On This Day November 27 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1940 – Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (d. 1973) 1941 – Country music singer Eddie Rabbitt (“I Love a Rainy Night,” “Drivin’ My Life Away,” “You and I”) (d. 1998) 1942 – Pioneering rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix (d. 1970) 1955 – Science educator-TV host Bill “The Science Guy” Nye 1957 – Diplomat, author and presidential daughter Caroline Kennedy 1964 – Actress Robin Givens (“Head of the Class,” “Sparks”) History Highlights 1910 – The largest railway station in the world — Pennsylvania Station — opens in Midtown Manhattan, establishing itself as an architectural and transportation marvel. However, the complex is demolished in 1963 due to declining rail travel and eventually becomes the site of the sports and entertainment venue, Madison Square Garden. 1965 – Detroit Red Wing Gordie Howe scores his 600th goal in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Howe is the first (until Wayne Gretzky) NHL player to score 600 times in a career. 1971 – The Soviet Union’s unmanned Mars 2 spacecraft becomes the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Red Planet. 1973 – The U.S. Senate votes to confirm Gerald Ford as vice president, succeeding Spiro Agnew, who resigned amid charges of financial misconduct. 1978 – Gay rights activist Harvey Milk and openly gay San Francisco Mayor George Moscone are murdered by former by City Supervisor Dan White. White receives a five-year prison sentence for the killings. Unable to resume a normal life following his release, he takes his own life in 1986. Musical Milestones 1967 – The Beatles release the “Magical Mystery Tour” album, which introduces fans to hits like “Hello, Goodbye,” “Penny Lane” and “All You Need is Love.” 1968 – Steppenwolf’s self-titled debut album, featuring “Born to Be Wild” and “The Pusher,” is certified gold with sales in excess of 500,000 copies. Both tracks are also part of the soundtrack to the 1969 cult classic, “Easy Rider.” 1970 – George Harrison releases “All Things Must Pass,” which contains the hit singles “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life,” as well as songs such as “Isn’t It a Pity” and the title track that had been rejected for Beatles productions. The triple album becomes the best selling album by any solo Beatle. 1982 – Lionel Richie’s “Truly” begins two weeks on top of the Billboard singles chart. 1993 – Meat Loaf is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” the first single from his album “Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell.” 1999 – “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas is mid-way through a 12-week domination of the pop chart. The song goes on to capture three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. READ MORE
On this Day May 21 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1904 – Jazz pianist Fats Waller, best remembered for such jazz standards as “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (d. 1943) 1917 – Actor Raymond Burr (“Perry Mason,” “Ironside”) (d. 1993) 1948 – Singer-songwriter Leo Sayer (“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “When I Need You,” “More Than I Can Say”) 1952 – Actor-pro wrestler Mr. T, born Laurence Tureaud, known for his trademark mohawk and gold chains and who starred in the 1980s TV programs “The A-Team” and “Mister T” 1957 – Actor Judge Reinhold (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Ruthless People”) 1959 – Actor-director Nick Cassavetes (“Face/Off,” “The Astronaut’s Wife,” “John Q,” “Alpha Dog,” “She’s So Lovely,” “The Notebook”) 1966 – Actress Lisa Edelstein (“The West Wing,” “Ally McBeal,” “House”) 1972 – Acclaimed rapper The Notoroius B.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls), born Christopher Wallace (d. 1997) 1980 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Gotye, born Wouter De Backer, best known for his 2011 smash “Somebody That I Used to Know” History Highlights 1881 – After being around wounded soldiers during the Civil War and, later, the Franco-Prussian War overseas, nurse and educator Clara Barton establishes the American Red Cross to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters as well as to military personnel and their families. 1901 – Connecticut becomes the first state to impose a speed limit for motor vehicles (known then as “horseless carriages”). Motorists are required to keep it to 12 miles per hour in the city and 15 miles per hour on country roads. Speed limits were first enacted in Connecticut because horseless carriage manufacturers were springing up all across New England, and New Englanders were buying, and driving, their products. 1917 – The Great Atlanta Fire destroys much of that city’s Fourth Ward, including nearly 2,000 homes and businesses. Ten thousand people—nearly one tenth of the city’s population—are left homeless. 1979 – Gay rights activists riot outside San Francisco City Hall following the conviction of Dan White for the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, an openly gay San Francisco supervisor. Protesters participating in the so-called White Night Riots contend that White’s sentence is too light. 1980 – A new installment to George Lucas’ “Star Wars” film saga opens in U.S. theaters: “The Empire Strikes Back.” 1999 – Ninetheenth time’s the charm! After 18 straight years of being nominated for a Best Actress Daytime Emmy Award and never winning, Susan Lucci finally captures the coveted honor for her portrayal of Erica Kane in the popular ABC soap opera “All My Children.” Musical Milestones 1955 – Rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry enters a Chicago sound studio and records his first single, “Ida Red.” During the session, his producer decides the track needs a new name: “Maybelline.” It becomes the first of Berry’s many hits. 1968 – “Tighten Up,” by Archie Bell & The Drells from Houston, Texas, is in the middle of a two-week run as the No. 1 single. 1971 – Marvin Gaye releases his eleventh studio album, “What’s Going On,” which becomes Motown Records’ best-selling album to date. It serves as a musical commentary on the Vietnam War. The title track soars to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becomes one of Gaye’s signature songs. 1977 – His musical tribute to jazz legend Duke Ellington, “Sir Duke,” puts Stevie Wonder on top of the singles chart. 1979 – Elton John becomes the first Western rock star to tour the Soviet Union. Over the course of eight days, he plays four concerts at the Great October Hall in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and four more at the exclusive Rossya Hotel in Moscow. 1983 – David Bowie grabs the top spot on the singles chart for a week with “Let’s Dance,” off the album of the same name. Coincidentally, that album was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy but had the misfortune of competing against Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” 1994 – “I Swear,” by All-4-One, begins an 11-week domination of the pop chart. 2011 – Adele kicks off seven weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Rolling in the Deep,” which goes on to capture Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video Grammys. READ MORE