Ella Fitzgerald – Time Rewind

On This Day April 25

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On this Day June 15

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Celebrity Birthdays

1937 – Country music singer-songwriter Waylon Jennings (d. 2002)

1954 – Actor and comedian Jim Belushi (“Curly Sue,” “According to Jim”)

1963 – Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Helen Hunt (“Mad About You,” “Twister,” “As Good As It Gets”)

1964 – Actress-producer Courteney Cox (“Friends,” “Scream,” “Cougar Town”)

1969 – Rapper-turned-actor and filmmaker Ice Cube, born O’Shea Jackson (“Straight Outta Compton,” “Boyz n the Hood,” “Friday, “Three Kings,” “Barbershop,” “21 Jump Street”)

1973 – Emmy and Tony-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris (“Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”)

History Highlights

1215 – Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta (“Great Charter”). The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws.

1846 – Representatives of the United States and Great Britain sign the Oregon Treaty, establishing the boundary between the U.S. and Canada.

1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper, born a slave in Thomasville, Georgia, becomes the first black cadet to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

1917 – Two months after America formally enters World War I Congress passes the Espionage Act. The measure makes it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the U.S. armed forces’ prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country’s enemies.

1934 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established, straddling North Carolina and Tennessee.

1955 – The Eisenhower administration stages the first Operation Alert (OPAL) exercise, an attempt to assess America’s preparations for a nuclear attack.

1969 – The variety show “Hee Haw” premieres on CBS and continues through 1971 before starting a 21-year run in syndication. The show centered around country music and rural culture.

1986 – Auto racing legend Richard Petty makes the 1,000th start of his National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) career, becoming the first driver to do so.

Musical Milestones

1963 – Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto begins a three-week domination of the U.S. pop chart with “Sukiyaki.” Two decades later, in 1981, the band A Taste of Honey — which gave us the disco hit “Boogie Oogie Oogie” — releases its English-language version of the song and takes it to No. 3 on the pop chart.

1965 – Bob Dylan records one of the defining songs of his career: “Like a Rolling Stone.” The track is credited with transforming Dylan’s image from folk singer to rock star, and is considered one of the most influential compositions in postwar popular music. “Rolling Stone” magazine named it the best song of all time.

1974 – One-hit wonder Bo Donaldson claims a two-week hold on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero.”

1985 – “Around the World in a Day,” by Prince and the Revolution, begins its third and final week atop the Billboard album chart. The album contains the hits “Paisley Park and “Raspberry Beret.”

1989 – Nirvana’s debut album, “Bleach,” is released in the U.S., but doesn’t gain much traction until after the grunge band’s “Nevermind” album is released three years later.

1996 – “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald, dies at the age of 79. Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century, winning 13 Grammy awards and selling more than 40 million albums.

2002 – Ashanti’s debut single, “Foolish,” is in the midst of a 10-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100. Her accompanying music video features actor Terrence Howard.

On this Day May 23

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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.”