vinyl Everly Brothers – Devoted To You | 1958 | 11:27 | 13/7/2025 |
| Johnny Gregory & His Orchestra – Chariots Of Fire | 11:32 | – | |
| Diamond 45s – Charting on this day 1966 Hermans Hermits – Listen People | 1966 | 11:37 | 25/3/2022 |
| Diamond 45s – Charting on this day 1966 Barbra Streisand – Second Hand Rose | 1966 | 11:39 | 24/4/2020 |
| Nancy Sinatra – Flowers On The Wall | 11:43 | – | |
| Gary R Farmer – South Of The Border | 2026 | 11:46 | 27/2/2026 |
| Foster & Allen – Mockingbird Hill | 11:51 | – | |
| Aaron Michaels – This Small Town | 2026 | 11:54 | – |