On This Day December 28 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1856 – 28th U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (d. 1924) 1922 – Legendary Marvel Comics writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee, who co-created such iconic characters as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther and the Fantastic Four (d. 2018) 1932 – Actress Nichelle Nichols, best known as Lieutenant Uhura from the “Star Trek” TV series and movies (d. 2022) 1934 – Actress Dame Maggie Smith, who plays Professor McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” movie series 1954 – Oscar, Golden Globe and Tony-winning actor-director-producer Denzel Washington (“St. Elsewhere,” “Glory,” “Malcolm X,” “Training Day,” “Antwone Fisher,” “American Gangster,” “Unstoppable,” “Flight,” “The Equalizer,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Fences”) 1973 – Emmy-winning actor-comedian-writer-TV host Seth Meyers (“Saturday Night Live,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers”) 1978 – Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning singer-songwriter and actor John Legend (“Ordinary People,” “All of Me,” “Glory”) History Highlights 1895 – The world’s first commercial movie screening takes place at the Salon Indien of the Grand Cafe in Paris. Guests pay one franc to watch 10 short films produced by siblings Louis and Auguste Lumiere, who developed a camera-projector called the Cinematographe. 1938 – Silent-film star Florence Lawrence commits suicide in Beverly Hills at the age of 52. Though best known for roles in nearly 250 films, Lawrence also invented the first “auto signaling arm,” a mechanical turn signal, along with the first mechanical brake signal. However, because she never patented them, she never received credit for or profit from either one. 1945 – Congress officially recognizes the Pledge of Allegiance. The words “under God” were added in 1954 in response to the anti-Communist (and thus anti-atheist) opinion sweeping the U.S. during the Cold War. 1958 – Known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” the Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants at New York’s Yankee Stadium in the first National Football League (NFL) sudden death overtime playoff game 1981 – The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, is born in Norfolk, Virginia. Musical Milestones 1959 – “Why,” by teen idol Frankie Avalon, becomes the last No. 1 single of the 1950s. It holds the top spot for a week. 1968 – The Beatles land on top of the Billboard album chart with their self-titled “The Beatles,” better known as “The White Album” — produced while the band was falling apart. It becomes their 12th chart-topping album. 1968 – Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” is in the midst of a seven-week ride atop the Billboard Hot 100. The track is the Motown legend’s first No. 1 hit and the label’s best-selling single of the 60s. 1974 – Helen Reddy dominates the Billboard Hot 100 with “Angie Baby,” one of her best-selling singles. The track was written by Alan O’Day, most recognized for his 1977 smash “Undercover Angel.” 1983 – Dennis Wilson, the only real surfer in the band The Beach Boys, drowns at the age of 39 after a day of drinking and diving off Marina del Ray, California. 1985 – “Say You, Say Me,” by Lionel Richie, is midway through a four-week ride on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 1996 – Toni Braxton dominates the Billboard Hot 100 with “Un-Break My Heart,” which remains a No. 1 single for 11 weeks. 2002 – Eminem rolls into an eighth week on top of the singles chart with “Lose Yourself,” which becomes the last No. 1 hit of 2002 and the first of 2003. It remains a chart-topper for a total of 12 weeks. READ MORE
On this Day July 9 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1938 – Tony and Golden Globe-winning actor Brian Dennehy (“Silverado,” “Cocoon,” “F/X,” “Presumed Innocent,” “Death of a Salesman”) (d. 2020) 1942 – Actor Richard Roundtree, best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 movie “Shaft” and its two sequels 1947 – NFL Hall of Famer and actor O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted in 1995 in a high-profile trial on charges that he murdered his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman 1951 – Oscar-winning actor Chris Cooper (“Lone Star,” “American Beauty,” “The Bourne Identity,” “Syriana,” “Adaptation”) 1952 – Former “Entertainment Tonight” host-turned-musician John Tesh 1955 – Actor Jimmy Smits (“LA Law,” “NYPD Blue”) 1956 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor-producer Tom Hanks (“Big,” “Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump,” “Apollo 13,” “Cast Away,” “Toy Story” animated film series) 1957 – Actress Kelly McGillis (“Witness,” “Top Gun”) 1964 – Rock musician-actress Courtney Love, born Courtney Michelle Harrison, widow of grunge legend Kurt Cobain 1976 – Actor-director Fred Savage, best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the ABC series “The Wonder Years” History Highlights 1777 – New York elects its first governor, Brigadier General George Clinton, who becomes not only the longest serving New York governor, but longest serving governor in the U.S. In 1805, he is elected vice president, serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, until his death in 1812. 1877 – The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club begins its first lawn tennis tournament at Wimbledon, then a suburb of London. Twenty-one amateurs show up to compete in the Gentlemen’s Singles tournament — the only event at that time. 1941 – British cryptologists break the secret Enigma code used by the German army to direct ground-to-air operations on Europe’s Eastern front. 1948 – Leroy “Satchel” Paige is 42 years old when he pitches two innings for the Cleveland Indians in his debut with the newly–and barely–integrated American League. The game comes 21 years after the great pitcher’s first Negro League appearance. 1968 – Sports history is made in Houston as the first All-Star game played indoors and on artificial turf gets underway in the Astrodome. The National League wins and Willie Mays is declared MVP. 1971 – President Richard Nixon’s National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, makes a secret trip to the People’s Republic of China to negotiate a detente between the U.S. and China. 1974 – Former U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren, who headed the commission that investigated the JFK assassination, dies in Washington, D.C. at the age of 83. 1999 – The teen sex comedy “American Pie,” starring Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan, opens and becomes a box office sensation, spawning an empire of sequels and direct-to-DVD spin-offs. 2000 – Venus Williams wins at Wimbledon for the first time, becoming the first female African American Wimbledon champion since Althea Gibson won back-to-back titles in 1957 and 1958. Musical Milestones 1955 – “Rock Around the Clock,” by Bill Haley & His Comets, becomes the first rock ‘n’ roll record to reach No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart, known then as Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart. The single spends eight weeks on top. 1958 – Johnny Cash signs with Columbia Records, where he remains for the next 30 years, releasing more than 60 albums. 1962 – Bob Dylan records the legendary protest song, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” for his second album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” Hundreds of artists have recorded the song over the years, with Peter, Paul & Mary achieving the most commercially successful version. In 1994, the track is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 1977 – Songwriter-turned-singer Alan O’Day has the hottest single with “Undercover Angel.” 1983 – The Police have a No. 1 hit for eight weeks with “Every Breath You Take,” the first single released from “Synchronicity” — the band’s most successful and last studio album. 1988 – Cheap Trick’s “The Flame” burns bright for two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. 1994 – “I Swear,” by All-4-One, is in the midst of 11 weeks as a Billboard chart-topper. Earlier that same year, the original recording of that song was a No. 1 country hit for John Michael Montgomery. 2005 – Mariah Carey returns to the top of the pop chart with “We Belong Together,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 until Carrie Underwood bumped it for a week with “Inside Your Heaven.” Carey’s hit reigns for 10 more weeks. READ MORE