March – Time Rewind

Musical Milestones

1943 – Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” premieres on Broadway. In 1955, the musical is produced as a motion picture starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones (in her film debut).

1958 – Chess Records releases “Johnny B. Goode,” by Chuck Berry. The song climbs as high as No. 8 on the pop chart and goes on to become a rock and roll classic.

1967 – Jimi Hendrix suffers minor burns to his hands when he sets his guitar on fire during a performance at Finsbury Park in London. Nevertheless, he goes on to torch guitars several times during his short career.

1979 – “Tragedy,” by the Bee Gees, dominates the singles chart for a second and final week.

1984 – Kenny Loggins kicks off a three-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Footloose,” from the movie of the same name.

1987 – Prince releases his ninth studio album, “Sign o’ the Times,” which spawns three Top 10 hit singles: “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” “U Got the Look,” (with Sheena Easton) and the title track.

1995 – Twenty-three-year-old Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known as the “Mexican Madonna,” is shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club. At the time of her murder, Selena was on the brink of international fame, recording her first English language album.

History Highlights

1889 – The iconic Eiffel Tower, built for the Paris International Exhibition, is formally dedicated. Engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed the massive structure, presides at the ceremony with French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, other dignitaries and 200 construction workers.

1959 – The Dalai Lama flees Chinese suppression in Tibet and is granted political asylum in India.

1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson stuns Americans when he announces he will not run for a second term.

1981 – Robert De Niro wins the Best Actor Oscar for his role in “Raging Bull,” in which he portrays former World Middleweight Champion Jake LaMotta. De Niro gained more than 60 pounds for the segments of the movie depicting LaMotta’s retirement years.

1999 – The sci-fi thriller “The Matrix,” starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne, opens in movie theaters and goes on to become a cult classic followed, in 2003, by sequels “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions.”

Celebrity Birthdays

1927 – Labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (d. 1993)

1934 – Oscar-winning actress and singer Shirley Jones (“The Music Man,” “The Partridge Family”)

1935 – Grammy-winning trumpeter and the “A” in A&M Records, Herb Alpert

1943 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor and frequent “Saturday Night Live” host Christopher Walken (“Annie Hall,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Sarah, Plain and Tall,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Catch Me If You Can”)

1948 – Environmental activist and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore

1971 – Actor Ewan McGregor (“Trainspotting,” “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, “Moulin Rouge!” “Big Fish,” “Robots,” “The Island,” “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “T2 Trainspotting”,”Christopher Robin”,”Birds of Prey”)

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

Oklahoma!

Starring Gordon Macrae, Gloria Grahame and Shirley Jones, and directed by Fred Zinnemann

Footloose

Starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer and John Lithgow, directed by Herbert Ross

Eiffel's Tower: The Thrilling Story Behind Paris's Beloved Monument and the Extraordinary World's Fair That Introduced It

Jill Jonnes

Raging Bull

Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty, and directed by Martin Scorsese

The Partridge Family: The Complete Series

Starring Shirley Jones and David Cassidy

Catch Me If You Can

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken, and directed by Steven Spielberg

Musical Milestones

1963 – “He’s So Fine,” by The Chiffons, tops the Billboard Hot 100 and holds there for four weeks.

1967 – The Beatles pose in costume for the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” cover photo shoot. Designed by British pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, the cover goes on to win a Grammy Award.

1974 – John Denver’s “Sunshine on My Shoulders” reaches the top of the Billboard pop chart.

1985 – “One More Night” becomes the second single by Phil Collins to climb to No. 1 in the U.S. The first was “Against All Odds” in 1984.

1991 – Gloria Estefan begins two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Coming Out of the Dark.”

2002 – “Ain’t It Funny,” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, is mid-way through a six-week domination of the singles chart.

History Highlights

1842 – Anesthesia is used for the first time in an operation by Dr. Crawford Long.

1858 – The first pencil with an eraser top is patented by Hyman Lipman

1981 – President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr., who claims he was seeking to gain the attention of actress Jodie Foster. Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a psychiatric hospital until 2016, when he is allowed to live with his mother in her Virginia home. Reagan is released from the hospital less than two weeks after the attempted assassination.

Celebrity Birthdays

1746 – Artist Francisco Goya (d. 1828)

1853 – Artist Vincent Van Gogh (d. 1890)

1926 – TV game show host Peter Marshall

1930 – Actor John Astin, best known as Gomez Addams in the hit TV series “The Addams Family”

1937 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor-director Warren Beatty (“Splendor in the Grass,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Shampoo,” “Reds,” “Bulworth,” “Rules Don’t Apply”)

1945 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Eric Clapton, born former member of the bands the Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Derek and the Dominos and Cream, and considered one of the world’s greatest guitarists and the only musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 3 times.

1957 – Comedian-actor Paul Reiser (“Diner,” “Aliens,” “Mad About You”)

1962 – Grammy-winning rap icon and actor M.C. Hammer, born Stanley Kirk Burrell (“U Can’t Touch This,” “2 Legit 2 Quit”)

1964 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman (“Fast Car,” “Talkin’ Bout A Revolution”)

1968 – Grammy-winning singer Celine Dion, best known for “My Heart Will Go On,” from the blockbuster 1997 movie “Titanic”

1979 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and pianist Norah Jones (“Don’t Know Why,” “Sunrise,” “Here We Go Again”)

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

The Chiffons Absolutely The Best!

The Chiffons

John Denver's Greatest Hits

John Denver

Jeopardy! HD - America's Favorite Quiz Game

Sony Pictures Television

The Reagan Diaries

Ronald Reagan

Bonnie and Clyde

Starring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and Michael J. Pollard, and directed by Arthur Penn

The Best Of Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton

Musical Milestones

1969 – Blood, Sweat & Tears reach No. 1 on the album chart with their self- titled album, featuring the hits “Spinning Wheel,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and “And When I Die.”

1973 – Just days after their hit “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” becomes a Top 10 single, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show really do wind up on the cover of “Rolling Stone” magazine.

1975 – “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle, featuring Patti LaBelle, tops the singles chart.

1986 – Austrian musician Falco (real name Johann Hölzel) owns the No. 1 single in the U.S. with “Rock Me Amadeus.” His tribute to the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart holds the top spot for three weeks.

1997 – “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” by Puff Daddy featuring Mase, is in the middle of six weeks as a Billboard chart-topper.

2003 – 50 Cent continues his reign over the singles chart with “In da Club.”

History Highlights

1929 – For the first time in history, a telephone sits on the president’s desk in the Oval Office. President Herbert Hoover had one installed after growing tired of using a phone in the foyer just outside his office.

1951 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of passing atomic secrets to the Soviets and are sentenced to death. During sentencing, Judge Irving Kaufman tells the couple, “I consider your crime worse than murder.”

1971 – A Los Angeles jury recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for murdering actress Sharon Tate and six others.

1973 – The last American troops leave South Vietnam, ending a nearly 10-year U.S. military presence there.

1984 – The Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL) are abruptly moved to a new home in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Celebrity Birthdays

1790 – Tenth U.S. President John Tyler, who was the first VP to succeed a president that died, and the first president to wed while in office (d. 1862)

1867 – Legendary pitcher Cy Young, after whom Major League Baseball named its annual top honor for pitching (the Cy Young Award) (d. 1955)

1918 – Entrepreneur and Walmart/Sam’s Club founder Sam Walton (d. 1992)

1918 – Tony Award-winning actress-singer Pearl Bailey (“Carmen Jones,” “House of Flowers,” “Hello, Dolly!,” “Porgy and Bess”) (d. 1990)

1940 – Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, who sang the popular, Grammy-winning 1964 hit, “The Girl From Ipanema”

1943 – Comedian-actor and Monty Python member Eric Idle

1945 – Retired NBA star Walt “Clyde” Frazier

1955 – Pro football Hall of Fame running back and 1977 Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell

1964 – Supermodel and actress Elle Macpherson

1976 – Former pro tennis star Jennifer Capriati

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Blood Sweat & Tears

Super Hits

Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show

The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case

Sam Roberts

Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson

Jeff Guinn

Sam Walton: Made In America

Sam Walton

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Eric Idle, and directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam

Musical Milestones

1970 – “Bridge over Troubled Water,” by Simon & Garfunkel, sits at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1981 – Kim Carnes delivers new music to the Billboard singles chart in the form of “Bette Davis Eyes,” which reaches No. 1 that May and holds there for nine weeks.

1981 – “Rapture,” by Blondie featuring Debbie Harry, becomes the first rap song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track, off the band’s “Autoamerican” album, claims the top spot for two weeks.

1987 – Club Nouveau’s cover of the Bill Withers soul classic, “Lean On Me, ” wraps up two weeks as a No. 1 single.

1992 – Vanessa Williams rules the singles chart for five weeks beginning this day with “Save the Best for Last.”

History Highlights

1881 – The Greatest Show on Earth is born when P.T. Barnum and James Bailey merge their circus troupes.

1915 – The first American citizen is killed in the eight-month-old European conflict that would become known as World War I. Leon Thrasher, a 31-year-old mining engineer from Massachusetts, drowns when a German submarine torpedoes the cargo-passenger ship Falaba off the coast of England.

1969 – Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States and one of the most highly decorated American generals of World War II, dies at the age of 78.

1979 – The worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history takes place at the Three Mile Island plant near Harrisburg, PA. A mechanical failure in the Unit 2 reactor, compounded by human error, forces thousands to evacuate and triggers a public backlash against the nuclear power industry.

Celebrity Birthdays

1944 – Actor Ken Howard (“1776,” “The White Shadow,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “Crossing Jordan”) (d. 2016)

1948 – Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actress Dianne Wiest (“Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Parenthood,” “The Lost Boys,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” “In Treatment,” “Law & Order”)

1955 – Grammy-winning country singer and actress Reba McEntire, who starred in her own sitcom, “Reba,” from 2001-07

1970 – Actor Vince Vaughn (“Swingers,” “Wedding Crashers,” “The Break-Up,” “The Internship,” “True Detective”)

1981 – Actress Julia Stiles (“Save the Last Dance,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Dexter”)

1986 – Grammy and Golden Globe-winning pop superstar and actress Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

Bette Davis Eyes

Kim Carnes

Autoamerican

Blondie

The Greatest Shows on Earth: A History of the Circus

Linda Simon

Yes, I Glow in the Dark! One Mile from Three Mile Island to Fukushima and Nuclear Hotseat

Libbe HaLevy

Wedding Crashers

Starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, and directed by David Dobkin

The Bourne Ultimatum

Starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles and David Strathairn, and directed by Paul Greengrass

Musical Milestones

1965 – The hottest song on the radio is “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes. It’s the girl group’s fourth No. 1 single.

1972 – Elvis Presley records what would be his last major hit, “Burning Love,” which goes on to reach No. 2 on the singles chart.

1976 – “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” by The Four Seasons, dominates the pop chart for a third straight week.

1982 – “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, is in the middle of seven weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. In 2016, the song is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

1999 – Cher is on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 25 years with “Believe.” The song has been credited (and criticized) for its use of the Auto-Tune voice-altering effect, which many vocalists then began using in their own recordings, and still do today.

History Highlights

1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet premier and first secretary of the Communist Party.

1964 – The most powerful earthquake in American history rocks southern Alaska and triggers a deadly tsunami. More than 120 people are killed and thousands injured.

1977 – Two packed Boeing 747 jumbo jets collide on a foggy runway on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 passengers and crew. The accident remains one of the greatest disasters in aviation history.

1998 – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the use of Viagra, a medication originally developed to treat high blood pressure, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (impotence). Viagra comes to be known as “the little blue pill.”

Celebrity Birthdays

1899 – Silent screen legend Gloria Swanson (d. 1983)

1924 – Acclaimed jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan (d. 1990)

1931 – Actor David Janssen, most remembered for his role in the 1960s TV series “The Fugitive” (d. 1980)

1942 – Actor Michael York (“Cabaret,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Logan’s Run,” “Austin Powers” series)

1963 – Oscar and Golden Globe- winning director-actor-screenwriter Quentin Tarantino (“Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Bastards,” “Django Unchained,” “The Hateful Eight”)

1970 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Mariah Carey (“Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Dreamlover,” “Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day,” “Heartbreaker”)

1975 – Grammy-winning singer-rapper Fergie, born Stacy Ann Ferguson, best known as lead singer of the hip hop band Black Eyed Peas

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

The Best of Diana Ross & The Supremes: The Millennium Collection

Diana Ross & The Supremes

Greatest Hits

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts

Bad Friday: The Great & Terrible 1964 Alaska Earthquake

Lew Freedman

Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine

Thomas Hager

The Fugitive: The Complete Series

Starring William Conrad and David Janssen

Pulp Fiction

Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, and directed by Quentin Tarantino

Musical Milestones

1955 – “Ballad of Davy Crockett,” by Bill Hayes, begins a five-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart.

1966 – Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler mans his post at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Ballad of the Green Berets.”

1971 – The Rolling Stones introduce their iconic tongue logo, known officially as “Tongue and Lips.”

1975 – The film version of The Who’s 1969 rock opera “Tommy” opens in London, featuring Elton John as The Champ, singing “Pinball Wizard,” and Tina Turner as the Acid Queen.

1976 – Wings, featuring Paul McCartney, release the “At the Speed of Sound” album, containing classics like “Silly Love Songs” and “Let ‘Em In.” Less than a month later, it reaches the top of the Billboard album chart.

1983 – Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” is in the midst of a six-week ride on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1994 – “The Sign,” by the Swedish band Ace of Base, Is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. The track enjoys six non-consecutive weeks in the top spot and goes on to become an international smash.

2005 – “Candy Shop,” by 50 Cent featuring Olivia, is in the middle of a nine-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

History Highlights

1953 – Dr. Jonas Salk goes on national radio to announce that he has successfully tested a vaccine against polio, a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease.

1979 – At a White House ceremony, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign a peace treaty ending 30 years of war between their two countries.

1982 – Ground is broken in Washington, D.C. for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was founded by Jan Scruggs, who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1969-70 as an infantry corporal. Scruggs wanted to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of all who served in Vietnam.

2000 – Comedian Billy Crystal hosts the 72nd annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Best Picture honors go to “American Beauty,” and Best Actor to its star, Kevin Spacey. Hilary Swank wins Best Actress for her role in “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Celebrity Birthdays

1874 – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Frost (d. 1963)

1911 – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams (“The Glass Menagerie,” “A Streetcar Named Desire”) (d. 1983)

1931 – Actor-director-writer Leonard Nimoy, best known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock in the “Star Trek” TV and movie series (d. 2015)

1934 – Actor Alan Arkin (“Wait Until Dark,” “The In-Laws,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Argo”)

1940 – Actor James Caan (“The Godfather,” “Brian’s Song,” “Rollerball,” “Alien Nation,” “Misery”)

1944 – Legendary Motown singer-actress Diana Ross, formerly of The Supremes

1948 – Rock singer-songwriter and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler

1950 – Comedian-actor and “SCTV” and “SNL” alum Martin Short

1950 – R&B soul singer Teddy Pendergrass (d. 2010)

1968 – Country music singer-songwriter and producer Kenny Chesney

1985 – Actress Keira Knightley (“Bend It Like Beckham,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “Atonement,” “The Imitation Game”)

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

At the Speed of Sound

Wings, featuring Paul McCartney

Thriller

Michael Jackson

Jonas Salk: A Life

Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs

Creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: The Inside Story

Robert W. Doubek

I Am Spock

Leonard Nimoy

The Imitation Game

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode, and directed by Morten Tyldum

Musical Milestones

1967 – “Happy Together,” by The Turtles, begins a three-week run as the hottest single in the U.S.

1972 – “A Horse with No Name” by America gallops to the top of the singles chart and stables there for three weeks.

1983 – Motown celebrates its 25th anniversary with a star-studded concert featuring such musical legends as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, The Supremes and The Temptations. Michael Jackson uses a performance of “Billie Jean” to introduce the world to his iconic moonwalk.

1989 – Mike + The Mechanics own their first and only No. 1 single with “The Living Years.”

2001 – Icelandic singer Björk walks the red carpet at the Academy Awards wearing a Marjan Pejoski-designed swan dress that is mocked for years to come. Björk had received an Original Song nomination for “I’ve Seen It All” from the movie “Dancer in the Dark.” However, the Oscar goes to Bob Dylan for “Things Have Changed,” from the “Wonder Boys” soundtrack.

History Highlights

1911 – A raging fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City kills 146 garment workers in less than 20 minutes. The tragedy becomes a turning point in labor history, triggering reforms in workplace health and safety laws.

1967 – The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads 5,000 demonstrators in Chicago in a march against the Vietnam War, calling the conflict in Southeast Asia “a blasphemy against all that America stands for.”

1975 – Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal is assassinated by his nephew, Prince Faisal Ibu Musaed. A motive is never determined and the king’s son, Crown Prince Khalid, ascends to the throne.

1994 – Wrapping up a largely unsuccessful 15-month mission, the last American troops pull out of Somalia, leaving 20,000 U.N. troops behind to keep the peace and facilitate “nation building” in the divided country.

Celebrity Birthdays

1881 – Classical composer Béla Bartók (d. 1945)

1918 – Longtime ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell, who was part of the original “Monday Night Football” announcer team (d. 1995)

1928 – Retired NASA astronaut (Apollo 8/Apollo 13) Jim Lovell

1934 – Feminist crusader and Ms. magazine founder-publisher Gloria Steinem

1942 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and undisputed “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin (d. 2018)

1947 – Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe-winning pop superstar Elton John, born Reginald Dwight

1965 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Sarah Jessica Parker (“Hocus Pocus,” “Ed Wood,” “Miami Rhapsody,” “The First Wives Club,” “Sex and the City”)

1982 – NASCAR star Danica Patrick, the first woman to lead the Indy 500 and win the pole position at the Daytona 500

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

Rock Around The Clock

Bill Haley

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (A Collection)

The Buckinghams

Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History

Gail Kinn & Jim Piazza

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Pulp Fiction

Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, and directed by Quentin Tarantino

Sixteen Candles

Starring Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, and directed by John Hughes

Musical Milestones

1958 – Elvis Presley swaps his blue suede shoes for military boots as he is inducted into the U.S. Army as a private. The King achieves the rank of sergeant in February 1960, and a month later, is honorably discharged from active duty at the age of 25.

1962 – Bruce Channel wraps up his three-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart with “Hey! baby.”

1973 – “Love Train” by the O’Jays steams its way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1979 – The Bee Gees have the No. 1 single on the radio with “Tragedy,” off their “Spirits Having Flown” album.

1986 – Howard Jones releases “No One Is To Blame” in the U.S. It goes on to become his biggest-selling single.

1992 – A class-action lawsuit against Milli Vanilli’s record label is resolved when a judge approves a plan to refund up to $3 to everyone who bought the pop duo’s music before November 27, 1990 — the date they admitted to not actually singing their songs. Fans who bought tickets to a Milli Vanilli concert could claim a rebate of up to $2.50.

2001 – One-hit-wonder Crazy Town has the No. 1 single for a week with “Butterfly,” which features a sample of “Pretty Little Ditty” from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

History Highlights

1965 – NASA’s Ranger 9 spacecraft beams the first video images of the moon down to Earth before making a planned crash-landing on the lunar surface.

1977 – For the first time since severing diplomatic relations in 1961, Cuba and the U.S. enter into direct negotiations when the two nations discuss fishing rights.

1989 – The tanker Exxon Valdez runs aground in Prince William Sound off Alaska and spills 11 million gallons of crude oil into one of nature’s richest habitats, eventually contaminating 1,300 miles of coastline. This was the largest oil spill in U.S. waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico caused a 168-million-gallon spill.

1996 – Astronaut Shannon Lucid begins the first full day of a five-month stay aboard the Russian space station Mir. She transfers from the space shuttle Atlantis, becoming the first female American astronaut to live in a space station.

2002 – Halle Berry becomes the first African-American performer to win a Best Actress Oscar (for “Monster’s Ball”) and only the second African-American actress ever to be honored by the Academy (the first was Hattie McDaniel, who won for her supporting role in 1939’s “Gone With the Wind”).

Celebrity Birthdays

1874 – Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, born Ehrich Weisz (d. 1926)

1930 – Actor and auto racer Steve McQueen, nicknamed the “King of Cool” (“The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape,” “The Sand Pebbles,” “Bullitt,” “The Getaway,” “The Towering Inferno”) (d. 1980)

1951 – Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger

1970 – Actress Lara Flynn Boyle (“Twin Peaks,” “The Practice,” “Men In Black II”)

1973 – Emmy-winning actor Jim Parsons (“Garden State,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Hidden Figures”)

1974 – Actress Alyson Hannigan (“American Pie,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “How I Met Your Mother”)

1976 – Retired star NFL quarterback and actor Peyton Manning, who set records for most career passing yards and most career passing touchdowns while playing for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

The Best Of The O'Jays: Love Train

The O’Jays

The Ultimate Bee Gees

Bee Gees

Lunar Impact: The NASA History of Project Ranger

R. Cargill Hall

Red Light to Starboard: Recalling the "Exxon Valdez" Disaster

Angela Day

Bullitt

Starring Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset, and directed by Peter Yates

DK Biography: Harry Houdini: A Photographic Story of a Life

Vicki Cobb

Musical Milestones

1963 – Ruby & the Romantics’ first recording, “Our Day Will Come,” makes it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week. The song, composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson, becomes a million-seller.

1974 – “Dark Lady” becomes Cher’s third solo No. 1 hit and her last until “Believe” a quarter-century later.

1985 – “Piano Man” Billy Joel weds his then-“Uptown Girl,” supermodel Christie Brinkley, aboard a yacht in New York Harbor. The marriage lasts nine years.

1996 – Céline Dion sets sail on a six-week cruise at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her Grammy-winning smash, “Because You Loved Me.”

2002 – “Ain’t It Funny,” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, is in the midst of a six-week ride on top of the Billboard singles chart.

History Highlights

1933 – The German Reichstag (Parliament) passes the Enabling Act of 1933, which marks the start of Adolf Hitler’s transformation from chancellor to dictator by enabling him to implement laws without Reichstag consent.

1983 – Barney Clark dies 112 days after becoming the world’s first recipient of a permanent artificial heart.

1983 – In a televised speech to Americans, President Ronald Reagan calls for development of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to protect the U.S. from a nuclear missile attack. The program is also referred to as “Star Wars.”

1998 – The tide rises for “Titanic” at the 70th annual Academy Awards. The James Cameron blockbuster, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, ties with 1959’s “Ben Hur” for most wins by sweeping 11 categories, including the coveted Best Picture Oscar.

2011 – Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor (“National Velvet,” “A Place in the Sun,” “Giant,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”) dies of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Taylor starred in more than 50 movies and won two Academy Awards during her acting career.

Celebrity Birthdays

1905 – Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford, born Lucille Fay LeSueur (“Grand Hotel,” “Mildred Pierce,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”) (d. 1977)

1953 – Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Chaka Khan (“Tell Me Something Good,” “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel For You”)

1976 – Actress Michelle Monaghan (“Unfaithful,” “Mission: Impossible III,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “Made of Honor,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Eagle Eye,” “Pixels,” “True Detective”)

1976 – Golden Globe-winning actress Keri Russell (“Felicity,” “The Upside of Anger,” “Waitress,” “August Rush,” “Extraordinary Measures,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Americans”)

1978 – Celebrity gossip columnist and blogger Perez Hilton, founder of the popular celebrity news blog, Perezhilton.com

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

The Very Best of Cher

Cher

The Essential Billy Joel

Billy Joel

The Third Reich in History and Memory

Richard J. Evans

Titanic

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane, and directed by James Cameron

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?

Starring Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Victor Buono, and directed by Robert Aldrich

Waitress

Starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion and Cheryl Hines, and directed by Adrienne Shelly

Musical Milestones

1965 – Bob Dylan releases his fifth studio album,” Bringing It All Back Home” — the first of Dylan’s albums to break into the Billboard Top 10. The lead-off track, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” becomes Dylan’s first single to chart, peaking at No. 39.

1969 – “Dizzy,” by Tommy Roe, is in the midst of four weeks as a Billboard singles chart-topper.

1975 – Frankie Valli owns the hottest single for a week with “My Eyes Adored You.”

1975 – Led Zeppelin launches a six-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart with “Physical Graffiti,” the group’s fourth chart-topping album. Among the most popular tracks on this double-album are “Kashmir,” “In My Time of Dying” and “Trampled Under Foot.”

1980 – Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” is on top of the singles chart and holds there for four weeks. It’s the only No. 1 single the band has ever had in the U.S.

1986 – “These Dreams,” by Heart, becomes the sister duo’s first Billboard chart-topper. The track spends a week at No. 1.

1997 – “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” by Puff Daddy featuring Mase, kicks off a six-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100.

History Highlights

1933 – President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Beer-Wine Revenue Act into law. The measure legalizes the sale of beer and wine.

1972 – The Senate passes the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, and sends it to the states for ratification. However, it falls short of the required three-fourths approval.

1983 – The Pentagon awards a $1.2 billion contract to AM General Corporation to develop 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), nicknamed the Humvee. Designed to transport troops and cargo, these workhorses became widely recognized when used by the U.S. military during the 1989 invasion of Panama and the first Persian Gulf War of the early 1990s.

1984 – Teachers at the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California are charged with satanic ritual-related abuse of their students. The charges are later dropped as completely unfounded.

Celebrity Birthdays

1912 – Oscar and Emmy-winning actor Karl Malden (“A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Streets of San Francisco”), best remembered for his line, “Don’t leave home without them,” in American Express travelers checks commercials (d. 2009)

1930 – Oscar, Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim (“West Side Story,” “Gypsy,” “Sweeney Todd”)

1931 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor and author William Shatner, best known as Captain James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” TV and movie series

1943 – Grammy-winning jazz guitarist-singer George Benson (“Breezin’,” “This Masquerade,” “On Broadway,” “Give Me The Night”)

1948 – Oscar, Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats,” “Evita,” “The Phantom of the Opera”)

1948 – CNN anchor and host Wolf Blitzer

1952 – Emmy-winning NBC sportscaster and Olympic Games anchor Bob Costas

1959 – Actor Matthew Modine (“Full Metal Jacket,” “Married to the Mob,” “Memphis Belle,” “And The Band Played On,” “The Dark Knight Rises”)

1976 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress-producer Reese Witherspoon (“Pleasantville,” the “Legally Blonde” movies, “Walk the Line,” “Gone Girl,” “Wild”)

Own a Piece of This Day

SHOP HERE:

Physical Graffiti (Remastered)

Led Zeppelin

The Wall

Pink Floyd

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

Daniel Okrent

Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment Is Now

Jessica Neuwirth

West Side Story

Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer and Russ Tamblyn, and directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

Walk The Line

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Ginnifer Goodwin, and directed by Jim Wright and James Mangold