On This Day March 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1905 – Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford, born Lucille Fay LeSueur (“Grand Hotel,” “Mildred Pierce,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”) (d. 1977) 1944 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, born Richard Theodore Otcasek (“Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll,” “Let’s Go,” “Shake It Up,” “You Might Think”) (d. 2019) 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 History Highlights 1839 – The word “OK” is introduced to the world when the initials are published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily makes its way into the everyday speech of Americans. 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 colorful acting career. 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. The track holds the top spot for a week. 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. 1985 – REO Speedwagon begins its third and final week on top of the pop chart with “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” 1991 – One-hit wonder Timmy T enjoys a week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “One More Try.” 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. READ MORE
On This Day February 9 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1942 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Carole King, credited with writing 118 singles that have appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart 1943 – Actor Joe Pesci (“Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” the “Home Alone” series, “JFK,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Lethal Weapon 3,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “A Bronx Tale,” “Casino,” “The Irishman”) 1944 – Pulitzer Prize-winning author-poet Alice Walker (“The Color Purple”) 1945 – Actress Mia Farrow (“Peyton Place,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Widows’ Peak”) 1949 – Tony-winning actress Judith Light (“One Life to Live,” “Who’s the Boss?”) 1981 – Actor Tom Hiddleston, best known for playing the villain Loki in Marvel’s “The Avengers” and “Thor” movies 1987 – Actor Michael B. Jordan ( “Black Panther”, “Creed”, ” Creed II”, “Fant4stic”, “Chronicle”, “Redtails,” “Just Mercy”) History Highlights 1825 – With no presidential candidate receiving a majority of electoral votes in the election of 1824, the U.S. House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams, who won fewer votes than Andrew Jackson in the popular election, as president of the United States. 1870 – The National Weather Service (NWS) is established under the U.S. Army Signal Corps. 1942 – The largest ocean liner in the world, the S.S. Normandie, burns and capsizes in New York Harbor during its conversion to a World War II troop transport ship. The Normandie had been the pride of the French ocean liner fleet. Built in 1935, she was the largest and fastest and most luxuriously appointed of the new ocean liners. 1965 – The U.S. sends its first combat troops to South Vietnam. 1971 – Apollo 14 returns safely to Earth following the third successful manned moon landing. 1971 – Pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is inducted six months later. Paige was known for his fastball and showmanship during a career that spanned five decades. 1992 – Three months after stunning the world with word that he had contracted the HIV virus and was immediately retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers, basketball great Magic Johnson returns to play in the 42nd NBA All-Star game in Orlando, Florida. After scoring 25 points and dishing out nine assists, Magic receives a standing ovation and is named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Musical Milestones 1963 – “Hey Paula,” by the pop duo Paul & Paula, is the most popular single. 1964 – The Beatles make their American television debut as they perform live on CBS’ “The Ed Sullivan Show” with an estimated 73 million Americans watching. That represents the largest TV audience ever for that time. 1974 – “Love’s Theme,” by Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, tops the Billboard Hot 100. 1981 – Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bill Haley dies in his sleep at his Harlingen, Texas home at the age of 55. 1985 – Madonna begins three weeks on top of the Billboard album chart with “Like A Virgin,” which contains the hit singles “Like a Virgin,” “Material Girl” and “Into the Groove,” and proves that the singer-songwriter is not a one-hit wonder. 1991 – Considered a 90s dance club anthem, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” by C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams & Martha Wash, begins two weeks as a No. 1 single. 2002 – Usher owns the No. 1 position on the pop chart with “U Got It Bad,” which holds the top spot for five weeks. 2008 – “Low,” by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain, continues on its 10-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100. READ MORE
On This Day November 21 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1904 – Nobel Prize–winning novelist and short-story writer Isaac Bashevis Singer (d. 1991) 1937 – Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning actress and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ambassador Marlo Thomas (“That Girl,” “Free to Be…You and Me”) 1944 – Actor-director Harold Ramis (“Ghostbusters,” “Stripes,” “Caddyshack,” “Groundhog Day”) (d. 2014) 1945 – Oscar-winning actress Goldie Hawn (“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “Cactus Flower,” “The Sugarland Express,” “Private Benjamin,” “Swing Shift”) 1965 – Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, born Björk Guðmundsdóttir (“Birthday,” “Human Behaviour,” “Big Time Sensuality”) 1985 – Singer-songwriter and actress Carly Rae Jepsen, best known for her 2012 hit “Call Me Maybe” History Highlights 1783 – French chemistry teacher Jean-François Pilatre de Rozier and military officer François Laurent, the marquis d’ Arlandes, make the first untethered hot-air balloon flight, traveling 5.5 miles over Paris in about 25 minutes. 1877 – Inventor Thomas Edison announces that he has developed a hand-cranked, tinfoil covered cylinder capable of reproducing recorded sound — a “talking machine” that comes to be known as the phonograph. It marks the first time in history that a person’s voice could be recorded and saved. 1964 – New York’s Verrazano Narrows Bridge — then the world’s longest suspension bridge — opens to traffic. The span connects Brooklyn and Staten Island high above the entrance to New York Harbor. 1980 – The second worst hotel fire in modern U.S. history breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, claiming 85 lives and injuring more than 700 people. 1980 – Millions of viewers tune in to the prime-time CBS drama “Dallas” to find out who shot J.R., ending eight months of suspense in a storyline that establishes the television cliffhanger. The show becomes the highest-rated TV episode until the “M*A*S*H” finale beats it in 1983. Musical Milestones 1968 – The Supremes and The Temptations release a collaboration: “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.” It peaks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” 1970 – The Partridge Family parks its tour bus on top of the pop chart for three weeks with “I Think I Love You,” which was featured in the first episode of “The Partridge Family” TV series, starring Shirley Jones and David Cassidy. 1975 – Queen releases “A Night at the Opera,” the band’s breakthrough album, which contains the hits “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “You’re My Best Friend.” 1981 – Olivia Newton-John begins a 10-week lock on the No. 1 spot on the singles chart with “Physical.” 1987 – Billy Idol’s cover of the Tommy James and the Shondell’s hit “Mony Mony” spends a week on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 1998 – “Doo Wop (That Thing),” by Lauryn Hill, begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single. 2003 – George Harrison’s first guitar, a 1956 Rosetti-276 Egmond 105 steel string guitar, sells at a London auction for $800,000. 2017 – Teen idol David Cassidy dies of liver failure at the age of 67. Cassidy was best known as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones), in the popular 1970s musical-sitcom, “The Partridge Family.” READ MORE
On this Day June 17 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1904 – Tony-winning actor Ralph Bellamy (“His Girl Friday,” “The Winds of War,” “Trading Places”) (d. 1991) 1943 – Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich 1943 – Grammy, Emmy and Tony-winning singer-songwriter-arranger Barry Manilow (“I Write the Songs,” “Mandy,” “Copacabana”) 1951 – Actor-comedian Joe Piscopo, best remembered for his Frank Sinatra impersonations on “Saturday Night Live” in the 1980s 1960 – Actor Thomas Haden Church (“Wings,” “Sideways,” “Spider-Man 3”) 1963 – Actor Greg Kinnear (“As Good As It Gets,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Stuck on You,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Green Zone”) 1980 – American tennis star Venus Williams 1987 – Grammy-winning rapper and producer Kendrick Lamar, born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, who has the distinction of being the first artist ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music for a genre other than classical or jazz History Highlights 1885 – The disassembled Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the American people, arrives to great fanfare in New York Harbor aboard the French Navy ship, Isère. It will take a year to reassemble all its parts. 1928 – Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, as she completes a flight from Newfoundland to Wales in about 21 hours. 1972 – Five men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C. The busts eventually lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal. 1991 – The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, removing what served as the foundation of apartheid. The law, first enacted in 1950, required the racial classification of all South Africans at birth. 1994 – The NBA playoffs are interrupted as TV networks break in with live coverage of perhaps the most famous car chase ever to take place on Los Angeles freeways. It’s football legend O.J. Simpson, inside a white Ford Bronco, being pursued as a double-murder suspect by a convoy of police cars. Musical Milestones 1965 – The New York Academy of Music hosts the first-ever American performances of two British bands that would become staples of the classic rock scene: The Moody Blues and The Kinks. 1967 – “Groovin’,” by The Young Rascals, makes a return trip to the top of the Billboard singles chart. It spent two weeks there in mid-May and begins another two-week stay this time around. 1972 – Sammy Davis, Jr. holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “The Candy Man,” from the movie “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.” It is the only chart-topper of Davis’ long career as a celebrated entertainer and Rat Pack member. 1972 – The Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main Street” starts a four-week run on top of the Billboard album chart. The double-album features “Rocks Off’,” “Rip This Joint,” “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice.” 1978 – Andy Gibb is the hottest act on the singles chart with “Shadow Dancing,” which holds the top spot for seven weeks. 1986 – Kate Smith, one of the most successful American singers of the 1920s-40s and best known for her rendition of “God Bless America,” dies at the age of 79. 1995 – Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” is in the middle of a five-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart. The song is from the soundtrack to the movie “Don Juan DeMarco,” starring Johnny Depp. 2006 – “Hips Don’t Lie, by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean, begins two weeks on top of the pop chart. READ MORE