On This Day: April 5

On This Day April 5

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1900 – Oscar-winning actor Spencer Tracy (“Boys Town,” “Inherit the Wind,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”) (d. 1967)

1908 – Oscar-winning actress Bette Davis, known as “The First Lady of the American Screen” (“Jezebel,” “All About Eve,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”) (d. 1989)

1916 – Oscar-winning actor Gregory Peck (“The Keys of the Kingdom,” “Gentleman’s Agreement,” “To Kill a Mockingbird”) (d. 2003)

1926 – Producer-director Roger Corman, known as “The Pope of Pop Cinema” (“The Little Shop of Horrors,” “The Raven,” “Piranha,” ” Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”) 

1937 – Soldier-turned-statesman Colin Powell, a four-star U.S. general who became the first African American secretary of state in 2001

1941 – Emmy and Tony-winning actor Michael Moriarty (“Bang the Drum Slowly,” “Holocaust,” “Law & Order”) 

1973 – Singer-rapper-music producer Pharrell Williams, best known for his 2014 smash “Happy,” from the movie “Despicable Me 2.”

History Highlights
History Highlights

1614 – Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Indian confederacy, weds English tobacco planter John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia. The marriage ensures peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several years.

1951 – A federal judge sentences Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to death for their roles in passing atomic secrets to the Soviets.  The couple had been convicted of their crimes a week earlier. They are executed by electric chair in 1953, becoming the only two American civilians to be executed for Cold War espionage.

1965 – Movie musicals sweep the Oscars. At the 37th Academy Awards, “My Fair Lady” wins Best Picture, while its star, Rex Harrison, wins Best Actor. Singer/actress Julie Andrews wins Best Actress for her role in “Mary Poppins.” 

1971 – Canadian Fran Phipps becomes the first woman to reach the North Pole. 

1987 – The sitcom “Married…With Children” debuts on Fox and ultimately lasts 11 seasons, becoming the network’s longest-running live action series.

2000 – Lee Petty, an early star of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and the patriarch of a racing dynasty that includes his son, NASCAR legend Richard Petty, dies at the age 86. Lee Petty won more than 50 races during his career.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1969 – Tommy Roe enjoys his fourth and final week on top of the pop chart with “Dizzy.”

1975 – “Lovin’ You,” by Minnie Riperton, tops the Billboard Hot 100. At the end of the track, you can hear her sing, “Maya, Maya” to her daughter, actress-comedian and “SNL” alum Maya Rudolph. Tragically, Riperton dies of breast cancer four years later at the age of 31.

1980 – “Another Brick in the Wall, Part II,” by Pink Floyd, is the No. 1 single. 

1984 – The funeral service for Motown legend Marvin Gaye takes place at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles. Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy and other Motown talent are on hand to pay their respects.

1985 – At 3:50 p.m. GMT, more than 5,000 radio stations around the world simultaneously broadcast the single “We Are the World,” produced as a charity to benefit Ethiopian famine relief. The single, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones, features the voices of some of the biggest musical acts of the day.

1994 – Grunge music icon Kurt Cobain, Nirvana founder and frontman, commits suicide at age 27. His body is discovered at his Seattle home three days later by an electrician who showed up to install a security system.

1997 – “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” by Puff Daddy featuring Mase, is in the middle of a six-week ride atop the Billboard Hot 100.

2002 – Another grunge legend, singer-songwriter Layne Staley, co-founder and lead vocalist of alternative rock band Alice in Chains, is found dead in his Seattle home from a drug overdose at the age of 34.

2008 – Leona Lewis has the No. 1 single with “Bleeding Love.” The track holds the top spot for a week.

2014 – Pharrell Williams holds the top spot on the singles chart with “Happy,” which remains at No. 1 for 10 weeks.

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On This Day: September 6

On This Day September 6

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1937 – Actress Jo Anne Worley, best remembered from the comedy-variety show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”

1943 – Roger Waters, lead singer and bass player for the British rock band Pink Floyd

1944 – Emmy- and Tony-winning actress Swoosie Kurtz (“Fifth of July,” “The House of Blue Leaves,” “Carol and Company,” “Sisters,” “Mike & Molly”)

1947 – Emmy-winning actress and comedian Jane Curtin (“Saturday Night Live,” “Kate & Allie,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “I Love You, Man”)

1958 – Grammy-winning comedian and TV personality Jeff Foxworthy (“The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” “Blue Collar TV”)

1964 – Actress Rosie Perez (“Do the Right Thing,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Fearless,” “In Living Color”) 

History Highlights
History Highlights

1915 – The first military tank is produced in England during World War I. Nicknamed “Little Willie,” the prototype armored vehicle weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches and crawled at just two miles per hour. Over time, improved designs resulted in a machine that literally transformed the battlefield.

1968 – “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” McDonald’s introduces the Big Mac to its fast food menu (for 49 cents), and decades later, it remains one of the restaurant chain’s most popular items. In 2017 alone, McDonald’s sold 1.3 billion Big Macs.

1968 – Berkeley, California becomes the first U.S. city with a population of more than 100,000 to desegregate its public schools. 

1976 – A Soviet Air Force pilot lands his MiG fighter jet in Japan and requests asylum in the U.S. 

1997 – Millions of people around the world watch live televised coverage of the Westminster Abbey funeral of Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash days earlier. During the service, Elton John performs a new version of “Candle in the Wind” as a special tribute.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1969 – The Rolling Stones are in the midst of a four-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hony Tonk Women.”

1970 – Jimi Hendrix takes the stage at the Open Air Love and Peace Festival in Fehmarn, Germany and plays what becomes his final concert before his death 12 days later in London at the age of 27. 

1975 – Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” rides to the top of the Billboard pop chart and remains there for two weeks. The track also reaches No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart and garners two Grammy nominations.

1980 – Diana Ross goes right-side-up to No. 1 on the singles chart with “Upside Down,” and holds the top spot for four weeks. 

1986 – “Venus,” by Bananarama, rises to the top of the Billboard singles survey. It’s the cover of a 1970 chart-topping hit by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue.

1997 – “Mo Money Mo Problems,” by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase, is the No. 1 single. The song is ‘Biggie’s’ second posthumous chart-topper, following “Hypnotize.”

2008 – The Jonas Brothers own the top spot on the pop chart for the second and final week with “A Little Bit Longer.”

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On this Day: May 20

On this Day May 20

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1908 – Oscar-winning actor Jimmy Stewart (“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Vertigo”) (d. 1997)

1944 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Joe Cocker (“With a Little Help From My Friends,” “You Are So Beautiful,” “Up Where We Belong”) (d. 2014)

1946 – Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning singer-actress Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere and nicknamed the “Goddess of Pop”

1965 – Emmy-winning TV host, “Iron Chef America” and “Top Chef” judge and author Ted Allen (“Queer Eye,” “Chopped”)

1966 – Actress Mindy Cohn, best remembered for playing Natalie in the sitcom “The Facts of Life”

1971 – NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, nicknamed “Smoke”

1972 – Rapper-producer Busta Rhymes, born Trevor George Smith, Jr. (“Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” “Dangerous”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1873 – Blue jeans enter the fashion world as San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada tailor Jacob Davis receive a patent to produce work pants reinforced with metal rivets.

1927 – Charles Lindbergh begins the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, departing from Long Island, New York aboard the Spirit of Saint Louis and touching down in Paris late the next day.

1932 – Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.

1956 – The arms race heats up as the United States proves it can deliver a hydrogen bomb from the air by dropping one from a B-52 bomber on the small Pacific Ocean island group known as the Bikini Atoll. At approximately 15 megatons, this bomb was more powerful than those previously tested.

1989 – Chinese authorities declare martial law and send troops into Beijing in an unsuccessful bid to stop pro-democracy demonstrators.

1996 – In a victory for the gay and lesbian civil rights movement, the U.S. Supreme Court (Romer v. Evans) votes 6 to 3 to strike down an amendment to Colorado’s state constitution that would have prevented any city, town, or county in the state from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1967 – “Groovin’,” by The Young Rascals, begins four non-consecutive weeks as the most popular single in the U.S. The track is on the album of the same name.

1970 – The Beatles film “Let It Be,” originally entitled “Get Back,” premieres in the U.K., one week after premiering in New York.

1978 – “With a Little Luck,” by Wings featuring Paul McCartney, is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and holds there for two weeks. The track is from the band’s “London Town” album.

1989 – Paula Abdul tops the Billboard Hot 100 with “Forever Your Girl,” the second of four No. 1 hits off her album of the same title.

1995 – For the sixth week in a row, Montell Jordan holds the top spot on the pop chart with “This Is How We Do It.”

1998 – Some 400 celebrities pay their final respects to entertainer Frank Sinatra during funeral services at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California.

2000 – “Maria Maria,” by Santana featuring The Product G&B, is midway through a 10-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100. The track is off the “Supernatural” album, which sweeps the 2000 Grammy Awards with eight trophies, tying Michael Jackson for most Grammys in a single ceremony.

2006 – Rihanna rules the pop chart with “SOS,” which holds the top spot for three weeks. The dance track samples Soft Cell’s 1981 recording of “Tainted Love.”

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