On This Day: October 30

On This Day October 30

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1735 – One of America’s Founding Fathers, second U.S. President John Adams (d. 1826)

1939 – Rock singer-songwriter Grace Slick, who performed with Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship

1945 – Actor Henry Winkler, best remembered for playing “The Fonz” in the popular ABC sitcom “Happy Days”

1951 – Actor Harry Hamlin (“Clash of the Titans,” “L.A. Law,” “Mad Men”)

1957 – Actor Kevin Pollak (“Avalon,” “A Few Good Men,” “Grumpy Old Men,” “The Usual Suspects”)

1970 – Actress Nia Long (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Third Watch,” “Boiler Room,” the “Big Momma’s House” movies, “Are We There Yet?”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1938 – In what could be called an early case of fake news, actor Orson Welles terrifies radio listeners across the United States with his “War of the Worlds” broadcast — a dramatization of H.G. Wells’ tale about a Martian invasion.

1968 – “The Lion in Winter,” starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, opens at the box office. The movie goes on to capture three Oscars, including a Best Actress win for Hepburn.

1974 – An historic boxing match-up called the “Rumble in the Jungle” sees Muhammad Ali knock out George Foreman in the eighth round in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo), in central Africa.

1975 – The New York Daily News runs its infamous front-page headline ‘Ford to City: Drop Dead’ in reference to President Gerald Ford’s speech the day before denying federal assistance to help New York City avert bankruptcy.

1991 – A so-called “perfect storm” churns across the North Atlantic, producing powerful and deadly waves along the coasts of New England and Canada. The Gloucester, Massachusetts-based fishing boat Andrea Gail and its six-member crew are lost in the nor’easter, which inspires the best-selling book, “The Perfect Storm,” by Sebastian Junger, and a blockbuster movie starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1965 – “Yesterday,” by The Beatles, marks its fourth and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1971 – Rod Stewart concludes a five-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Maggie May.”

1976 – Chicago has the No. 1 single with “If You Leave Me Now,” which goes on to capture the band’s first Grammy.

1982 – The Australian band Men At Work climbs to the top of the U.S. singles chart with “Who Can It Be Now?” One week earlier, the group performed that song and their other hit, “Down Under,” on “Saturday Night Live,” and the following February, won a Best New Artist Grammy.

1993 – Mariah Carey’s “Dreamlover” marks the end of an eight-week run on top of the Billboard singles chart. It is her seventh No. 1 hit.

2004 – Usher and Alicia Keys rule the pop chart with “My Boo,” which holds the No. 1 spot for six weeks.

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On This Day: September 21

On This Day September 21

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1866 – Author H. G. Wells (“The Time Machine,” “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” “The Invisible Man,” “The War of the Worlds”) (d. 1946)

1931 – Actor Larry Hagman, best known for his role as villainous Texas oil tycoon J.R. Ewing in CBS’ hit series “Dallas” (d. 2012)

1934 – Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, known for his poetic lyrics, iconic songs and baritone voice (d. 2016)

1943 – Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Beverly Hills Cop,” “Flashdance,” “Top Gun,” “The Rock,” “Con Air,” “Armageddon,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “National Treasure”) 

1947 – Award-winning horror, science fiction, and suspense novelist Stephen King (“Carrie,” “The Shining,” “The Stand,” “Misery,” “The Dark Tower”)

1950 – Emmy-winning actor-comedian Bill Murray (“Saturday Night Live,” “Caddyshack,” “Stripes,” “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Lost in Translation,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” “Hyde Park on Hudson,” “St. Vincent”)

1957 – Writer-producer Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers (“Raising Arizona,” “The Hudsucker Proxy,” “Fargo, “The Big Lebowski,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Hail, Caesar!”)

1967 – Grammy-winning country music singer Faith Hill (“Wild One,” “Piece of My Heart,” “This Kiss,” “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me”)

1968 – Actress and talk show host Ricki Lake (“Hairspray,” “Ricki Lake”)

1971 – Actor Luke Wilson (“Idiocracy,” “Old School,” “Bottle Rocket,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Blue Streak,” “Bongwater,” “Legally Blonde”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1780 – Revolutionary War hero Benedict Arnold turns his back on his country during a secret meeting with British Major John Andre. The two discuss Arnold’s handing over West Point to the British in exchange for a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The scheme is exposed and Arnold instantly goes from American patriot to traitor.

1970 – “Monday Night Football” premieres on ABC with Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and Keith Jackson. 

1981 – The U.S. Senate unanimously confirms Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Supreme Court justice. Considered a moderate conservative, O’Connor serves for 24 years.

1989 – U.S. Army General Colin Powell is confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell becomes the first African American to achieve the nation’s highest military post. 

2003 – After a 14-year mission studying Jupiter and its moons, the Galileo space probe is destroyed by NASA engineers to protect a possible ocean beneath the icy crust of the moon Europa.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1961 – Robert Allen Zimmerman enters a New York City recording studio and, after spending $400, emerges with a completed LP. Columbia Records goes on to release his self-titled album—”Bob Dylan.”

1963 – Bobby Vinton sees early success in his musical career as “Blue Velvet” reaches No. 1 on the singles chart and stays there for three weeks. 

1966 – Jimi Hendrix changes the spelling of his first name from J-I-M-M-Y to J-I-M-I. 

1968 – One-hit-wonder Jeannie C. Riley owns the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Harper Valley PTA.” The country-pop crossover also topped the Billboard Country chart.

1974 – Barry White grabs hold of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.”

1985 – Heavy exposure on MTV helps Dire Straits reach No. 1 on the singles chart with “Money for Nothing.” The track, which features Sting on background vocals, holds the top spot for three weeks.

2002 – Dilemma,” by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland, is in the middle of a seven-week ride atop the pop chart.

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