On This Day April 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1564 – Poet-playwright William Shakespeare (d. 1616) 1928 – Oscar-winning child star Shirley Temple (d. 2014) 1936 – Rock and roll singer-songwriter Roy Orbison (“Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Crying,” “Dream Baby”) (d. 1988) 1939 – Actor Lee Majors, best remembered for his role as astronaut Steve Austin in the 1970s hit series “The Six Million Dollar Man” 1942 – Golden Globe-winning actress Sandra Dee, nicknamed “Queen of Teens” (“Gidget,” “A Summer Place”) (d. 2005) 1954 – Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore (“Roger and Me,” “Bowling for Columbine,” “Fahrenheit 9/11″”Capitalism: A Love Story”) 1960 – Actress Valerie Bertinelli (“One Day at a Time,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Hot in Cleveland”) 1961 – Actor-comedian George Lopez, best known for his self-produced sitcom “George Lopez” that aired on ABC-TV for six seasons 1977 – Actor and former Obama administration aide Kal Penn, born Kalpen Suresh Modi (the “Harold and Kumar” films, “House,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Designated Survivor”) 1990 – Actor Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “The Newsroom,” “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Chappie,” “The Man Who Knew Infinity,” “Lion,” “Hotel Mumbai”) History Highlights 1896 – Entertainment is revolutionized as an audience at Koster and Bial’s Music Hall on 34th Street in New York City watches the first movie ever projected onto a screen. 1953 – Paramount Pictures releases “Shane,” starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur and Van Heflin, a film considered by many to be one of the greatest Westerns ever made. 1968 – Columbia University students, opposed to the Vietnam War and the school’s plans to construct a gymnasium in a Harlem neighborhood adjacent to the campus, seize administration buildings, take the dean hostage and shut the university down for a week. 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is sentenced to the death penalty following his conviction for the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York. In 1972, Sirhan’s sentence is commuted to life in prison after California abolishes the death penalty. 1985 – Coca-Cola replaces its original formula Coke with a beverage called New Coke. However, consumers overwhelmingly reject the new soft drink. Three months later, the company backtracks and announces the return of the original formula, which is branded Coca-Cola Classic. 2004 – The romantic comedy “13 Going on 30,” starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, opens in U.S. theaters. Garner plays the adult version of a 13-year-old girl whose dream of being “30, flirty, and thriving” comes true with the help of some magic dust. Musical Milestones 1961 – In what’s been called “the greatest night in show business history,” Judy Garland — beloved for her role as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” — performs at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Garland sings 27 numbers, frequently interrupted by extended standing ovations. The double album of the historic performance becomes a smash, charting for 94 weeks on the Billboard chart, including 13 weeks at No. 1. It also captures five Grammy Awards. 1966 – “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” by The Righteous Brothers, marks its third and final week as the No. 1 single. It is the duo’s first major hit after leaving their longtime producer, Phil Spector. 1977 – Thelma Houston’s disco smash, “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song goes on to capture a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. 1983 – The hottest single belongs to one-hit-wonder Dexys Midnight Runners: “Come On Eileen.” 1988 – “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?,” by Whitney Houston, begins a two-week hold on the No. 1 slot on Billboard Hot 100. 1994 – R. Kelly rules the singles chart with “Bump n’ Grind.” 2005 – “Candy Shop,” by 50 Cent featuring Olivia, begins its eighth week on top of the pop chart. It will remain there for one more week. READ MORE
On This Day November 16 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1907 – Emmy-winning actor Burgess Meredith (“Of Mice and Men,” the 1960s “Batman” TV series, “Rocky,” “Grumpy Old Men”) (d. 1997) 1964 – Grammy-winning jazz pianist-singer Diana Krall 1967 – Actress Lisa Bonet (“The Cosby Show,” “Angel Heart”) 1972 – Actress Missi Pyle, born Andrea Kay Pyle (“Galaxy Quest,” “The Artist,” “Big Fish,” “50 First Dates,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Gone Girl”) 1977 – Ukrainian figure skater Oksana Baiul, who captured gold at the 1994 Olympic Games 1977 – Golden Globe-winning actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Donnie Darko,” “Secretary,” Adaptation,” “World Trade Center,” “The Dark Knight,” “Crazy Heart”) History Highlights 1907 – Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory collectively enter the United States as Oklahoma, the 46th state. 1915 – The patent for the iconic curved glass Coca-Cola bottle is awarded to the Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana. Coca-Cola and Root Glass enter into an agreement to have six glass companies across the U.S. use the bottle shape. The contract called for the bottles to be colored with “German Green” which was later renamed “Georgia Green” in honor of Coke’s home state. 1945 – The United States implements “Operation Paperclip,” a top secret program that brings 88 German scientists to America to help develop rocket technology. The moves stirs controversy because many of the scientists, including Apollo program pioneer Wernher von Braun, had served under the Nazi regime. 1973 – President Richard Nixon authorizes construction of the Alaska Pipeline to meet America’s growing energy demands while reducing the nation’s reliance on foreign oil. 1977 – After terrifying audiences with “Jaws” two years earlier, director Steven Spielberg dazzles moviegoers with visitors from other worlds as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” opens in movie theaters. 1981 – Sixteen million TV viewers tune in to “General Hospital” on ABC for the much-anticipated Luke and Laura wedding. 2001 – “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” opens in U.S. movie theaters kicking off one of the most successful movie franchises of all time based on novels written by J. K. Rowling. Musical Milestones 1959 – “The Sound of Music” premieres on Broadway. 1963 – Siblings Nino Tempo and April Stevens have the No 1 single with “Deep Purple,” which goes on to capture a Best Rock and Roll Record Grammy Award. 1968 – “Hey Jude,” by The Beatles, is in the middle of a nine-week domination of the singles chart. 1974 – John Lennon rules the Billboard Hot 100 with “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.” The song features backup vocals and piano by Elton John. 1985 – Starship starts a two-week run at No.1 on the Billboard singles chart with “We Built This City.” The track, which music critics have panned over the years, is from the band’s “Knee Deep in the Hoopla” album, which spawns another chart-topping single, “Sara.” 1996 – “No Diggity” by Blackstreet, featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, is in the midst of a four-week ride on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 2002 – Eminem begins his second week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Lose Yourself,” from the movie “8 Mile,” in which the rapper stars. The track holds at No. 1 for 12 weeks. READ MORE
On this Day July 11 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1767 – John Quincy Adams, sixth U.S. president (d. 1848) 1920 – Tony and Oscar-winning actor Yul Brynner (“The King and I,” “Anastasia,” “The Ten Commandments,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Westworld”) (d. 1985) 1934 – Fashion designer Giorgio Armani 1950 – Actor Bruce McGill (“MacGyver,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “The Insider,” “Ali,” “Legally Blonde 2,” “Collateral,” “Rizzoli & Isles”) 1953 – Former heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks (d. 2021) 1956 – Emmy-winning actress Sela Ward (“Sisters,” “The Fugitive,” “Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story,” “Once and Again,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “The Guardian,” “The Stepfather,” “Gone Girl”) 1959 – Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega (“Tom’s Diner,” “Luka”) 1963 – Actress and TV host Lisa Rinna (“Days of Our Lives,” “Melrose Place,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) 1975 – Grammy-winning rapper Lil’ Kim, born Kimberly Denise Jones (“Magic Stick,” “Crush on You,” “Lady Marmalade”) History Highlights 1804 – Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his longtime political antagonist, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and former Treasury Secretary, dies the next day. 1914 – George Herman “Babe” Ruth makes his major league debut, pitching seven strong innings to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians, 4-3. 1916 – President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Aid Road Act, making federal funds available for construction and maintenance of U.S. highways. 1979 – Skylab plunges to Earth six years after its launch, showering flaming debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia, but fortunately causing no casualties. 1985 – Coca-Cola officials hold a news conference to announce that original Coke is coming back after consumers overwhelmingly rejected its replacement by New Coke. The original formula is renamed Coca-Cola Classic. Musical Milestones 1951 – Legendary disc jockey Alan Freed (a.k.a. “Moondog”) starts his new job spinning records for a rhythm and blues show on radio station WJW in Cleveland. With his unprecedented on-air mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues songs, Freed is credited with coining the term “rock ‘n roll.” 1969 – David Bowie releases “Space Oddity,” which soars to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is ranked among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” 1970 – The “Woodstock” soundtrack hits the top of the Billboard album chart and remains there for four weeks. 1970 – The No. 1 single in the U.S. is “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” by Three Dog Night. The song, written by Randy Newman, holds the top spot for two weeks. 1987 – “Alone,” by Heart, kicks off three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the sibling duo’s biggest hit in the U.S. 1992 – “Baby Got Back,” by American rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot, is in the midst of five weeks as a No. 1 single. 1998 – Brandy and Monica are in the middle of a 13-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100 with “The Boy is Mine.” 2009 – The Black Eyed Peas kick off 14 weeks on top of the U.S. singles chart with “I Gotta Feeling,” the longest-running No. 1 single of 2009. The song is goes on to win a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. READ MORE