On This Day: January 24

On This Day January 24

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1917 – Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine (“Marty,” “McHale’s Navy,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Gattaca”) (d. 2012)

1941 – Grammy-winning singer Aaron Neville, formerly of The Neville Brothers (“Tell It Like It Is,” “Don’t Know Much”)

1941 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Diamond (“Cherry, Cherry,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Holly Holy,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue”)

1947 – Rock singer-songwriter Warren Zevon (“Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”) (d. 2003)

1949 – Actor-comedian John Belushi (“Saturday Night Live,” “Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers”) (d. 1982)

1951 – Comedian Yakov Smirnoff

1961 – Actress Nastassja Kinski (“Tess,” “Cat People,” “Paris, Texas”)

1968 – Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton 

1974 – Actor Ed Helms (“The Daily Show,” “The Office,” “The Hangover” movie series)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1935 – The first canned beer goes on sale. In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivers 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Virginia

1965 – Sir Winston Churchill, the British leader who guided Great Britain and the Allies through the crisis of World War II, dies in London at the age of 90.

1972 – After 28 years of hiding in the jungles of Guam, local hunters discover 57-year-old Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who was unaware that World War II had ended. 

1984 – The first Apple Macintosh computer goes on sale two days after it was announced to the world in a dramatic TV commercial, directed by legendary film director Ridley Scott, that was broadcast during Super Bowl XVIII. This spot launched the tradition of specially produced, high-dollar commercials airing during the Super Bowl.

2006 – The Walt Disney Company announces plans to purchase computer animation giant Pixar for $7.4 billion.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1962 – Brian Epstein signs a five-year management deal with The Beatles that stipulates that he receive 25 percent of the band’s gross earnings at a time when the normal management deal was 10 percent.

1970 – “Randrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” by B. J. Thomas, marks its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single. 

1976 – “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),” by Diana Ross, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

1979 – The Clash release their first single in the U.S., “I Fought The Law.” The song was originally written in 1958 by Sonny Curtis, formerly a member of Buddy Holly’s band, The Crickets.

1981 – John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” wraps up five weeks on top of the pop chart. The track is from “Double Fantasy,” the last album Lennon produced before his murder.

1998 – “Truly Madly Deeply,” by Australian pop band Savage Garden, marks its second and final week as a No. 1 single.

2004 – OutKast holds the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hey Ya!”

2009 – “Just Dance,” by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis, is in the middle of a three-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart. The song garners a Best Dance Recording Grammy nomination.

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On This Day: January 9

On This Day January 9

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1913 – Richard Nixon, 37th U.S. president (d. 1994)

1935 – Actor Bob Denver, best known for his starring role in “Gilligan’s Island” (d. 2005)

1941 – Folk singer, songwriter and activist Joan Baez 

1944 – Led Zeppelin founder and guitarist Jimmy Page

1951 – Grammy-winning country singer Crystal Gayle (“Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue”)

1955 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor J.K. Simmons, born Jonathan Kimble Simmons (“Oz,” “Law & Order,” “Juno,” “The Closer,” “Spider-Man,” “Whiplash,” “The Accountant”)

1967 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and actor Dave Matthews (“Ants Marching,” “So Much to Say,” “Crash Into Me,” “Satellite”)

1982 – Kate (Catherine) Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge

History Highlights
History Highlights

1768 – Englishman Philip Astley stages the first modern circus in London, drawing up a ring and inviting the public to see him on a horse waving a sword in the air while he rode with one foot on the saddle and one on the horse’s head.

1951 – The United Nations headquarters officially opens in New York City along the East River in Manhattan. 

1965 – “Goldfinger,” starring Sean Connery as British secret agent James Bond (007), opens in movie theaters across the U.S. It is the third installment in the James Bond franchise, but the first to become a blockbuster and capture an Oscar.

1972 – Fire breaks out aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth in Hong Kong Victoria Harbor during a project to convert the luxury liner into a floating school and the vessel capsizes. 

2007 – “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.” With those words, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the iPhone at the Macworld convention in San Francisco, calling the device “a revolutionary mobile phone” and “Internet communicator.”

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1961 – “Wonderland by Night,” by Bert Kaempfert, begins three weeks on top of the singles chart.

1968 – Elvis Presley’s “Guitar Man,” from the “Clambake” movie soundtrack, is released. The song eventually reaches No. 1 on the country chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1971 – George Harrison is mid-way through a four-week domination of the singles chart with “My Sweet Lord.” It’s Harrison’s first hit as a solo act following the breakup of The Beatles.

1981 – One month after his murder, ex-Beatle John Lennon is at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart with “Double Fantasy.” The album, which he co-produced with wife Yoko Ono, spends eight weeks on top of the album chart and captures Album of the Year honors at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards.

1988 – Whitney Houston scores her sixth consecutive chart-topping single with “So Emotional,” off her “Whitney” album.

1999 – The Céline Dion-R. Kelly duet, “I’m Your Angel,” begins its sixth and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

2010 – Kesha is in the middle of a nine-week domination of the singles chart with “Tik Tok.”

2016 – “Hello,” by Adele, is in its ninth week as a No. 1 single. The track holds the top spot for a total of 10 weeks and goes on to capture Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance Grammys.

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