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On this Day June 26

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Celebrity Birthdays

1904 – Actor Peter Lorre, born László Loewenstein in Hungary (d. 1964)

1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, considered the world’s greatest woman athlete (d. 1956)

1956 – Rock musician-actor Chris Isaak (“Wicked Game,” “Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing,” “Somebody’s Crying”)

1970 – Actor Chris O’Donnell (“Scent of a Woman,” “Batman Forever,” “Batman & Robin,” “NCIS” Los Angeles”)

1970 – Emmy-winning actor-comedian and producer Sean Hayes, best known for his starring role in the sitcom “Will & Grace”

1974 – Retired New York Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter

1980 – NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who served nearly two years in prison for his role in illegal dog fighting

1992 – Actress Jennette McCurdy, best known for her role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom “iCarly” and its spin-off, “Sam & Cat, which co-starred Ariana Grande

1993 – Actress-turned-Grammy-winning pop sensation Ariana Grande (“The Way,” “Break Free,” “Problem,” “Thank U, Next”)

History Highlights

1927 – Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster begins operating. The ride quickly becomes a fan favorite, with long lines of repeat customers paying 25 cents per ride. In 1988, it is designated a New York City Landmark, and in 1991, it is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1948 – Known as the “Berlin Airlift,” U.S. and British planes begin delivering food and supplies through airdrops to (West) Berlin, Germany after Soviet forces seal off rail, road, and water access with a blockade. The crisis finally ends almost a year later when Soviet forces lift the blockade on land access to the city.

1959 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II preside at a ceremony marking the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which creates a navigational channel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.

1963 – President John F. Kennedy speaks the famous words, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” in a speech before cheering throngs in democratic West Berlin.

1974 – Grocery shopping is revolutionized with the introduction of the bar code. The first item scanned is a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

1993 – President Bill Clinton punishes Iraq for a plot to assassinate former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

2015 – Marking a major milestone for civil rights, the Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage cannot be banned in the United States and that all same-sex marriages must be recognized nationwide, finally granting same-sex couples equal rights to heterosexual couples under the law.

Musical Milestones

1961 – Gary U.S. Bonds kicks off two weeks on top of the pop chart with “Quarter to Three,” ranked among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.

1965 – The most popular single is The Byrds’ interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

1971 – “It’s Too Late,” by Carole King, is in the middle of a five-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The track goes on to capture a Record of the Year Grammy — one of four Grammys associated with King’s “Tapestry” album.

1976 – Paul McCartney and Wings hold the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Silly Love Songs.”

1977 – Elvis Presley makes his last ever live stage appearance when he plays to a crowd of 18,000 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Less than two months later, the 42-year-old music legend is dead.

1982 – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder enter their seventh and final week as chart-toppers with “Ebony and Ivory.” The duet becomes one of the top-selling singles of 1982 and, in 2013, is ranked by Billboard as the 69th biggest all-time Hot 100 hit.

1993 – Janet Jackson rules the Billboard Hot 100 with “That’s the Way Love Goes.”

1999 – Jennifer Lopez is midway through a five-week run atop the singles chart with “If You Had My Love.”

2004 – Usher holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth week with “Burn.”

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