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On This Day March 8

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Celebrity Birthdays

1921 – Actor Alan Hale, Jr., best remembered as the “Skipper” in the popular 1960s sitcom, “Gilligan’s Island” (d. 1990)

1945 – Micky Dolenz, drummer and lead vocalist for the 1960s rock band The Monkees

1958 – Musician Gary Numan (“Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and “Cars”) 

1959 – Actor Aidan Quinn (“Desperately Seeking Susan,” “Benny and Joon,” “Legends of the Fall,” “Blink,” “Michael Collins,” “Elementary”)

1959 – TV journalist Lester Holt, anchor of “NBC Nightly News” and “Dateline NBC”

1976 – Actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. (“I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” “She’s All That,” “Summer Catch,” “Scooby-Doo,” “24”) 

History Highlights

1950 – The Volkswagen microbus (also known as the VW Type 2) goes into production, becoming an icon of America’s counter-culture movement as the vehicle of choice for hippies during the 1960s. 

1971 – Boxing titans Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier meet for the “Fight of the Century” before a crowd of more than 20,000 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The showdown marks Ali’s return to the ring three and a-half years after his boxing license was revoked over his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. Frazier wins by unanimous decision, retaining his heavyweight champion title and delivering Ali the first loss of his career.

1973 – Terrorists affiliated with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) set off two powerful car bombs in London, killing one person and injuring 243 others. Most of the suspects are arrested trying to leave Heathrow Airport. The blasts cause chaos not seen since World War II.

1983 – Addressing the National Association of Evangelicals convention in Florida, President Ronald Reagan publicly refers to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” for the second time in his political career.

1993 – MTV airs the first episode of the animated series “Beavis and Butthead,” which goes on to become the network’s highest-rated series up to that point.

1999 – Baseball legend and cultural icon Joe DiMaggio (“The Yankee Clipper”), who devoted his entire 13-year Major League Baseball career as a New York Yankees center fielder, dies at the age of 84.

2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, loses contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur then veers off course and vanishes. Most of the Boeing 777, and everyone on board, are never seen again.

Musical Milestones

1965 – Bob Dylan releases “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” which becomes his first Top 40 single, peaking at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track, from his “Bringing it All Back Home” album, is used in one of the first modern promotional film clips ever produced — a precursor to the music video.

1969 – “Everyday People,” by Sly & the Family Stone, enters its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single. The track is the band’s first chart-topper. 

1975 – Olivia Newton-John’s “Have You Never Been Mellow” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her second consecutive U.S. chart-topper.

1980 – Queen is in the midst of a four-week ride atop the singles chart with “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” — the band’s first U.S. No. 1.

1986 – “Kyrie,” by Mr. Mister, marks its second and final week as a No. 1 single.

1997 – The Spice Girls are mid-way through a four-week domination of the pop chart with “Wannabe.”

2003 – 50 Cent kicks off nine weeks on top of the pop chart with “In da Club” — his first No. 1 single.

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