On This Day April 20
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Click each item below to learn more!
Click each item below to learn more! 1881 – Classical composer Béla Bartók (d. 1945) 1928 – Retired NASA astronaut (Apollo 8/Apollo 13) Jim Lovell 1934 – Feminist crusader and Ms. magazine founder-publisher Gloria Steinem 1942 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and undisputed “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin (d. 2018) 1947 – Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe-winning pop superstar Elton John, born Reginald Dwight 1967 – “Happy Together,” by The Turtles, begins a three-week run as the hottest single in the U.S. 1978 – The Bee Gees continue their reign over the Billboard Hot 100 with “Night Fever.” 1995 – Madonna is midway through a seven-week domination of the singles chart with “Take a Bow.” 2006 – Ne-Yo begins his second and final week on top of the pop chart with “So Sick.”
Celebrity Birthdays
History Highlights
Musical Milestones
Click each item below to learn more! 1818 – Former slave-turned-civil rights activist Frederick Douglass (d. 1895) 1894 – Legendary comedian Jack Benny, born Benjamin Kubelsky (d. 1974) 1921 – Retired Emmy-winning TV anchor-host Hugh Downs (“Today” show, “20/20”) 1942 – Businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg 1960 – Golden Globe-winning actress Meg Tilly (“The Big Chill,” “Agnes of God”) 1972 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas
Celebrity Birthdays
Click each item below to learn more! 1912 – Lady Bird Johnson, former U.S. First Lady and wife of 36th President Lyndon Johnson (d. 2007) 1917 – Longtime “Match Game” host Gene Rayburn, born Eugene Jelyevich (d. 1999) 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)
Celebrity Birthdays
Click each item below to learn more! 1934 – Game show host Wink Martindale (“Tic Tac Dough,” “Gambit,” “Dedt”) 1964 – Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei (“My Cousin Vinny,” “In the Bedroom,” “The Wrestler”) 1966 – Comedian Fred Armisen (“Saturday Night Live,” “Portlandia”) 1969 – Grammy-winning rapper-record producer Jay Z, born Shawn Corey Carter 1954 – The Chordettes settle in at No. 1 on the singles chart for seven weeks with “Mr. Sandman.” 1965 – The Byrds kick off three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” 1993 – Cancer claims the life of rock composer-guitarist Frank Zappa at the age of 52. 2004 – The Usher-Alicia Keys duet, “My Boo,” enters its sixth and final week as a No. 1 single.
Celebrity Birthdays
History Highlights
Musical Milestones
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History Highlights
Click each item below to learn more! 1879 – American cowboy-vaudeville performer-actor Will Rogers (d. 1935) 1925 – Emmy-winning actress Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) (d. 2016) 1946 – Former First Lady Laura Bush 1960 – Emmy and Grammy-winning comedian Kathy Griffin 1961 – Actor Ralph Macchio (“Eight is Enough,” “The Karate Kid,” “My Cousin Vinny”)
Celebrity Birthdays
History Highlights
Click each item below to learn more!
Click each item below to learn more! 1927 – Grammy-winning jazz vocalist and actress Cleo Laine 1944 – Actor Dennis Franz (“Die Hard 2,” “NYPD Blue,” “City of Angels”) 1949 – U.S. Olympic decathlon gold medalist and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner, born Bruce Jenner 1952 – Actress Annie Potts (“Ghostbusters,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2”)
Celebrity Birthdays
Click each item below to learn more! 1925 – NBC “The Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson (d. 2005) 1940 – Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento (d. 2022) 1956 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter and actor Dwight Yoakam 1959 – The Grammy-winning master of the musical parody, “Weird Al” Yankovic 1962 – Former NFL and Canadian Football League star quarterback Doug Flutie
Celebrity Birthdays