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On this Day August 31

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Celebrity Birthdays

1924 – Comedic actor Buddy Hackett, born Leonard Hacker (“The Music Man,” “Loose Shoes,” “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” “The Love Bug”) (d. 2003)

1928 – Oscar-winning actor James Coburn (“Our Man Flint,” “Affliction”) (d. 2002)

1945 – Singer-songwriter Van Morrison (“Brown Eyed Girl,” “Moondance”)

1945 – Grammy-winning violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman

1949 – Golden Globe-winning actor Richard Gere (“American Gigolo,” “An Officer and A Gentleman,” “Pretty Woman,” “Primal Fear,” “Chicago,” “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Arbitrage”)

1970 – Singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson (“Only in My Dreams,” “Lost in Your Eyes,” “Shake Your Love”)

1971 – Actor-comedian Chris Tucker (“Def Comedy Jam,” “The Fifth Element,” the “Rush Hour” movie series, “Silver Linings Playbook”)

History Highlights

1888 – A passerby in London’s East End discovers the mutilated body of prostitute Mary Ann Nichols, the first victim of serial killer Jack the Ripper.

1964 – California surpasses New York to become the most populated state in the U.S.

1972 – American swimmer Mark Spitz speeds his way to an unprecedented seven Gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. 

1980 – Representatives of Poland’s communist government agree to the demands of striking shipyard workers in Gdansk. Former electrician Lech Walesa leads the striking workers, who go on to form Solidarity, the first independent labor union to develop in a Soviet bloc nation.

1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, and her companion, Dodi Al-Fayed, die in a Paris car crash while being pursued at high speed by photographers on motorbikes. The tragedy leaves the world shocked and saddened.

Musical Milestones

1964 – The Supremes reign over the singles chart with “Where Did Our Love Go,” which holds at No. 1 for two weeks. 

1974 – “(You’re) Having My Baby, by Paul Anka with Odia Coates, is in the middle of three weeks as a No. 1 single. It becomes Anka’s first chart-topper since “Lonely Boy” in 1959.

1976 – A judge rules that when George Harrison wrote “My Sweet Lord,” he plagiarized The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine, written by Ronnie Mack. The crime costs the ex-Beatle $1.6 million for what the court calls “subconscious plagiarism.”

1985 – Huey Lewis and the News enjoy a second and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “The Power of Love.” 

1991 – Metallica’s self-titled album, also known as “The Black Album,” kicks off four weeks on top of the Billboard album chart and goes on to sell more than 16 million copies in the U.S. alone. It contains popular tracks including “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” “The Unforgiven,” “Sad But True” and “Enter Sandman.”

1996 – “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” by Los del Rio, is in the midst of a 14-week domination of the pop chart. The track becomes an international hit and dance phenom. In 2002, VH1 dubbed Los del Rio the No. 1 Greatest One-Hot Wonder of All Time.

2002 – “Dilemma,” by Nelly and Kelly (Rowland), claims the No. 1 spot on the Billboard singles chart.

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