On This Day January 24 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1917 – Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine (“Marty,” “McHale’s Navy,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Gattaca”) (d. 2012) 1941 – Grammy-winning singer Aaron Neville, formerly of The Neville Brothers (“Tell It Like It Is,” “Don’t Know Much”) 1941 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Diamond (“Cherry, Cherry,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Holly Holy,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue”) 1947 – Rock singer-songwriter Warren Zevon (“Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”) (d. 2003) 1949 – Actor-comedian John Belushi (“Saturday Night Live,” “Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers”) (d. 1982) 1951 – Comedian Yakov Smirnoff 1961 – Actress Nastassja Kinski (“Tess,” “Cat People,” “Paris, Texas”) 1968 – Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton 1974 – Actor Ed Helms (“The Daily Show,” “The Office,” “The Hangover” movie series) History Highlights 1935 – The first canned beer goes on sale. In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivers 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Virginia 1965 – Sir Winston Churchill, the British leader who guided Great Britain and the Allies through the crisis of World War II, dies in London at the age of 90. 1972 – After 28 years of hiding in the jungles of Guam, local hunters discover 57-year-old Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who was unaware that World War II had ended. 1984 – The first Apple Macintosh computer goes on sale two days after it was announced to the world in a dramatic TV commercial, directed by legendary film director Ridley Scott, that was broadcast during Super Bowl XVIII. This spot launched the tradition of specially produced, high-dollar commercials airing during the Super Bowl. 2006 – The Walt Disney Company announces plans to purchase computer animation giant Pixar for $7.4 billion. Musical Milestones 1962 – Brian Epstein signs a five-year management deal with The Beatles that stipulates that he receive 25 percent of the band’s gross earnings at a time when the normal management deal was 10 percent. 1970 – “Randrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” by B. J. Thomas, marks its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single. 1976 – “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),” by Diana Ross, tops the Billboard Hot 100. 1979 – The Clash release their first single in the U.S., “I Fought The Law.” The song was originally written in 1958 by Sonny Curtis, formerly a member of Buddy Holly’s band, The Crickets. 1981 – John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” wraps up five weeks on top of the pop chart. The track is from “Double Fantasy,” the last album Lennon produced before his murder. 1998 – “Truly Madly Deeply,” by Australian pop band Savage Garden, marks its second and final week as a No. 1 single. 2004 – OutKast holds the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hey Ya!” 2009 – “Just Dance,” by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis, is in the middle of a three-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart. The song garners a Best Dance Recording Grammy nomination. READ MORE
On This Day December 7 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1915 – Tony and Emmy-winning actor Eli Wallach (“The Misfits,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Nuts,” “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”) (d. 2014) 1932 – Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn (“The Exorcist,” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”) 1947 – Baseball Hall of Famer and former Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench 1949 – Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter and actor Tom Waits (“Jersey Girl,” “Hold On,” “One From the Heart”) 1956 – Basketball Hall of Famer and former Indiana Pacers coach/legendary Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird 1979 – Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (“Love Song,” “King of Anything”) History Highlights 1941 – Japanese forces launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, thrusting the U.S. into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt calls it “a date which will live in infamy.” 1963 – Decades before the DVR and years before the first Super Bowl, instant replay is used for the first time during an Army-Navy college football game. As the CBS broadcast replays Rollie Stichweh’s winning touchdown, commentator Lindsey Nelson tells viewers, “Ladies and gentlemen, Army did not score again!” 1972 – Apollo 17 hurtles toward space, carrying a three-man crew to the last moon landing of the Apollo program. 1982 – The nation’s first execution by lethal injection takes place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Charles Brooks, Jr. was convicted of kidnapping and murdering an auto mechanic. 1993 – Colin Ferguson opens fire on a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) commuter train after it pulls out of New York’s Penn Station, killing six and injuring 19. Other passengers overpower Ferguson when he stops to reload his pistol. The incident comes to be known as the Long Island Rail Road Massacre. 2001 – The heist film “Ocean’s Eleven,” starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts, and directed by Steven Soderbergh, opens in theaters. It is a remake of the 1960 movie of the same name that starred “Rat Pack” members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., along with Angie Dickinson. Musical Milestones 1963 – The Singing Nun begins a four-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Dominique,” which goes on to sell 1.5 million copies in the U.S. and win a Grammy for the year’s best Gospel song. 1974 – One-hit wonder Carl Douglas chops his way to the top of the singles chart with “Kung Fu Fighting.” The song, which holds at No. 1 for two weeks, sells 11 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. 1985 – “Broken Wings,” by Mr. Mister, begins two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 1991 – U2 conquer the Billboard album chart with “Achtung Baby,” featuring “One,” “Mysterious Ways,” “Even Better Than The Real Thing” and other popular tracks. 2002 – Eminem is in the midst of a 12-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100 with “Lose Yourself.” The track, from his “8 Mile” movie soundtrack, becomes the first rap song to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also garners Eminem two Grammys. READ MORE