On This Day February 26 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1802 – French Romantic poet-author Victor Hugo (“Les Misérables,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) (d. 1885) 1829 – Entrepreneur Levi Strauss, best known for his blue jeans manufacturing company (d. 1902) 1916 – Actor-comedian Jackie Gleason (“Cavalcade of Stars,” “The Jackie Gleason Show,” “The Honeymooners,” “The Hustler,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “Nothing in Common”) (d. 1987) 1920 – Emmy-winning actor Tony Randall, born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg, best known for playing fussy Felix Unger in the sitcom “The Odd Couple” (d. 2004) 1928 – Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Fats Domino, born Antoine Domino, Jr., who sold more records than any 1950s-era rocker except Elvis Presley (d. 2017) 1932 – Legendary country singer Johnny Cash, known as “The Man in Black” (d. 2003) 1953 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Michael Bolton (“Fool’s Game”, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”) 1971 – Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter and actress Erykah Badu (“On & On,” “The Cider House Rules”) History Highlights 1919 – The U.S. Congress passes an act establishing the Grand Canyon as a National Park in Arizona. 1929 – The U.S. Congress establishes Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. 1934 – President Franklin Roosevelt orders the creation of a Communications Commission, which would become the FCC later that year by an act of Congress. 1972 – A mining dam collapses, sending millions of gallons of black coal wastewater across a wide area of Logan County, West Virginia. The Buffalo Creek Disaster claims 125 lives and leaves 4,000 people homeless. 1993 – Six people are killed and more than 1,000 others are injured when a bomb, planted inside a parked van, explodes in the garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. The blast leaves a crater 150 feet wide and causes the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors. Six terrorists are eventually captured, tried and convicted for the attack. 1998 – A jury finds Oprah Winfrey not guilty in a $10 million defamation lawsuit brought by Texas cattle ranchers. The plaintiffs had accused the talk show host of harming the U.S. beef industry with a 1996 broadcast about mad cow disease. Exiting the courtroom, Winfrey exclaims, “Free speech not only lives, it rocks!” 2012 – Trayvon Martin, an African-American teen, is fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman while walking home from a Sanford, Florida convenience store. The killing sparks a national outcry over race relations and self-defense gun laws, as Martin was unarmed when he was shot. Musical Milestones 1966 – “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” by Nancy Sinatra, marches to the top of the Billboard singles chart where it spends a week. 1977 – The most popular single on the radio is “New Kid in Town,” off the Eagles’ “Hotel California” album. 1983 – “Baby Come to Me,” by Patti Austin and James Ingram, enters its second and final week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1983 – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and holds the top spot for 37 weeks. The blockbuster album gives us hits including “Thriller,” “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.” It goes on to capture a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. 1994 – Céline Dion is midway through a four-week domination of the singles chart with “The Power of Love,” her first Billboard No. 1. 2004 – Mario wraps up nine weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with his Grammy-nominated “Let Me Love You.” READ MORE
On This Day February 3 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1874 – Author-poet and art collector Gertrude Stein (“How to Write,” “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas”) (d. 1946) 1894 – Artist Norman Rockwell, famous for his “Saturday Evening Post” cover illustrations of everyday American life (d. 1978) 1918 – Entertainer and “Rat Pack” member Joey Bishop (d. 2007) 1940 – Legendary Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who spent 18 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants 1943 – Emmy and Tony-winning actress Blythe Danner (“Butterflies are Free,” “Will & Grace,” “Meet the Parents”) 1950 – Actress Morgan Fairchild (“Dallas,” “Falcon Crest,” “Murphy Brown”) 1956 – Tony-winning actor-comedian Nathan Lane (“The Producers,” “Guys and Dolls,” “The Birdcage”) History Highlights 1913 – The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, authorizing the federal government to impose and collect a nationwide income tax. 1966 – The Soviets achieve the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the moon with Luna 9. After touching down, the circular capsule opens like a flower and begins transmitting photographs and television images back to Earth. 1971 – New York City police officer Frank Serpico is shot during a Brooklyn drug bust and survives to expose corruption in the NYPD. Many believe the shooting was fellow officers trying to kill him. His experience is immortalized in the 1973 movie “Serpico,” starring Al Pacino. 1994 – President Bill Clinton lifts the 19-year-old U.S. trade embargo on Vietnam that was first imposed during the Vietnam War when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon in South Vietnam. 2002 – The New England Patriots shock football fans everywhere by defeating the heavily favored St. Louis Rams, 20-17, to clinch their first Super Bowl victory. Super Bowl XXXVI was played at the Superdome in New Orleans before a crowd of nearly 73,000 people. 2005 – Alberto Gonzales wins U.S. Senate confirmation as the nation’s first Hispanic attorney general despite protests over his record on torture. Musical Milestones 1959 – Rock and Roll greats Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson are killed when their single-engine plane crashes in an Iowa cornfield during their Winter Dance Party tour. The tragedy is remembered as “The Day the Music Died.” 1968 – One-hit wonder The Lemon Pipers shake their way up to No. 1 on the singles chart with “Green Tambourine.” 1973 – Elton John scores his first No. 1 single in the U.S. with “Crocodile Rock,” from his “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player” album. The song holds the top spot for three weeks. 1979 – The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) land on top of the Billboard album chart with “Briefcase Full of Blues.” The album contains their cover of “Soul Man,” which reaches No. 14 on the singles chart, and “Rubber Biscuit,” which climbs as high as No. 37. 1990 – Michael Bolton begins his third and final week atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” 2007 – Beyoncé rules the singles chart with “Irreplaceable,” which holds at No. 1 for 10 weeks. READ MORE
On This Day January 20 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1896 – Oscar-winning comedian-actor-singer and writer George Burns, born Nathan Birnbaum (“The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Oh, God!”) (d. 1996) 1920 – Actor DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. “Bones” McCoy in the “Star Trek” TV and movie series (d. 1999) 1920 – Italian film director Federico Fellini (La strada,” “Le notti di Cabiria,” “8 1/2,” “Amarcord”) (d. 1993) 1930 – Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon 1946 – Director David Lynch (“Eraserhead,” “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet,” “Twin Peaks,” “Wild at Heart,” “Lost Highway,” “Mulholland Drive”) 1952 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Paul Stanley, born Stanley Bert Eisen, of the rock band Kiss 1966 – Actor Rainn Wilson, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute in the TV comedy, “The Office.” History Highlights 1841 – During the First Opium War, China cedes the island of Hong Kong to the British with the signing of the Chuenpi Convention — an agreement seeking an end to the first Anglo-Chinese conflict. 1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated as U.S. president for the second time. His first inauguration, in 1933, was held in March, but the 20th Amendment, passed later that year, made January 20 the official inauguration date for all future presidents. 1961 – President John F. Kennedy is sworn into office and delivers his inaugural address outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The speech concludes with his now-famous line: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter calls for the 1980 Summer Olympics to be moved from the planned host city, Moscow, or canceled altogether if the Soviet Union fails to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within a month. 1981 – Minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th U.S. president, 52 American captives held at the American embassy in Teheran, Iran, are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. 1984 – Hungarian-born Olympic gold medal swimmer and actor Johnny Weissmuller, who played Tarzan in the movies, dies at the age of 79. 1993 – Actress, fashion icon and philanthropist Audrey Hepburn (“Roman Holiday,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “My Fair Lady”) dies of colon cancer at the age of 63. Hepburn remains among just a handful of performers who have won Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards. 2009 – On a freezing day in Washington, D.C., Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president. The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, Obama was the first African-American to win election to the nation’s highest office. Musical Milestones 1964 – The British Invasion is on as Capitol Records releases “Meet the Beatles!,” the band’s second album in the U.S. 1965 – American disc jockey Alan Freed is 43 years old when he dies from cirrhosis brought on by alcoholism. Freed, a 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is credited with coining the term “rock ‘n’ roll.” His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that shook up the American broadcasting industry in the early 1960s. 1968 – “Judy in Disguise (with Glasses),” a parody of The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” puts John Fred and his Playboy Band at No. 1 on the singles chart for two weeks. 1971 – “What’s Going On,” by Marvin Gaye, is released and introduces fans to a different, more personal side of the Motown star in this anthem about social injustice. The song spends five weeks on top of the Hot Soul Singles chart before crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it climbs to No. 2. 1973 – Carly Simon begins her third and final week on top of the singles chart with “You’re So Vain.” After years of speculation, Simon eventually admits that the song refers to actor Warren Beatty. 1988 – Mick Jagger presides as The Beatles are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney decides not to attend, issuing a statement citing ongoing business differences among The Beatles. 1990 – Michael Bolton rules the Billboard Hot 100 with “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” The single holds the No. 1 spot for three weeks. 1996 – The Mariah Carey-Boyz II Men collaboration, “One Sweet Day,” is midway through a 16-week ride on top of the Billboard singles chart –the longest-running No. 1 song in the chart’s history at that time. 2007 – “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé, is in its sixth week on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The track remains there for another four weeks and clinches a Record of the Year Grammy nomination. READ MORE
On This Day November 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1804 – Franklin Pierce, the 14th U.S. president (d. 1869) 1859 – Outlaw Billy the Kid (d. 1881) 1887 – Actor Boris Karloff, born William Henry Pratt, best known for his portrayal of the monster in the “Frankenstein” movies and narrator/voice of The Grinch in the 1966 animated special, “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” (d. 1969) 1888 – Comedian-actor Harpo Marx of the legendary comedy troupe the Marx Brothers (d. 1964) 1925 – Grammy and Oscar-winning composer-arranger Johnny Mandel, most famous for “Suicide Is Painless,” the theme from the movie and TV series “M*A*S*H” 1954 – Grammy-winning singer-pianist Bruce Hornsby (“The Way It Is,” “Mandolin Rain,” “Every Little Kiss”) 1960 – “Good Morning America” (GMA) co-host Robin Roberts 1992 – Singer-songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus, born Destiny Hope Cyrus (“Hannah Montana,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Can’t Be Tamed”, “We Can’t Stop,” “Wrecking Ball”) History Highlights 1889 – The first jukebox goes into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. Built by the Pacific Phonograph Company, the device is called a “nickel-in-the-slot player.” A record would play for a nickel and up to four people could listen using using stethoscope-like tubes. 1936 – The illustrated magazine LIFE premieres. The first issue features a black and white photo of the Fort Peck Dam in Montana, taken by Margaret Bourke-White. 1981 – President Ronald Reagan secretly grants the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the power to recruit and support a 500-man force of Nicaraguan rebels (“Contras”) to conduct covert actions against the leftist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. The move eventually leads to what became the Iran-Contra scandal. 1984 – It’s the “Miracle in Miami,” as Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie leads BC past Miami 47-45 at the Orange Bowl. Flutie throws a Hail Mary pass to win the game. 2012 – Actor Larry Hagman, who starred in TV’s “I Dream of Jeannie” and years later “Dallas,” dies of complications from cancer at the age of 81. Musical Milestones 1936 – Delta blues legend Robert Johnson lays down his first-ever musical recordings — eight songs in a single session at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. The tracks include “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” “Sweet Home Chicago” and his biggest hit, “Terraplane Blues.” 1963 – “I’m Leaving It Up to You,” by Dale & Grace, is the hottest song on the radio. 1974 – Billy Swan is on top of the singles chart for two weeks with the only hit of his singing career: “I Can Help.” 1974 – The Rolling Stones score their fifth No. 1 album with “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll” — the last Stones album for guitarist Mick Taylor, who was replaced by Ronnie Wood. 1976 – Rocker Jerry Lee Lewis is arrested for the second time in as many days. First it was drunk driving, but on this day he’s busted for brandishing a pistol outside Graceland while demanding to see Elvis. 1985 – Starship begin their second and final week orbiting around the top spot on the pop chart with “We Built This City.” 1991 – Michael Bolton’s cover of Percy Sledge’s 1966 classic, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later goes on to capture a Grammy Award. 1995 – Soul singer and saxophonist Junior Walker, best known for the hits “How Sweet It Is” and “What Does It Take, To Win Your Love, dies of cancer at the age of 64. Walker also played sax on Foreigner’s 1981 hit “Urgent.” 2002 – Eminem rules the Billboard singles chart with “Lose Yourself,” from the “8 Mile” movie soundtrack. The song holds at No. 1 for 12 weeks. READ MORE