Central Park – Time Rewind

On This Day October 9

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On This Day September 19

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Celebrity Birthdays

1928 – Actor Adam West, best known for playing Batman in the 1960s TV series (d. 2017)

1933 – Actor David McCallum, best known as secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the 1960s “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” TV series and as Dr. Donald Mallard on “NCIS.”

1940 – Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning songwriter Paul Williams, known for “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Evergreen,” “Rainy Days and Mondays” and many others 1970s standards.

1941 – Singer Mama Cass Elliot, born Ellen Naomi Cohen, member of the 1960s band The Mamas & the Papas (d. 1974)

1948 – Oscar, Emmy and Tony-winning actor Jeremy Irons (“Brideshead Revisited,” “Reversal of Fortune,” “Kafka,” “The House of the Spirits,” “The Lion King,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance,” “Margin Call,” “The Man Who Knew Infinity”)

1949 – Lesley Hornby, a.k.a. “Twiggy,” the 60s British fashion icon

1964 – Grammy-winning country music singer Trisha Yearwood

1974 – Emmy-winning “The Tonight Show” host and “Saturday Night Live” alum Jimmy Fallon

History Highlights

1881 – U.S. President James Garfield dies of injuries suffered two months earlier when he was shot at a Washington railroad station by a mentally disturbed lawyer and writer named Charles Guiteau. Garfield was getting ready to leave town for a family vacation on the Jersey shore when the attack took place.

1957 – Scientists detonate a 1.8 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground tunnel at the Nevada Test Site, a 1,375-square-mile research center located north of Las Vegas. The test, known as Rainier, marks the first fully contained underground detonation and produces no radioactive fallout.

1969 – President Richard Nixon tries to appease Vietnam War protesters by announcing the cancellation of two upcoming draft calls.

1970 – Americans meet and fall in love with a single career woman, TV news producer Mary Richards, when CBS introduces “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

1985 – Mother Nature deals Mexico City a devastating one-two punch. A powerful earthquake and almost equally powerful aftershock rock the Mexican capital, killing nearly 10,000 people, injuring 30,000 and causing billions of dollars in damage.

1994 – “ER,” the medical drama that gave George Clooney’s acting career a shot in the arm, premieres on NBC. The primetime series was the creation of novelist and physician Michael Crichton and captured 116 awards, including 22 Emmys, during a 15-season run.

Musical Milestones

1960 – Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” kicks off a week on top of the Billboard singles chart and sets off a new dance craze across America.

1966 – “The House of the Rising Sun,” by The Animals, begins its third and final week as a No. 1 hit.

1970 – Diana Ross climbs to the summit of the singles chart with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” — her first No. 1 since leaving The Supremes.

1981 – Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunite for a free concert in New York’s Central Park that draws half a million fans.

1987 – The duet “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett, off MJ’s “Bad” album, begins a week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1998 – Aerosmith is in the midst of a four-week domination of the pop chart with “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” from the movie “Armageddon.” The song is the band’s first No. 1 hit.

On this Day August 26

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Celebrity Birthdays

1896 – Comedian, vaudeville actor, composer, songwriter, accordionist and author Phil Baker (d. 1963)

1910 – Mother Teresa, considered one of the 20th Century’s greatest humanitarians and canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016. (d. 1997)

1918 – Mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first crewed American space mission and moon landing; she was among the women profiled in the book and movie “Hidden Figures” (d. 2020)

1921 – Washington Post VP at-large Ben Bradlee, who oversaw publication of stories that ultimately exposed the Watergate scandal (d. 2014)

1935 – First female U.S. vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro (d. 2011)

1945 – Singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson of the Ashford & Simpson husband-wife songwriting team

1960 – Grammy-winning saxophonist-bandleader Branford Marsalis

1970 – Emmy-winning actress-comedian Melissa McCarthy (“Gilmore Girls,” “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat,” “Tammy,” “St. Vincent,” “This is 40,” “Spy,” “The Boss”)

1980 – Actor Chris Pine, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie and its sequels

1980 – Actor Macaulay Culkin, best known for the “Home Alone” movie franchise

1989 – NBA All-Star and Houston Rockets guard James Harden, a.k.a. “The Beard”

History Highlights

1920 – The 19th Amendment, guaranteeing American women the right to vote, is formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution by proclamation of Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. In 1973, Congress designates this date Women’s Equality Day.

1939 – The first Major League baseball game is televised. It’s a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers at New York’s Ebbets Field, with the teams splitting the match.

1957 – The Soviet Union declares that it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of being fired “into any part of the world.” The announcement sets nations around the world on edge.

1968 – As the Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago, thousands of demonstrators take to the streets to protest the Vietnam War.

1974 – Aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, dies of cancer in Hawaii at the age of 72.

1985 – The Yugo, the Yugoslavian-built compact car that Americans loved to hate, is introduced to the U.S. auto market. Sales begin to sputter in the late 1980s, and by 1992, Yugo America is out of business.

1986 – In what becomes known as the “Preppy Murder” case because of the upper-class status of both the victim and killer, the body of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin is discovered in New York’s Central Park shortly after leaving a bar with 19-year-old Robert Chambers. Chambers is arrested, charged and ultimately found guilty of Levin’s murder, and dubbed the “Preppy Killer.”

Musical Milestones

1972 – Looking Glass is captain of the singles chart with “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).”

1978 – The title track from the movie “Grease,” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, is a No. 1 single for Frankie Valli. The song holds the top spot for two weeks.

1987 – Pop singer-turned-politician Sonny Bono announces plans to run for mayor of Palm Springs, California.

1989 – Richard Marx begins his third and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Right Here Waiting.”

1995 – The No. 1 single comes from the “Batman Forever” soundtrack. It’s Seal with “Kiss From a Rose,” which goes on to capture Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

2004 – Singer Laura Branigan, best known for her early 80s hits “Gloria” and “Self Control,” dies of a brain aneurysm at the age of 52. Branigan also played Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical “Love, Janis.”

2006 – Fergie has the No. 1 single with “London Bridge.”

On this Day May 25

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Celebrity Birthdays

1927 – Robert Ludlum, author of more than 20 thrillers, including the Jason Bourne spy novels (d. 2001)

1939 – Tony and Golden Globe-winning actor Sir Ian McKellen, best known as Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Magneto in the “X-Men” movies

1943 – Tony and Emmy-winning actress-singer Leslie Uggams (“Hallelujah, Baby!,” “Roots”)

1944 – Emmy-winning actor-director and “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show” puppeteer Frank Oz, who also provided the voice of Yoda in the “Star Wars” movies

1963 – Emmy-winning comedic actor Mike Myers (“Saturday Night Live,” “Wayne’s World,” “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” and the “Austin Powers” and “Shrek” movie series)

1969 – Actress Anne Heche (“Donnie Brasco,” “Volcano,” “Wag the Dog,” “Six Days Seven Nights,” “John Q,” “Men in Trees”)

1972 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Octavia Spencer (“A Time to Kill,” “The Help,” “Hidden Figures,” “The Shape of Water”)

History Highlights

1961 – Addressing a special joint session of Congress, President John F. Kennedy announces his goal to send an American to the moon before the end of the decade. He also requests financial support for an accelerated space program.

1977 – “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” With those words on the screen, cinematic history is made as George Lucas’ epic sci-fi adventure “Star Wars” opens on Memorial Day weekend at just 32 theaters across the U.S. with no official premiere. By August, more than 1,000 theaters are screening the film, propelling it box office glory. Later renamed “Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope,” the movie captures seven Academy Awards and becomes a marketing bonanza.

1979 – This day marks the worst domestic air crash in U.S. history. American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashes during takeoff at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport killing 271 on board and two people on the ground. Investigators blame a faulty pylon assembly for the tragedy in which the left engine fell off the LA-bound aircraft.

1979 – Six-year old Etan Patz disappears while walking two blocks from home to his bus stop in Manhattan. Investigators have the boy’s face and description printed on milk cartons all across the U.S. in hopes that someone would find him — the first time that method is used to aid in a missing child case. It takes 38 years for authorities to find and convict the suspect in Patz’s kidnapping and murder.

Musical Milestones

1963 – Jimmy Soul enjoys his second and final week on top of the pop chart with “If You Wanna Be Happy.”

1965 – Blues singer-songwriter and harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson dies in his sleep at age 65. Over the years, Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, The Animals, Yardbirds and The Moody Blues have all covered his songs.

1968 – Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bookends” becomes the duo’s second No. 1 album, delivering such classic tracks as “Mrs. Robinson,” “America,” “A Hazy Shade Of Winter” and “At The Zoo.” The album holds the top spot for three weeks.

1973 – More than 100,000 people flock to New York’s Central Park for a free concert by singer-songwriting sensation Carole King.

1974 – Ray Stevens’ novelty song, “The Streak,” is in the midst of a three-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1985 – “Everything She Wants,” by Wham! (featuring George Michael), begins two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It becomes the pop duo’s third consecutive million-selling No. 1 hit in the U.S.

1991 – Mariah Carey’s “I Don’t Wanna Cry” rules the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.

1996 – Bone Thugs-n-Harmony claim the top spot on the pop chart with “Tha Crossroads.”

2002 – “Foolish,” by Ashanti, is in its sixth week as a Billboard singles chart-topper. It spends another four weeks at No. 1.

On this Day June 12

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Celebrity Birthdays

1924 – Former President George H. W. Bush (d. 2018)

1929 – Jewish Holocaust victim Anne Frank, whose diary about her family’s life in hiding from the Nazis has been read by millions around the world (d. 1945)

1930 – Actor and singer Jim Nabors, best known for playing Gomer Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show” (d. 2017)

1941 – Basketball Hall of Fame sportscaster Marv Albert

1941 – Jazz fusionist Chick Corea

1957 – Emmy-winning actor-director Timothy Busfield (“thirtysomething,” “Field of Dreams,” “The West Wing,” “For Life”)

1974 – Actor Jason Mewes, best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith’s films

History Highlights

1963 – Civil rights leader Medgar Evers is shot and killed outside his Jackson, Mississippi home by a member of the Ku Klux Klan. His murder comes just hours after President John F. Kennedy had delivered a national address in support of civil rights.

1978 – David Berkowitz, the so-called “Son of Sam,” is sentenced to six consecutive life prison terms for a string of murders and attacks that terrified New Yorkers for a year.

1981 – Moviegoers meet Indiana Jones for the first time as “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” opens in theaters across the U.S. The movie, starring Harrison Ford, becomes another box office smash for director Steven Spielberg and launches one of the most successful motion picture franchises of all time.

1987 – In one of his most famous Cold War speeches, President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the repressive Communist era in a divided Germany.

1994 – Former football star O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, are stabbed to death in what leads to one of the highest-profile murder trials of the century. As the prime suspect, O.J. Simpson stands trial for the killings, but is ultimately acquitted. He is later found liable in a civil action brought by the victims’ families.

2016 – A gunman forces his way inside Pulse, an Orlando, Florida nightclub, and opens fire on the predominantly gay crowd, killing 49 people and injuring dozens more. Responding police shoot and kill the gunman, who was later determined to have ties to the terrorist group ISIS. The attack becomes the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history until an October 2017 rampage in Las Vegas.

Musical Milestones

1965 – The Supremes set music industry records as “Back in My Arms Again” becomes their fifth consecutive No. 1 single.

1971 – “Want Ads,” by Honey Cone, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

1976 – “Silly Love Songs,” by Paul McCartney and Wings, returns to the top spot on the singles chart after being bumped for two weeks by Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover.”

1982 – More than 450,000 people pack New York’s Central Park for a nuclear disarmament rally and concert featuring Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Gary U.S. Bonds.

1982 – The Paul McCartney-Stevie Wonder duet, “Ebony and Ivory,” is in the middle of seven weeks as a Billboard chart-topper.

1989 – The Elvis Presley Autoland Museum opens at Graceland. It features more than 30 cars that Presley owned, including his famous Pink Cadillac, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Stutz Blackhawks, a 1975 Dino Ferrari, a 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, and the red MG Elvis drove in the movie “Blue Hawaii.”

1999 – The boy band era is in full swing as “Millennium,” by the Backstreet Boys, claims the top spot on the Billboard album chart. The Grammy-nominated album spawns four Top 40 singles: “I Want It That Way”, “Larger than Life,” “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” and “The One.”

2004 – Usher reigns over the Billboard Hot 100 with “Burn.”