On This Day February 7 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1812 – Author Charles Dickens (“David Copperfield,” “Oliver Twist,” “A Christmas Carol”) (d. 1870) 1867 – Pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder, best known for her “Little House on the Prairie” series (d. 1957) 1885 – Novelist Sinclair Lewis, the first American author to win the Nobel prize for literature (d. 1951) 1955 – Actor Miguel Ferrer (“Twin Peaks,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Traffic,” “NCIS: Los Angeles”) (d. 2017) 1960 – Emmy-winning actor James Spader (“Less Than Zero,” “The Practice,” “Boston Legal,” “The Blacklist”) 1962 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter Garth Brooks 1965 – Emmy and Grammy-winning comedian, actor, producer and “SNL” alum Chris Rock (“New Jack City,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Everybody Hates Chris”) 1978 – Actor-producer Ashton Kutcher (“That 70s Show,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?”, “Guess Who,” “A Lot Like Love,” “What Happens in Vegas,” “No Strings Attached,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Jobs”) History Highlights 1812 – The most violent in a series of earthquakes near Missouri causes the Mississippi River to flow backward for several hours, a phenomenon known as a fluvial tsunami. It triggers landslides and leaves massive cracks in the ground. Research completed in 2011 determines that these powerful New Madrid earthquakes could be felt in varying intensity across a nearly 965,000-square-mile stretch of the U.S. 1979 – Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor known as the “Angel of Death,” who performed medical experiments at the Auschwitz death camps, dies of a stroke while swimming in Brazil. However, his death is not confirmed until 1985. 1984 – While in orbit 170 miles above Earth, Navy Captain Bruce McCandless becomes the first human being to fly untethered in space when he exits the space shuttle Challenger and maneuvers freely, using a rocket pack of his own design. 1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti when President Jean-Claude ”Baby Doc” Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation. 1990 – The Soviet Union crumbles when the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power. 1999 – Jordan’s King Hussein bin Talal, the 20th century’s longest-serving executive head of state dies, and his son Prince Abdallah bin Hussein ascends to the throne. Musical Milestones 1964 – The Beatles are mobbed by thousands of adoring fans after landing at New York’s Kennedy Airport to start their first U.S. tour. Later in the day, they appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” becoming the first British rock group to perform on American television. 1970 – The No. 1 single is “Venus” by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue. 1976 – Paul Simon begins three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” 1981 – Kool & the Gang have reason to celebrate as their single, “Celebration,” tops the Billboard Hot 100. 1985 – New York Mayor Ed Koch proclaims Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “New York, New York” as the official anthem of New York City, although it was never actually made official. 1986 – Madonna clinches the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with her fifth chart-topping single, “Open Your Heart.” 1998 – Janet Jackson wraps up two weeks on top of the U.S. singles chart with “Together Again.” 2004 – OutKast concludes a nine-week domination of the U.S. pop chart with “Hey Ya!” READ MORE
On This Day December 19 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1915 – Internationally acclaimed French cabaret singer-songwriter and actress Edith Piaf, who became widely regarded as France’s national chanteuse (d. 1963) 1924 – Emmy and Tony-winning actress Cicely Tyson (“Sounder,” “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” “The Help”) 1944 – Paleoanthropologist-conservationist Richard Leakey 1957 – Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin McHale 1963 – Actress Jennifer Beals (“Flashdance,” “Devil in a Blue Dress,” “Four Rooms,” “The Chicago Code”) 1972 – Actress Alyssa Milano (“Who’s the Boss?” “Melrose Place,” “Charmed,” “Mistresses”) 1980 – Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (“October Sky,” “Donnie Darko,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Jarhead,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Zodiac,” “Nightcrawler,” “Southpaw”) History Highlights 1732 – Benjamin Franklin begins publishing “Poor Richard’s Almanack.” The book, filled with proverbs preaching industry and prudence, is published continuously for 25 years and becomes one of the most popular publications in colonial America, selling an average of 10,000 copies a year. 1843 – Charles Dickens publishes his Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Originally titled “A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,” the first edition sells out by Christmas Eve. By the end of 1844, 13 editions had been released. The work continues to be printed and sold nearly 200 years later and has been adapted countless times for film, stage, opera and other media, including a video game. 1903 – New Yorkers celebrate the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge, the second and largest of three steel-frame suspension bridges crossing the East River. 1917 – The National Hockey League (NHL) opens its first season with two games. At the time, the league consists of five franchises: the Canadiens and the Wanderers (both of Montreal), the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Bulldogs and the Toronto Arenas (known at the time as the Toronto Hockey Club). 1972 – NASA’S Apollo manned lunar-landing program ends as the last three astronauts to travel to the moon safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 17 had blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 10 days earlier. 1984 – The British government signs an agreement to return Hong Kong to China in 1997. 1997 – Director James Cameron’s epic drama “Titanic” opens in U.S. theaters, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The film becomes a box office smash and goes on to capture 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. 1998 – President Bill Clinton is impeached on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice by a divided House of Representatives, which recommends virtually along party lines that the Senate remove the nation’s 42d president from office. Clinton vows to finish his term. Musical Milestones 1964 – Diana Ross & The Supremes score their third No. 1 single of 1964 with “Come See About Me,” which holds the top spot for a week. 1970 – Elton John’s first U.S. hit, “Your Song,” from the “Elton John” album, enters the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it eventually climbs to No. 8. 1979 – Elvis Presley’s personal physician, George Nichopoulos, is charged with ‘illegally and indiscriminately’ prescribing more than 12,000 uppers, downers and painkillers for the star during the 20 months preceding his untimely death. 1981 – Olivia Newton-John is in the middle of a 10-week ride atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Physical.” 1987 – George Michael is in the middle of a four-week domination of the pop chart with “Faith.” 1992 – “I Will Always Love You,” by Whitney Houston, starts its fourth week as a No. 1 single. It holds the top spot for a total of 14 weeks. 2000 – Roebuck “Pops” Staples, gospel singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding member of the Staple Singers, dies at age 85. The group had hits including “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself” and “Let’s Do It Again” in the 1970s. 2009 – “Empire State of Mind,” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, rules the singles chart. READ MORE