On This Day: November 12

On This Day November 12

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1943 – Actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (“The Princess Bride,” “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles”)

1945 – Legendary singer-songwriter-guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young (“Old Man,” “Harvest Moon,” “Heart of Gold”)

1961 – Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci

1967 – Former World Heavyweight boxing champion Michael Moorer

1980 – Actor-musician Ryan Gosling (“The Notebook,” “Half Nelson,” “Lars and the Real Girl,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Lost River,” The Big Short”)

1982 – Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actress Anne Hathaway (“The Princess Diaries,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Becoming Jane,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Les Misérables,” “Interstellar,” “The Intern”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1946 – America’s first drive-up teller window opens at the Exchange National Bank of Chicago. It features 10 bulletproof windows, with money and paperwork exchanged through sliding drawers.

1954 – Ellis Island, the gateway to America, shuts its doors after processing more than 12 million immigrants since its 1892 opening. About 40 percent of all Americans can trace their roots through Ellis Island to relatives that sought a better life and the “American Dream.” Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island reopens in 1990 as a museum and national park.

1965 – Brothers Bill and Bob Summers set a world land speed record (409.277 miles per hour) at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in their hemi-powered hot rod, Goldenrod.

1979 – President Jimmy Carter orders a halt to oil imports from Iran after Americans are taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

1982 – Yuri Andropov assumes leadership of the Soviet Union, succeeding Leonid Brezhnev, who died two days earlier.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1966 – “Poor Side of Town” puts Johnny Rivers on the rich side of the singles chart – the No. 1 spot.

1977 – Debby Boone dominates the Billboard Hot 100 with “You Light Up My Life,” which remains a No. 1 single for 10 weeks. 

1980 – Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.

1983 – Lionel Richie starts a four-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100 with “All Night Long (All Night).” The track also makes its way to the top of the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts.

1988 – The Escape Club reaches the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Wild, Wild West,” becoming the first British musical act with a No. 1 in the U.S. while never charting in the U.K.

1994 – “I’ll Make Love to You,” by Boyz II Men, is in its 12th week as a No. 1 single. It holds the top spot for another two weeks.

2001 – The three living former Beatles meet for the last time at George Harrison’s New York City hotel for lunch. Harrison would die of cancer two weeks later at the age of 58.

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On This Day: November 7

On This Day November 7

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1918 – Christian evangelist Billy Graham, often called “America’s pastor” (d. 2018)

1938 – Actor Barry Newman (“Vanishing Point,” “Petrocelli”)

1942 – Rock and roll singer-songwriter Johnny Rivers, whose biggest hits were “Secret Agent Man,” “Poor Side of Town”)

1943 – Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, who enjoyed a string of hits in the 1970s, including “Chelsea Morning,” “Both Sides, Now” and “Big Yellow Taxi”

1967 – Grammy-winning DJ and record producer David Guetta (“Love Don’t Let Me Go,” “People Come People Go,” “Gettin’ Over You,” “When Love Takes Over”)

1970 – Documentary producer and host Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,” “Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?” “30 Days,” “Morgan Spurlock Inside Man”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1944 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) is elected to an unprecedented fourth term in office, but with his physical health in decline during World War II, he dies the following April. FDR is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms.

1962 – Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt dies at the age of 78.

1962 – The morning after the California gubernatorial election, Richard Nixon concedes to incumbent Governor Pat Brown and then accuses the media of biased, campaign coverage. Nixon tells reporters that this is his last press conference, saying, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”

1980 – Moviegoers mourn the death of “The King of Cool,” actor Steve McQueen (“The Great Escape,” “Bullitt,” “The Getaway”). McQueen conquered many tough guys on screen and performed most of his own stunts, but he lost his real-life battle with mesothelioma — a rare form of lung cancer — at the age of 50.

1991 – Basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson stuns the world by announcing his sudden retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers after testing positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Two and a half decades later, the three-time NBA MVP, 12-time All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist continues to promote awareness and education about HIV/AIDS.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1951 – Legendary crooner Frank Sinatra marries his second wife, actress Ava Gardner. Six years later, they are divorced.

1964 – “Baby Love,” by The Supremes, is in the middle of four weeks as a No. 1 single. It’s a follow-up to the Motown sensation’s “Where Did Our Love Go,” which was their first chart-topper.

1969 – Paul McCartney and his family are the subject of a LIFE Magazine cover story called “The Case of the Missing Beatle: Paul is Still With Us.” Interviewed on his Scottish farm after initially chasing off the reporter, McCartney dispels rumors about his death that had been circulating around the world.

1970 – “I’ll Be There,” by The Jackson 5, is in the midst of a five-week ride atop the singles chart. It is the band’s fourth consecutive No. 1.

1981 – Hall & Oates begin a two-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100  with “Private Eyes.” The single becomes the duo’s third of six career chart-toppers.

1987 – Sixteen-year-old Tiffany tops the singles chart with “I Think We’re Alone Now,” originally a hit for Tommy James & the Shondells in 1967, four years before Tiffany was born.

1992 – It’s the end of the road for Boyz II Men’s 13-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100 with their Grammy-winning single, “End of the Road.”

1998 – “The First Night,” by Monica, marks its last week as a No. 1 single. The track enjoys a total of five weeks as a Billboard chart-topper.

2009 – Owl City is perched at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Fireflies.”

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