On This Day April 3 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1924 – Oscar-winning actor Marlon Brando (“A Streetcar Named Desire,” “On The Waterfront,” “The Godfather” trilogy, “Apocalypse Now”) (d. 2004) 1924 – Golden Globe and Grammy-winning actress and singer Doris Day (“Sentimental Journey,” “Pillow Talk,” “The Doris Day Show”) (d. 2019) 1934 – Primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, best known for her extensive studies of chimpanzees in their African habitat 1958 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor and frequent “SNL” host Alec Baldwin (“Beetlejuice,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “The Cooler,” “The Departed,” “It’s Complicated,” “30 Rock”) 1961 – Golden Globe-winning actor, comedian, singer and “SNL” alum Eddie Murphy (“48 Hours,” “Trading Places,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Coming to America,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Shrek,” “Dreamgirls”) 1986 – TV and film actress Amanda Bynes (“The Amanda Show,” “What a Girl Wants,” “Hairspray”) History Highlights 1860 – The Pony Express launches, with horse and rider relay teams simultaneously leaving St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California as part of a new effort to speed up U.S. mail delivery. 1948 – President Harry S. Truman signs the Economic Recovery Act of 1948 — later known as the Marshall Plan — which would foster the recovery of war-torn Europe. 1968 – Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction classic, “2001: A Space Odyssey” — regularly voted as one of the greatest movies ever made, but whose philosophical meaning most fans cannot explain — opens in theaters around the U.S. 1968 – Another sci-fi classic opens at U.S. theaters. It’s “Planet of the Apes,” starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans. It’s the story about an astronaut crew that crash-lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes rule and humans are oppressed and enslaved. 1974 – More than 140 tornadoes rip through 11 states within 16 hours. The “Super Tornado Outbreak” kills 330 people and injures more than 6,000 others. 1978 – At the 50th annual Academy Awards, Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” wins the Oscar for Best Picture, beating out George Lucas’ “Star Wars.” 1986 – IBM unveils its first laptop computer. The 5140 “Convertible” retails for $1,995 and weighs 13 pounds. 1996 – FBI agents arrest accused Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski at his rural Montana cabin. Kaczynski was linked to 16 mail bombs that killed three people and injured 23 others during an 18-year period. Musical Milestones 1956 – Elvis Presley is a guest on “The Milton Berle Show,” live from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hancock in San Diego, California. He performs “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Shake Rattle And Roll” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” It is estimated that one out of every four Americans watched the program. 1961 – The Marcels start a three-week run on top of the singles chart with their doo-wop rendition of the Rodgers and Hart song, “Blue Moon.” 1971 – The Temptations score their second No. 1 single with “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” which holds the top spot for two weeks. 1971 – Six months after her death, Janis Joplin holds the top spot on the Billboard album chart with “Pearl,” which features her smash, “Me and Bobby McGee.” The album remains at No. 1 for nine weeks. 1976 – “Disco Lady,” by the so-called ‘Philosopher of Soul,’ Johnnie Taylor, is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and remains there for four weeks. 1982 – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts are in the middle of a seven-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” 1990 – Grammy-winning jazz singer and pianist Sarah Vaughan, considered one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, dies of lung cancer at the age of 66. READ MORE
On This Day December 5 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1901 – Animator, voice actor and producer Walt Disney, born Walter Elias Disney, who founded The Walt Disney Company and created the iconic character Mickey Mouse (d. 1966) 1932 – Rock and Roll legend Little Richard, born Richard Wayne Penniman (“Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly”) 1947 – Singer-songwriter Jim Messina (Loggins & Messina) 1968 – Comedian, actress, producer and writer Margaret Cho 1985 – “Malcolm in the Middle” star and race car driver Frankie Muniz History Highlights 1933 – Fourteen years of Prohibition in the U.S. ends with ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which repeals the 18th Amendment. 1945 – A squadron of U.S. Navy bombers, collectively known as “Flight 19,” mysteriously vanishes in the Bermuda Triangle — a section of ocean between Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. A rescue aircraft also disappears during an attempt to locate the missing team. Despite countless theories throughout the years, there still is no definitive explanation for what happened to the six aircraft and 27 airmen aboard. 1955 – After 20 years of rivalry, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merge to become the AFL-CIO. 1955 – The Montgomery (Alabama) Bus Boycott begins, following the arrest of black bus passenger Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. The boycott lasts more than a year until a U.S. Supreme Court decision requires integration of Montgomery’s public transportation system. 1978 – In an effort to prop up an unpopular pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union signs a “friendship treaty” with the Afghan government, agreeing to provide economic and military assistance. 1984 – “Beverly Hills Cop” opens, starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a Detroit detective who heads to Beverly Hills, California to solve the murder of his best friend. Musical Milestones 1960 – Elvis Presley tops the singles chart with “Are You Lonesome Tonight.” 1964 – Actor Lorne Greene, beloved star of TV’s “Bonanza,” achieves musical success when his song, “Ringo,” lands on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and holds there for a week. 1973 – Paul McCartney releases “Band On The Run,” his fifth album since the breakup of The Beatles. It spawns two hit singles: “Jet” and “Band on the Run.” 1987 – Former Go-Gos lead singer Belinda Carlisle enjoys her first and only No. 1 single as a solo act: “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” 1992 – Grammy-winning pop legend Whitney Houston rules the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Will Always Love You,” a song written and originally recorded by country music legend Dolly Parton in 1973. 1998 – “I’m Your Angel,” by R. Kelly and Céline Dion kicks off six weeks as a No. 1 single. 2009 – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys own the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Empire State of Mind.” The single holds at No. 1 for five weeks and becomes the last chart-topper of the 2000s. READ MORE
On this Day June 22 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1936 – Golden Globe-winning singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson ( “Me and Bobby McGee” and “For the Good Times,” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “A Star Is Born”) 1949 – Emmy-winning actress Lindsay Wagner of TV’s “The Bionic Woman” 1949 – Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep (“Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “Silkwood,” “Out of Africa,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Iron Lady”) 1953 – Grammy, Emmy and Tony-winning singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, born Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (“Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop,” “True Colors”) 1954 – Comedian Freddie Prinze, best known for starring in the TV series “Chico and the Man” (d. 1977) 1971 – Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub, best known for her role as Chloe in the FOX-TV action series “24” History Highlights 1944 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the GI Bill to provide financial aid to veterans returning from World War II. 1950 – Prominent figures in the music industry, including Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Lena Horne, Pete Seeger and Artie Shaw, are named publicly as suspected Communist sympathizers as part of America’s infamous Red Scare.T Their names appear in Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television. 1966 – Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton grace the big screen with the release of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” It’s the first movie to contain certain four-letter words and adult content, but still receive the production code seal of approval. 1969 – Award-winning actress-singer Judy Garland, best known for playing Dorothy in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz,” is found dead of a drug overdose in her London home just days after her 47th birthday. 1981 – Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to the murder of music legend and former Beatle John Lennon. 2001 – There’s plenty of burning rubber on the screen as the action movie “The Fast and the Furious,” starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, debuts in U.S. theaters. The film becomes a blockbuster — grossing $200 million worldwide — and spawns several sequels. 2011 – After 16 years on the run from law enforcement, James “Whitey” Bulger, a violent Boston mob boss wanted for 19 murders, is arrested in California. Bulger was among the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives. He dies in prison in 2018 at the age of 89. Musical Milestones 1963 – “Fingertips, Part 2,” by 13-year-old singing sensation ‘Little’ Stevie Wonder, becomes the now-legendary Motown artist’s first of 61 chart records through 1988. 1968 – Trumpeter Herb Alpert finds success as a vocalist when he starts four weeks on top of the singles chart with “This Guy’s In Love With You” — his first No. 1 hit. The track is a Burt Bacharach-Hal David composition. 1974 – “Billy Don’t Be a Hero,” by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods,” enters its second and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 1985 – The soundtrack from the Eddie Murphy action comedy “Beverly Hills Cop” tops the Billboard album chart. It spawns the hits “Axel F” by Harold Faltermeyer and “The Heat is On” by Glenn Frey. 1985 – Bryan Adams scores his first chart-topping single with “Heaven,” which holds at No. 1 for two weeks. 1991 – Paula Abdul conquers the pop chart with “Rush Rush,” which remains at No. 1 for five weeks. 1996 – “Tha Crossroads,” by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, tops the Billboard singles chart. 2002 – Ashanti wraps up a 10-week domination of the pop chart with “Foolish.” 2013 – “Blurred Lines,” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell, begins a 12-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100. The track samples Marvin Gaye’s 1977 smash, “Got to Give It Up.” READ MORE
On this Day May 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1883 – Actor-producer Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who was one of Hollywood’s founding fathers (“The Mark of Zorro,” “The Thief of Baghdad,” “Robin Hood”) (d. 1939) 1910 – Actor-singer Scatman Crothers (“The Aristocats,” “Harlem Globetrotters,” “Chico and the Man,” “The Shining”) (d. 1986) 1928 – Singer Rosemary Clooney (“Come On-a My House”, “Botch-a-Me,” “Mambo Italiano,” “Tenderly,” “Half as Much,” “Hey There,” “This Ole House”) (d. 2002) 1933 – Golden Globe-winning actress and author Joan Collins, best known for her role in the 80s TV series “Dynasty” 1954 – Former middleweight champion boxer “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler 1958 – Best-selling author Mitch Albom, most widely recognized for his 1997 book, “Tuesdays With Morrie” 1958 – Comedian and TV game show host Drew Carey (“The Drew Carey Show,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “The Price is Right”) 1965 – Actress Melissa McBride (“The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” “The Mist,” “The Walking Dead”) 1974 – Singer-songwriter Jewel, born Jewel Kilcher (“Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “Foolish Games”) History Highlights 1934 – Authorities shoot and kill outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow (“Bonnie and Clyde”) while the couple drive a stolen car through Louisiana. The ambush ends one of the most colorful and spectacular manhunts in the U.S. up to that time. 1958 – America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, stops transmitting data when its batteries die. However, the probe remains in orbit for 12 years, eventually burning up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean on March 31, 1970. 1960 – Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announces the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who goes on to stand trial in Israel. 1980 – Stanley Kubrick’s psychological horror film “The Shining,” based on the Stephen King novel of the same name and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, opens in U.S. theaters. 2015 – Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage. Musical Milestones 1960 – The Everly Brothers begin a five-week ride atop the singles chart with “Cathy’s Clown.” 1964 – Ella Fitzgerald becomes the first artist to enjoy a hit with a Beatles cover when “Can’t Buy Me Love” enters the British pop chart. 1979 – Rocker Tom Petty defies his record label and files for bankruptcy, a move that goes on to permanently change the music industry. 1981 – George Harrison’s “All Those Years Ago” debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually reaching No. 2. Paul and Linda McCartney and Ringo Starr lend their talents to the single, a tribute to John Lennon who died a year earlier. 1985 – Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy’s one and only hit single, “Party All The Time’ — produced by Rick James and Kevin Johnston — is released. The track reaches No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1992 – “Jump,” by hip-hop duo Kris Kross, is in the middle of an eight-week hold on the top spot on the singles chart. 1998 – Mariah Carey enjoys a week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “My All.” READ MORE