On This Day March 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1905 – Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford, born Lucille Fay LeSueur (“Grand Hotel,” “Mildred Pierce,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”) (d. 1977) 1944 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, born Richard Theodore Otcasek (“Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll,” “Let’s Go,” “Shake It Up,” “You Might Think”) (d. 2019) 1953 – Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Chaka Khan (“Tell Me Something Good,” “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel For You”) 1976 – Actress Michelle Monaghan (“Unfaithful,” “Mission: Impossible III,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “Made of Honor,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Eagle Eye,” “Pixels,” “True Detective”) 1976 – Golden Globe-winning actress Keri Russell (“Felicity,” “The Upside of Anger,” “Waitress,” “August Rush,” “Extraordinary Measures,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Americans”) 1978 – Celebrity gossip columnist and blogger Perez Hilton, founder of the popular celebrity news blog, Perezhilton.com History Highlights 1839 – The word “OK” is introduced to the world when the initials are published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily makes its way into the everyday speech of Americans. 1933 – The German Reichstag (Parliament) passes the Enabling Act of 1933, which marks the start of Adolf Hitler’s transformation from chancellor to dictator by enabling him to implement laws without Reichstag consent. 1983 – Barney Clark dies 112 days after becoming the world’s first recipient of a permanent artificial heart. 1983 – In a televised speech to Americans, President Ronald Reagan calls for development of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to protect the U.S. from a nuclear missile attack. The program is also referred to as “Star Wars.” 1998 – The tide rises for “Titanic” at the 70th annual Academy Awards. The James Cameron blockbuster, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, ties with 1959’s “Ben Hur” for most wins by sweeping 11 categories, including the coveted Best Picture Oscar. 2011 – Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor (“National Velvet,” “A Place in the Sun,” “Giant,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”) dies of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Taylor starred in more than 50 movies and won two Academy Awards during her colorful acting career. Musical Milestones 1963 – Ruby & the Romantics’ first recording, “Our Day Will Come,” makes it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week. The song, composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson, becomes a million-seller. 1974 – “Dark Lady” becomes Cher’s third solo No. 1 hit and her last until “Believe” a quarter-century later. The track holds the top spot for a week. 1985 – “Piano Man” Billy Joel weds his then-“Uptown Girl,” supermodel Christie Brinkley, aboard a yacht in New York Harbor. The marriage lasts nine years. 1985 – REO Speedwagon begins its third and final week on top of the pop chart with “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” 1991 – One-hit wonder Timmy T enjoys a week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “One More Try.” 1996 – Céline Dion sets sail on a six-week cruise at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her Grammy-winning smash, “Because You Loved Me.” 2002 – “Ain’t It Funny,” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, is in the midst of a six-week ride on top of the Billboard singles chart. READ MORE
On This Day February 27 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1902 – Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck (“The Grapes of Wrath,” “East of Eden,” “Of Mice and Men”) (d. 1968) 1930 – Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward (“The Three Faces of Eve,” “Rachel Rachel,” “Summer Wishes,” “Winter Dreams,” “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge”) 1932 – Oscar-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor (“National Velvet,” “A Place in the Sun,” “Giant,” “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof,” “Butterfield 8,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”) (d. 2011) 1940 – Actor Howard Hesseman, best known for playing DJ Johnny Fever on the 1970s TV sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” 1980 – Presidential daughter and businesswoman Chelsea Clinton 1981 – Pop and classical singer-songwriter Josh Groban, who has performed at both the Olympics and the Super Bowl 1983 – Actress Kate Mara (“Brokeback Mountain,” “We Are Marshall,” “Shooter,” “The Open Road,” “Transcendence,” “Fant4stic” “House of Cards”) History Highlights 1827 – Masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the first of the city’s traditional Mardi Gras celebrations. Early French settlers introduced the original Mardi Gras festivities to New Orleans until Spanish governors banned them in the 1700s. Once Louisiana became part of the U.S., laws prohibiting masks and public dancing were rescinded. 1922 – The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for female suffrage, is declared constitutional by unanimous vote of all eight members of the U.S. Supreme Court. 1936 – Shirley Temple receives a new contract from 20th Century Fox that pays the seven-year-old star an unprecedented $50,000 per film. Over the course of the 1930s, the box office success of her more than 40 films helps Fox weather the Depression. 1951 – On the heels of FDR’s four successive presidential terms, Congress ratifies the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1, limiting the tenure of presidential office to two terms. 1964 – The Italian government announces that it is accepting suggestions on how to save the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa from collapsing. 1991 – During the Persian Gulf War, President George H. W. Bush announces that “Kuwait is liberated.” Musical Milestones 1954 – Doris Day has the No. 1 single with “Secret Love” from the movie “Calamity Jane.”” The recording goes on to capture an Academy Award for Best Original Song. 1961 – “Pony Time” by Chubby Checker gallops away as the No. 1 single for three weeks. 1971 – Five months after her death, Janis Joplin begins nine weeks on top of the Billboard album chart with her second and final solo studio album, “Pearl,” which contains her smash “Me and Bobby McGee.” 1980 – The first and last Grammy ever awarded for Best Disco Recording goes to Gloria Gaynor for “I Will Survive,” unofficially marking the end of the disco era. 1988 – George Michael kicks off two weeks on top of the singles chart with “Father Figure,” off his debut studio album, “Faith.” 1993 – Whitney Houston wraps up a 14-week reign over the pop chart with “I Will Always Love You,” a song written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1973. 1999 – “Angel of Mine,” by Monica, is in the midst of a four-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 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