On This Day: April 6

On This Day April 6

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1937 – Actor Billy Dee Williams, best known for his portrayal of Lando Calrissian in “Star Wars Episode V” and “Star Wars Episode VI”

1937 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Merle Haggard (d. 2016)

1947 – Actor John Ratzenberger, best known for playing letter carrier Cliff Clavin in the sitcom “Cheers” and being the voice of Hamm, the piggy bank, in Pixar’s “Toy Story” trilogy 

1952 – Actress and author Marilu Henner (“Taxi,” “Evening Shade,” “The Celebrity Apprentice”)

1969 – Actor Paul Rudd (“Clueless,” “The Object Of My Affection,” “Anchorman,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Ant-Man”)  

1975 – Grammy-winning actor-director Zach Braff (“Scrubs,” “Garden State,” “Oz the Great and Powerful,” “Going in Style”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1896 – Opening ceremonies for the first Olympic Games of the modern era take place in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens 1,500 years after the event was banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Some 80,000 spectators welcome about 240 athletes from 14 countries to the international competition, which featured nine sports.

1917 – Two days after the U.S. Senate votes 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany, the U.S. House of Representatives endorses the decision by a vote of 373 to 50, and the United States formally enters World War I.

1938 – Roy Plunkett invents Teflon, whose non-stick properties revolutionize cooking.

1947 – The first Tony Awards for theatrical achievement are handed out. The Tonys are named after actress-director-producer Antoinette Perry, the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing who had recently died.

1973 – Major League Baseball’s American League uses a designated hitter for the first time.  

1980 – The 3M company revolutionizes the workplace when it introduces Post-it notes, which adorn computer monitors, cubicle partitions and walls the world over.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1963 – The Chiffons are in the midst of a four-week domination of the singles chart with “He’s So Fine” which was written by Ronnie Mack.

1968 – Simon & Garfunkel reach No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with the soundtrack to the movie “The Graduate,” featuring their hits “The Sound of Silence” and “Mrs. Robinson.”

1974 – “Hooked on a Feeling,” by Blue Swede, is the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1985 – Phil Collins’ “One More Night” begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single. 

1991 – “Coming Out of the Dark,” by Gloria Estefan, kicks off its second and final week on top of the pop chart.

1998 –  Country singer Tammy Wynette dies in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 55. Known as the First Lady of Country Music, Wynette scored 12 hit singles including “Stand By Your Man,” and sold more than 30 million records world-wide.

1999 – An all-star tribute to singer-songwriter Johnny Cash takes place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, with Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Willie Nelson and U2 all performing for the special, broadcast on TNT.

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On This Day: January 11

On This Day January 11

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1757 – Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s Founding Fathers, credited with establishing the nation’s financial system and first political party  (d. 1804)

1930 – Actor Rod Taylor (“The Time Machine,” “The Birds”) (d. 2015)

1942 – Bruce Springsteen/E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemens (d. 2011)

1946 – Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter Naomi Judd of The Judds (d. 2022)

1952 – Golf legend Ben Crenshaw 

1971 – Grammy-winning R&B, soul and hip-hop singer Mary J. Blige

1972 – Actress Amanda Peet (“The Whole Nine Yards,” “Saving Silverman,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Identity,” “Syriana”) 

History Highlights
History Highlights

1908 – Calling it “the one great sight which every American should see,” U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declares the Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona a national monument. It is designated a national park in 1919.

1935 – Three years after becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to achieve a solo flight across the Pacific from Hawaii to California.

1964 – U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry publishes a report stating that smoking may be hazardous to one’s health. It is the first such statement ever made by the federal government. 

1973 – Major League Baseball’s American League adopts the Designated Hitter (DH) rule, clearing the way for another player to bat for the pitcher while allowing the pitcher to remain in the game. 

1989 – After eight years as U.S. president, Ronald Reagan gives his farewell address to the American people. In his speech, President Reagan said the U.S. was “respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.” 

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1964 – Columbia Records’ “Ring Of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash” becomes the first country album to reach No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. The first track on Side 1 of the album is Cash’s signature “Ring of Fire.”

1969 – Marvin Gaye has the hottest song on the radio with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

1975 – Elton John’s cover of The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single. 

1986 – Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me” wraps up a four-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100.

1992 – Nirvana’s “Nevermind” claims the top spot on the Billboard album chart. That same evening, the band is the musical guest on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”). It marks the first time a grunge act performs for a mainstream national television audience.

1992 – Michael Jackson is king of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Black or White,” which holds the top spot for seven weeks. It is among four top 10 singles from MJ’s “Dangerous” album.

2003 – “Lose Yourself,” by Eminem from the “8 Mile” soundtrack, is the No. 1 single.

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