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On this Day August 8

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Celebrity Birthdays

1932 – Country Music Hall of Famer Mel Tillis (“I Ain’t Never,” “Good Woman Blues,” “Coca-Cola Cowboy”) (d. 2017)

1937 – Oscar and Emmy-winning actor Dustin Hoffman (“The Graduate,” “Midnight Cowboy,” Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Tootsie,” “Rain Man,” “Hook,” “Outbreak,” “Wag The Dog,” “Runaway Jury,” “Meet the Fockers”)

1938 – Actress-singer Connie Stevens (“Hawaiian Eye,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “Wendy and Me”)

1952 – Radio host and former Howard Stern sidekick Robin Quivers 

1953 – Actor Don Most (Ralph from TV’s “Happy Days”) 

1958 – Emmy-winning “Inside Edition” host Deborah Norville 

1961 – U2 guitarist Dave “The Edge” Evans 

1981 – International tennis champion Roger Federer

History Highlights

1942 – Six German saboteurs who secretly entered the U.S. by submarine on a mission to attack its civil infrastructure are executed for spying. Two others who disclosed the plot to the FBI and assisted U.S. authorities in the manhunt for their collaborators are imprisoned.

1945 – With World War II drawing to a close, President Harry S. Truman signs the United Nations Charter and the United States becomes the first nation to  join the new international organization. Truman said the move “substantially advances the cause of world peace.”

1974 – In a prime-time address to Americans, President Richard Nixon announces his resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal, becoming the first and only U.S. president to resign. The following day, Vice President Gerald Ford is sworn in as president.

1986 – Actor, writer and director Spike Lee’s first feature-length movie, “She’s Gotta Have It,” about a free-spirited African-American woman in Brooklyn and her three suitors, opens in U.S. theaters.

1988 – The lights are turned on at Chicago’s Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last major league stadium equipped to host night games. However, rain cancels the game after four innings, postponing it to the next day. 

Musical Milestones

1960 – Summer swimwear is the theme as “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” by Brian Hyland, checks in as the hottest single.

1966 – The Beatles release their seventh studio album, “Revolver,” in the U.S. three days after its U.K. release. The album contains “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Good Day Sunshine” and other classics.

1969 – The Beatles’ iconic “Abbey Road” album cover is photographed by Iain Macmillan outside the namesake studio in London, with the Fab Four marching single file through the crosswalk. Macmillan had 10 minutes to complete the shoot and snapped six photos of The Beatles crossing in either direction.

1981 – Rick Springfield begins his second and final week with “Jessie’s Girl” as the No. 1 single.

1987 – U2 claims the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” off “The Joshua Tree” album. The track holds at No. 1 for two weeks.

1992 – “This Used to Be My Playground,” by Madonna, lands on top of the pop chart for a week. The track is from the movie “A League of Their Own,” starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna, and directed by Penny Marshall. It picks up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.

2009 – The Black Eyed Peas dominate the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Gotta Feeling.”

2017 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter-guitarist Glen Campbell (“Wichita Lineman,” “Gentle on My Mind,” “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy”) dies of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 81.

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