On This Day: January 15

On This Day January 15

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1913 – Actor Lloyd Bridges (“Sea Hunt,” “Airplane!” “East of Eden”) (d. 1998)

1929 – Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil rights leader and Baptist minister Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (d. 1968)

1937 – Oscar-winning actress Margaret O’Brien (“Jane Eyre,” “Meet Me in St. Louis”)

1951 – Singer, dancer, comedian and actress Charo, born María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baez

1957 – Actor-director Mario Van Peebles (“21 Jump Street,” “New Jack City,” “Baadasssss!”)

1968 – Emmy-winning actor Chad Lowe (“ER,” “Melrose Place,” “Life Goes On,” “Pretty Little Liars”)

1981 – Grammy-winning rapper Pitbull, born Armando Christian Pérez (“I Know You Want Me,” “Give Me Everything,” “Timber”)

1988 – Grammy-winning DJ Skrillex, born Sonny John Moore

History Highlights
History Highlights

1943 – The world’s largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia, as the home of the U.S. Department of Defense, which was then known as the U.S. War Department.

1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. 

1974 – Nostalgic sitcom “Happy Days,” starring Henry Winkler as super-cool biker Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, premieres. Ron Howard co-stars as Fonzie’s friend, Richie Cunningham. The show, created by Garry Marshall, runs for 11 seasons and was one of the highest-rated series of the 1970s.

1981 – The award-winning dramatic police series “Hill Street Blues” debuts on NBC.

2009 – In what comes to be called the “Miracle on the Hudson,” a US Airways passenger jet makes an emergency landing in the frigid Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey after a bird strike disables its engines during take-off from LaGuardia Airport. All 155 passengers and crew of the Airbus A-320 survive, and pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is hailed as a hero. In 2016, the story is made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as “Sully.”

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1966 – The Beatles are in their second and final week on top of the pop chart with “We Can Work It Out.”

1972 – Don McLean’s classic track, “American Pie,” conquers the Billboard Hot 100 and holds the top spot for four weeks. 

1977 – “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” by Leo Sayer, is the hottest song on the radio. 

1977 – “Hotel California,” by Eagles, is No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. The album spawns the hits “Hotel California,” which wins a Grammy for Record of the Year, “New Kid in Town,” which wins a Best Arrangement for Voices Grammy, and “Life in the Fast Lane.” 

1983 – “Down Under” puts Men At Work on top of the Billboard singles chart. It’s the second single from the Australian band’s “Business As Usual” album to reach No. 1.

1994 – Mariah Carey’s “Hero” marks its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single. The track receives a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy, but loses to Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do.”

2005 – “Let Me Love You,” by Mario, is in the middle of nine weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and later garners a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

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On This Day: January 15

On This Day January 15

Click each item below to learn more!

Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1913 – Actor Lloyd Bridges (“Sea Hunt,” “Airplane!” “East of Eden”) (d. 1998)

1929 – Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil rights leader and Baptist minister Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (d. 1968)

1937 – Oscar-winning actress Margaret O’Brien (“Jane Eyre,” “Meet Me in St. Louis”)

1951 – Singer, dancer, comedian and actress Charo, born María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baez

1957 – Actor-director Mario Van Peebles (“21 Jump Street,” “New Jack City,” “Baadasssss!”)

1968 – Emmy-winning actor Chad Lowe (“ER,” “Melrose Place,” “Life Goes On,” “Pretty Little Liars”)

1981 – Grammy-winning rapper Pitbull, born Armando Christian Pérez (“I Know You Want Me,” “Give Me Everything,” “Timber”)

1988 – Grammy-winning DJ Skrillex, born Sonny John Moore

History Highlights
History Highlights

1943 – The world’s largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia, as the home of the U.S. Department of Defense, which was then known as the U.S. War Department.

1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. 

1974 – Nostalgic sitcom “Happy Days,” starring Henry Winkler as super-cool biker Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, premieres. Ron Howard co-stars as Fonzie’s friend, Richie Cunningham. The show, created by Garry Marshall, runs for 11 seasons and was one of the highest-rated series of the 1970s.

1981 – The award-winning dramatic police series “Hill Street Blues” debuts on NBC.

2009 – In what comes to be called the “Miracle on the Hudson,” a US Airways passenger jet makes an emergency landing in the frigid Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey after a bird strike disables its engines during take-off from LaGuardia Airport. All 155 passengers and crew of the Airbus A-320 survive, and pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is hailed as a hero. In 2016, the story is made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as “Sully.”

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1966 – The Beatles have a No. 1 single with “We Can Work It Out.”

1972 – Don McLean’s classic track, “American Pie,” conquers the Billboard singles chart and holds the top spot for four weeks. 

1977 – “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer is the hottest song on the radio. 

1983 – “Down Under” puts Men At Work on top of the Billboard singles chart. It’s the second single from the Australian band’s “Business As Usual” album to reach No. 1.

1994 – Mariah Carey’s “Hero” marks its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single.

2005 – “Let Me Love You,” by Mario, is in the middle of nine weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and later garners a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

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On this Day: July 26

On this Day July 26

Click each item below to learn more!

Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1928 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning director Stanley Kubrick (“Spartacus,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Shining,” “Full Metal jacket,” “Eyes Wide Shut”) (d. 1999)

1943 – Legendary Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger

1945 – Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren (“Prime Suspect,” “Caligula,” “Shadowboxer,” “Elizabeth I,” “The Queen,” “Hitchcock,” “Woman in Gold”) 

1956 – Olympic gold medal figure skater Dorothy Hamill 

1959 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor-director-producer Kevin Spacey (“Seven,” “The Usual Suspects,” “L.A. Confidential,” “American Beauty,” “House of Cards,” “Elvis & Nixon”), who went on to face multiple accusations of sexual misconduct

1964 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Sandra Bullock (“The Net,” “Speed,” “Miss Congeniality,” “The Blind Side,” “Gravity”) 

1965 – Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Piven, best known for his role as Hollywood agent Ari Gold in the TV series and movie “Entourage”

1973 – Actress Kate Beckinsale (“Pearl Harbor,” “Underworld,” “The Aviator,” “Click,” “Total Recall”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1775 – Signed, sealed and delivered. The U.S. Postal Service is established and the Continental Congress appoints Benjamin Franklin as first Postmaster General.

1908 – The Office of the Chief Examiner, later named the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is founded. It begins with a short memo signed by Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte, describing a “regular force of special agents” available to investigate certain cases of the U.S. Department of Justice.

1947 – President Harry Truman signs the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

1964 – Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa is convicted of fraud and conspiracy. The man long suspected of mafia ties serves four years in prison before President Richard Nixon commutes his sentence. 

1990 – President George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, extending civil rights protections to people with disabilities, guaranteeing them equal employment opportunities as well as accessibility to buildings and transportation.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1952 – Vera Lynn is in the midst of a nine-week ride on top of the Billboard singles survey with “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart.”

1968 – Motown Records signs the Jackson 5 to a one-year contract. 

1969 – Johnny Cash releases the single, “A Boy Named Sue,” which was recorded five months earlier during a performance at California’s San Quentin State Prison.

1975 – Disco anthem “The Hustle,” by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, boogies its way to the top of the singles chart.

1984 – Movie-goers line up to see the premiere of “Purple Rain,” the semi-autobiographical story of musician Prince. 

1986 – Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” off his “So” album, is the No. 1 single. The accompanying music video goes on to capture a record nine awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. Gabriel also earns three Grammy nominations: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

1997 – “I’ll Be Missing You,” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

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