Chevrolet – Time Rewind

On This Day January 17

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On This Day December 22

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Celebrity Birthdays

1912 – Lady Bird Johnson, former U.S. First Lady and wife of 36th President Lyndon Johnson (d. 2007)

1915 – Actress Barbara Billingsley, who played housewife June Cleaver on TV’s “Leave It to Beaver” (d. 2010)

1917 – Longtime “Match Game” host Gene Rayburn, born Eugene Jelyevich (d. 1999)

1936 – Emmy-winning actor Hector Elizondo (“The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” “Pretty Woman,” “Chicago Hope,” “Last Man Standing,” “The Princess Diaries”)

1945 – Emmy-winning TV journalist and former ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer

1949 – Singer-songwriter and Bee Gees band member Robin Gibb (d. 2012)

1949 – Singer-songwriter and Bee Gees band member Maurice Gibb (d. 2003)

1962 – Tony-winning actor Ralph Fiennes, born Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (“Schindler’s List,” “The English Patient,” the “Harry Potter” movie series, “Red Dragon,” “The Constant Gardener,” “In Bruges,” “The Reader,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Menu”)

1989 – Singer-songwriter-actress and youngest “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks (“Tattoo,” “No Air,” “Battlefield”)

1993 – Grammy-winning pop singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor (“All About That Bass,” “Lips Are Moving,” “Dear Future Husband,” “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” “No”)

History Highlights

1900 – The first car manufactured under the Mercedes name (Mercedes 35 hp) is delivered to its buyer — Emil Jellinek, an Austrian car racer and automotive executive.

1952 – General Motors completes a production-ready prototype of the first Corvette (EX-122) to display three weeks later at GM’s Motorama auto show in New York City. It becomes Chevrolet’s flagship sports car and remains a fixture of automotive culture.

1956 – Colo, the first gorilla born in captivity, enters the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, weighing slightly more than three pounds. Beloved the world over, Colo dies just weeks after her 60th birthday, on January 17, 2017. Colo is credited with helping the Columbus Zoo establish its reputation as a global leader in gorilla breeding, care, habitat and conservation.

1978 – Serial killer John Wayne Gacy confesses to murdering over two dozen boys and young men and burying their bodies under his suburban Chicago home.

1984 – Bernhard Goetz, a 37-year-old white man, shoots four black teenagers on a New York City subway train after they surround him and ask for $5. Goetz is heralded as a hero and dubbed the “Subway Vigilante.”

Musical Milestones

1962 – “Telstar,” by The Tornados, soars to the top of the singles chart, becoming the first major hit on the American chart by a British band.

1979 – Rupert Holmes begins a two-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”

1979 – Pat Benatar’s breakthrough single, “Heartbreaker,” lands on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbs as high as No. 23. The Grammy-winning rocker produces 16 more hits through the 1980s.

1984 – Madonna kicks off six weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Like a Virgin.”

1990 – “Because I Love You (The Postman Song),” by Stevie B, is the No. 1 single. It holds the top spot for four weeks.

2001 – Nickelback sets out on a four-week domination of the singles chart with “How You Remind Me.”

On this Day August 6

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Celebrity Birthdays

1911 – Actress-comedienne Lucille Ball, who was immortalized in the popular 1950s TV sitcom “I Love Lucy” (d. 1989)

1917 – Actor Robert Mitchum (“The Story of G.I. Joe,” “Crossfire,” “Out of the Past,”, “The Night of the Hunter,” “The Enemy Below,” “Cape Fear,” “El Dorado”) (d. 1997)

1928 – American pop artist and cultural icon Andy Warhol (d. 1987)

1962 – Actress Michelle Yeoh (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Tomorrow Never Dies”)

1970 – Director M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable,” “Signs,” “Lady in the Water.” “The Last Airbender,” “After Earth”)

1972 – Singer Geri Halliwell, a.k.a. “Ginger Spice” of the British pop group Spice Girls

History Highlights

1890 – The first execution by electric chair takes place at Auburn Prison in New York with William Kemmler facing the death penalty for the hatchet murder of his girlfriend, Tillie Ziegler.

1945 – An American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, leveling most of the city under a massive mushroom cloud. Some 70,000 people are killed in a matter of seconds.

1959 – Chevrolet unveils plans to produce the Corvair, a revolutionary rear-engine compact car that goes on to ignite controversy and debate over its safety.

1965 – President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, guaranteeing African Americans the right to vote. The bill makes it illegal to impose restrictions on federal, state and local elections that were designed to deny the vote to blacks.

2009 – John Hughes, the influential writer-director who captured the humor and angst of the teen experience, 1980s style, in hit movies such as “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” dies at 59.

Musical Milestones

1960 – Chubby Checker appears on TV’s “American Bandstand” and performs “The Twist,” which goes on to become a national sensation and No. 1 single.

1973 – A traffic accident leaves Motown sensation Stevie Wonder in a coma for four days and permanently robs him of his sense of smell. Amazingly, he’s back in the recording studio eight weeks later.

1981 – Stevie Nicks releases her first solo album, “Bella Donna,” featuring “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” a duet with Tom Petty that reaches No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart.

1982 – “Pink Floyd The Wall” opens in movie theaters, based on the British rock band’s 1979 album of the same name.

1988 – Almost a year to the day after debuting at No. 182 on the Billboard album chart, “Appetite for Destruction,” by Guns N’ Roses, reaches No. 1, fueled by the band’s tour and widespread airplay for the hit singles “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”

1994 – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories begins a three-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart with “Stay (I Missed You).”

2004 – After years of cocaine use, funk legend Rick James is found dead of a heart attack at his Hollywood home at the age of 56. James was best known for his 1981 smash, “Super Freak.”

2005 – “We Belong Together,” by Mariah Carey, is midway through a 10-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

On this Day June 28

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Celebrity Birthdays

1926 – Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winning comedic director-writer-producer Mel Brooks (“The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” “High Anxiety,” “History of the World, Part I,” “Spaceballs,” “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”)

1932 – Actor Pat Morita (“Happy Days,” “The Karate Kid”) (d. 2005)

1948 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Kathy Bates (“Misery,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Delores Claiborne,” “Titanic,” “Primary Colors,” “About Schmidt,” “American Horror Story”)

1966 – Actor John Cusack (“Say Anything,” “The Grifters,” “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Being John Malkovich,” “High Fidelity,” “2012,” “The Raven”)

1971 – Engineer, inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk, who established PayPal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX

History Highlights

1836 – Fourth U.S. President James Madison, drafter of the Constitution, recorder of the Constitutional Convention and author of the “Federalist Papers,” dies on his tobacco plantation in Virginia.

1953 – Workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, begin building the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car that quickly becomes an American automotive icon. It rolls off the assembly line two days later. Only 300 Corvettes were built for the 1953 model year — all Polo white with red upholstery.

1969 – A police raid of the Stonewall Inn — a gay club located on New York City’s Christopher Street — turns violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against police officers. The clashes become a watershed moment in the struggle for gay rights in the U.S. In 2016, the Stonewall Inn was designated as the first national monument honoring the LGBTQ movement. The monument covers 7.7 acres, including nearby Christopher Park.

1975 – One of television’s most successful writers, “The Twilight Zone” creator Rod Serling dies of a heart attack at the age of 50. During his career, Serling racked up more Emmy Awards for dramatic writing than anyone in history. He also won a Golden Globe and Peabody Award for productions other than “The Twilight Zone.”

1997 – Boxing fans are horrified as Mike Tyson bites both of Evander Holyfield’s ears in the third round of their heavyweight rematch. The attack leads to his disqualification from the match and suspension from boxing.

Musical Milestones

1969 – The No. 1 single comes from the big screen. It’s “Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet,” by Henry Mancini & His Orchestra.

1975 – Elton John is captain of the Billboard album chart with “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,” which remains at No. 1 for six weeks. The album contains the hit “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.”

1975 – The Captain & Tennille are Billboard chart-toppers with “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The song, from the husband-and-wife team’s debut album of the same name, was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield.

1980 – “Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)” by Paul McCartney & Wings begins a three-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track was recorded on December 17, 1979 during the band’s tour of the UK.

1997 – “I’ll Be Missing You,” a tribute to slain rapper The Notorious B.I.G. by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112, is in the midst of an 11-week domination of the Billboard singles chart.

2003 – Clay Aiken commandeers the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks with “This Is the Night.” Aiken has “American Idol” to thank for his musical career. He was a second-place finalist in Season 2 of the reality singing competition.

On this Day May 14

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Celebrity Birthdays

1936 – Singer Bobby Darin (“Splish Splash,” “Mack the Knife,” “If I Were a Carpenter”) (d. 1973)

1944 – Filmmaker George Lucas, the creative mastermind behind the “Star Wars” franchise as well as “American Graffiti” and other movies

1952 – Singer-songwriter and Talking Heads founder David Byrne

1952 – Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (“Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” the “Back to the Future” movie series, “Forrest Gump,” “Contact,” “Cast Away,” “The Polar Express”)

1961 – Actor Tim Roth (“Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Rob Roy,” “Everyone Says I Love You”)

1969 – Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Notes On A Scandal,” “The Aviator,” “Blue Jasmine”)

1984 – Philanthropist and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

1993 – Actress Miranda Cosgrove (“School of Rock,” “Drake & Josh,” “iCarly,” “Despicable Me”)

History Highlights

1804 – The Lewis & Clark expedition leaves St. Louis, Missouri, on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned his private secretary Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, an army captain, to make the journey.

1904 – The Third Olympiad of the modern era, and the first Olympic Games to be held in the United States, opens in St. Louis, Missouri. However, it is far from the international affair of more recent deacdes. Only 12 countries attend, with Americans accounting for 523 of the 630 participating athletes.

1948 – British rule in Palestine comes to an end as the Jewish National Council proclaims the establishment of the State of Israel. Within hours, Arab forces attack the fledgling nation.

1955 – The Soviet Union and seven Eastern European countries sign a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that puts the Soviets in command of the armed forces of its partners. The move is aimed at counterbalancing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Pact officially disbands in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

1969 – After nine years of production, the last Chevy Corvair rolls off the assembly line. That’s the rear-engine compact car that consumer advocate Ralph Nader took to task citing safety concerns.

1973 – Skylab, America’s first space station, is successfully launched on a mission to observe and photograph the sun as well as to study the biological effects of life in space.

Musical Milestones

1968 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney are guests on NBC’s “Tonight Show” with Joe Garagiola guest-hosting for Johnny Carson. The conversation includes some light-hearted banter about meditation, the forming of Apple Corps. and songwriting.

1977 – Leo Sayer has the No. 1 hit for a week with “When I Need You.”

1988 – Led Zeppelin band members reunite for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party at Madison Square Garden in New York, appearing with Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham, on drums. Other performing acts include Foreigner, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wilson Pickett and Ben E. King.

1988 – “Anything for You” by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine begins a two-week run on top of the singles chart.

1998 – Known as “Ol’ Blue Eyes” and “The Chairman of the Board,” legendary crooner Frank Sinatra dies at the age of 82. His entertainment career spanned half a century and left such an impression in American culture that “Rolling Stone” magazine labeled him “indisputably the 20th century’s greatest singer of popular song.”

2005 – Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” is in the midst of a four-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On this Day May 2

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Celebrity Birthdays

1903 – Internationally acclaimed pediatrician-author Dr. Benjamin Spock (“Baby and Child Care”) (d. 1998)

1907 – Actor-comedian Pinky Lee, born Pincus Leff, who hosted the children’s TV program “The Pinky Lee Show” in the early 1950s. (d. 1993)

1924 – Actor Theodore Bikel (“The Defiant Ones,” “The African Queen,” “Fiddler on the Roof”) (d. 2015)

1936 – Pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck (“Release Me,” “After the Lovin’”)

1946 – Pop singer Lesley Gore (“It’s My Party,” “You Don’t Own Me”), born Lesley Sue Goldstein (d. 2014)

1952 – Emmy and Tony-winning actress Christine Baranski (“Cybill,” “The Birdcage,” “Bowfinger,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Good Wife,” “Mamma Mia!” “Into the Woods, “Trolls,” “The Good Fight”)

1955 – Fashion designer Donatella Versace

1972 – Pro wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“The Mummy Returns,” “Walking Tall,” “Tooth Fairy,” “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, “Pain and Gain,” “San Andreas,” “Baywatch”)

History Highlights

1918 – General Motors (GM), which goes on to become the world’s largest automotive firm, acquires Chevrolet Motor Company.

1933 – The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when the Scottish newspaper Inverness Courier reports the account of a local couple that claimed to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.”

1939 – Legendary New York Yankee Lou Gehrig ends his record-setting streak of 2,130 consecutive games played by benching himself.

1945 – The curtain comes down on Germany in the waning days of World War II, as Russia’s Red Army announces the capture of Berlin.

1952 – The Jet Age begins as the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the British-built de Havilland Comet, makes its 24-hour maiden flight from London, England to Johannesburg, South Africa. Despite the aircraft’s overall success and longevity, the first Comets suffered from structural problems and experienced a number of accidents through the mid-1950s.

1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York City.

2011 – The world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden — mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America — is killed by U.S. forces during a raid on his compound hideout in Pakistan. After undergoing extensive training, U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six carried out the mission, codenamed Operation Neptune Spear.

Musical Milestones

1960 – Elvis Presley’s “Stuck on You” remains stuck on top of the singles chart for a second consecutive week. It will hold that spot for another two weeks.

1964 – “Can’t Buy Me Love,” by The Beatles, begins its fifth and final week as a No. 1 single.

1970 – The Jackson 5 wrap up two weeks at No. 1 on the pop chart with “ABC.” Two months before it became a chart-topper, the band performed the song on “American Bandstand.”

1981 – Sheena Easton lays claim to the top spot on the singles chart with “Morning Train (Nine to Five).”

1987 – “(I Just) Died in Your Arms,” by Cutting Crew, is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1998 – The Minneapolis-based R&B trio, Next, is in the midst of a five-week domination of the Billboard pop chart with “Too Close.”

2003 – The Dixie Chicks appear naked on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, with slogans such “Traitors,” “Hero,” “Boycott,” “Saddam’s Angels” and “Proud Americans” across their bodies. The slogans represent the reactions the trio received following singer Natalie Maines’ anti-George W. Bush comments.

2009 – The Black Eyed Peas dominate the pop chart with “Boom Boom Pow.” The track is the band’s first No. 1, and it remains a chart-topper for 12 weeks.