On This Day: December 18

On This Day December 18

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1886 – Baseball legend Ty Cobb, considered the most competitive and complex personality ever to appear in a big league uniform (d. 1961)

1943 – Rolling Stones guitarist and songwriter Keith Richards

1946 – Oscar-winning director-producer Steven Spielberg (“Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” the “Indiana Jones” trilogy, “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Munich,” “Bridge of Spies”)

1950 – Movie critic-historian Leonard Maltin

1954 – Actor Ray Liotta (“Something Wild,” “Field of Dreams,” “Goodfellas,” “No Escape,” “Corina, Corina,” “ER”)

1963 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor-producer Brad Pitt (“Legends of the Fall,” “Seven,” “Fight Club,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Moneyball,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Fury”)

1978 – Actress Katie Holmes (“Dawson’s Creek,” “Batman Begins,” “Mad Money,” “Jack and Jill,” “Touched With Fire”)

1980 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera (“Genie in a Bottle”, “What a Girl Wants”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1620 – The British ship Mayflower docks at what today is known as Plymouth, Massachusetts, and its passengers — dubbed Pilgrims — set out to establish a new settlement called Plymouth Colony.

1916 – The Battle of Verdun, the longest engagement of World War I, ends after 10 months and close to a million total casualties suffered by German and French forces.

1956 – Japan is admitted to the United Nations.

1966 – The animated Christmas classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” debuts on CBS, based on the beloved book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. The program features a throaty narration by legendary horror film actor Boris Karloff.

1968 – The movie musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” opens in New York, starring Dick Van Dyke, who made a splash four years earlier in “Mary Poppins.”

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1961 – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” by The Tokens, roars from the top of the Billboard singles chart where it remains for three weeks.

1971 – After 13 years, rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis’ marriage to his 13-year-old cousin ends in divorce.

1976 – Rod Stewart is in the middle of an eight-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright).”

1982 – Hall & Oates begin a four-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Maneater,” off the duo’s “H2O” album.

1999 – “Smooth,” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas, is in its ninth week as a No. 1 single. It holds the top spot for another three weeks, ultimately becoming what Billboard calls “the second most successful song of all time.”

2003 – Michael Jackson is formally charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering intoxicating liquor to a minor with the intent of committing a crime.

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On This Day: November 23

On This Day November 23

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1804 – Franklin Pierce, the 14th U.S. president (d. 1869)

1859 – Outlaw Billy the Kid (d. 1881)

1887 – Actor Boris Karloff, born William Henry Pratt, best known for his portrayal of the monster in the “Frankenstein” movies and narrator/voice of The Grinch in the 1966 animated special, “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” (d. 1969)

1888 – Comedian-actor Harpo Marx of the legendary comedy troupe the Marx Brothers (d. 1964)

1925 – Grammy and Oscar-winning composer-arranger Johnny Mandel, most famous for “Suicide Is Painless,” the theme from the movie and TV series “M*A*S*H”

1954 – Grammy-winning singer-pianist Bruce Hornsby (“The Way It Is,” “Mandolin Rain,” “Every Little Kiss”)

1960 – “Good Morning America” (GMA) co-host Robin Roberts

1992 – Singer-songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus, born Destiny Hope Cyrus (“Hannah Montana,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Can’t Be Tamed”, “We Can’t Stop,” “Wrecking Ball”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1889 – The first jukebox goes into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. Built by the Pacific Phonograph Company, the device is called a “nickel-in-the-slot player.” A record would play for a nickel and up to four people could listen using using stethoscope-like tubes.

1936 – The illustrated magazine LIFE premieres. The first issue features a black and white photo of the Fort Peck Dam in Montana, taken by Margaret Bourke-White.

1981 – President Ronald Reagan secretly grants the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the power to recruit and support a 500-man force of Nicaraguan rebels (“Contras”) to conduct covert actions against the leftist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. The move eventually leads to what became the Iran-Contra scandal.

1984 – It’s the “Miracle in Miami,” as Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie leads BC past Miami 47-45 at the Orange Bowl. Flutie throws a Hail Mary pass to win the game.

2012 – Actor Larry Hagman, who starred in TV’s “I Dream of Jeannie” and years later “Dallas,” dies of complications from cancer at the age of 81.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1936 – Delta blues legend Robert Johnson lays down his first-ever musical recordings — eight songs in a single session at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. The tracks include “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” “Sweet Home Chicago” and his biggest hit, “Terraplane Blues.” 

1963 – “I’m Leaving It Up to You,” by Dale & Grace, is the hottest song on the radio.

1974 – Billy Swan is on top of the singles chart for two weeks with the only hit of his singing career: “I Can Help.”

1974 – The Rolling Stones score their fifth No. 1 album with “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll” — the last Stones album for guitarist Mick Taylor, who was replaced by Ronnie Wood. 

1976 – Rocker Jerry Lee Lewis is arrested for the second time in as many days. First it was drunk driving, but on this day he’s busted for brandishing a pistol outside Graceland while demanding to see Elvis.

1985 – Starship begin their second and final week orbiting around the top spot on the pop chart with “We Built This City.”

1991 – Michael Bolton’s cover of Percy Sledge’s 1966 classic, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later goes on to capture a Grammy Award.

1995 – Soul singer and saxophonist Junior Walker, best known for the hits “How Sweet It Is” and “What Does It Take, To Win Your Love, dies of cancer at the age of 64. Walker also played sax on Foreigner’s 1981 hit “Urgent.”

2002 – Eminem rules the Billboard singles chart with “Lose Yourself,” from the “8 Mile” movie soundtrack. The song holds at No. 1 for 12 weeks.

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