On This Day January 7 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1800 – 13th U.S. President Millard Fillmore (d. 1874) 1948 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins (“Danny’s Song,” “This is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Footloose”) 1956 – Golden Globe-winning actor David Caruso (“Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue,” “CSI: Miami”) 1957 – TV journalist and former “Today” show co-host and “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric 1964 – Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage (“Raising Arizona,” “Moonstruck,” “Wild at Heart,” “The Rock,” “Face/Off,” “City of Angels,” “Adaptation,” “National Treasure,” “Ghost Rider”, “The Croods”, “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse”) 1971 – Actor Jeremy Renner (“Dahmer,” “North Country,” “The Hurt Locker,” “The Town,” “Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol,” “The Avengers,” “The Bourne Legacy,” “American Hustle,” “Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation,” “Captain America: Civil War”) History Highlights 1789 – America’s first presidential election is held and George Washington emerges as the winner. The Virginia landowner who led the patriotic forces in the war against the British is sworn in to office about three months later. 1927 – The first official transatlantic telephone call is made when Walter Gifford, president of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (known today as AT&T), calls Sir Evelyn Murray, secretary of the General Post Office of Great Britain. Speaking into a phone on his desk in New York, Gifford’s first words are, “How’s the weather over in London? “ 1953 – During his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, President Harry Truman discusses U.S. development of the hydrogen bomb. 1985 – General Motors (GM) launches Saturn Corporation as a wholly owned independent subsidiary in response to growing Japanese automobile imports in the U.S. The company markets itself as a “different kind of car company.” 1999 – The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, formally charged with lying under oath and obstructing justice, begins in the U.S. Senate. Musical Milestones 1956 – “Memories Are Made of This” puts Dean Martin on top of Billboard’s Most Played by [Disc] Jockeys chart (precursor to the Hot 100) for six weeks. The track becomes a Gold record and “Dino’s” biggest hit as well as his only No. 1 recording in the U.K. 1967 – The Monkees maintain their grip on the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week with “I’m A Believer,” which holds at No. 1 for a total of seven weeks. 1978 – The Bee Gees mark their third and final week at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart with “How Deep is Your Love.” 1986 – Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me,” from the movie “White Nights,” starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines, is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1992 – Pop sensation Debbie Gibson makes her Broadway debut playing Eponine in “Les Misérables.” 1995 – “On Bended Knee,” by Boyz II Men, is in the middle of a four-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 2006 – Mariah Carey begins her second and final week on top of the pop chart with “Don’t Forget About Us.” 2012 – “Sexy and I Know It,” by LMFAO, begins two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. LMFAO consists of Stephen Gordy (a.k.a. Redfoo) and Skyler Gordy (a.k.a. Sky Blu) — son and grandson of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. READ MORE
On This Day November 28 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1929 – Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jr. 1943 – Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and composer Randy Newman, best known for his 1977 hit “Short People” and movie soundtracks including the animated blockbuster “Toy Story” series and “Monsters, Inc.” 1949 – Singer, actor and multi-instrumentalist Paul Shaffer, best known as the bandleader for David Letterman’s late-night TV shows 1950 – Golden Globe-winning actor Ed Harris (“The Right Stuff,” “The Abyss,” “Pollack,” “Apollo 13,” “The Rock,” “The Truman Show,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Man on a Ledge,” “Westworld”) 1959 – Actor-producer Judd Nelson (“The Breakfast Club,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “New Jack City,” “Suddenly Susan”) 1962 – Comedian, director and former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart History Highlights 1520 – Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan leads a fleet of three ships through treacherous waters below South America to become the first European explorer to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic. 1895 – Driving a gas-powered horseless carriage known as the Duryea Motor Wagon at an average speed of 5 miles per hour in the Chicago snow, J. Frank Duryea wins America’s first auto race. Frank and his brother, Charles, designed and manufactured the vehicle. 1942 – The deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history strikes the Cocoanut Grove in Boston, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more. Investigators never determined what sparked the inferno. The disaster led to sweeping changes in fire codes 1964 – The U.S. scores one in the Space Race as NASA launches Mariner 4 on a successful fly-by mission to Mars. 1975 – “As The World Turns” and “The Edge of Night” become the last American soaps to switch from live broadcasts to videotape. 1994 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is beaten to death in a Wisconsin prison while serving 15 consecutive life terms for the rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys. Musical Milestones 1925 – The Grand Ole Opry, one of the longest-lived and most popular showcases for country music, begins broadcasting live from Nashville, Tennessee. At the time, it is known as the WSM Barn Dance. 1960 – Elvis Presley scores his 15th chart-topping single when “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” reaches No. 1 on the pop chart. It holds the top spot for six weeks. 1970 – Ex-Beatle George Harrison makes his solo Billboard chart debut with “My Sweet Lord,” a song he is later found guilty of having “subconsciously plagiarized” from Ronnie Mack’s “He’s So Fine,” which was a smash for The Chiffons. 1974 – John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden for what becomes Lennon’s last concert appearance. He performs three songs: “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” 1987 – The Bill Medley-Jennifer Warnes duet, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” from the movie “Dirty Dancing,” is No. 1 on the singles chart. 1998 – “Lately,” by one-hit-wonder Divine, tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a week. 2001 – Aretha Franklin sues the supermarket tabloid “Star” for $50 million dollars claiming that her reputation was damaged by a December 2000 article that alleged she had alcohol problems. 2007 – Kanye West and stuntman Evel Knievel settle a copyright dispute over West’s use of the name “Evel Kanyevel” in a music video. The 69-year-old daredevil claimed his image was harmed by the video’s “vulgar, sexual nature.” The clip for “Touch The Sky” shows the rap star attempting to cross a canyon on a rocket-powered motorcycle. READ MORE