On This Day: March 19

On This Day March 19

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1848 – Frontiersman, marshall and gambler Wyatt Earp, remembered for participating in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (d. 1929)

1936 – Golden Globe-winning actress Ursula Andress, best known as (James) Bond girl Honey Ryder in “Dr. No” and Vesper Lynd in the Bond spoof film “Casino Royale”

1947 – Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Glenn Close (“The Big Chill,” “The Natural,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “The Shield,” “Damages,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Wife”)

1955 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Bruce Willis (“Moonlighting,” the “Die Hard” movie series, “Pulp Fiction,” “12 Monkeys,” “Armageddon,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Sin City,” “Unbreakable,” “The Expendables 2,” “Looper,” “Glass”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1916 – Eight Curtiss “Jenny” planes of the 1st Aero Squadron take off from Columbus, New Mexico, in the first combat air mission in U.S. history, supporting 7,000 U.S. troops that invaded Mexico to capture Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa.

1918 – Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time.

1953 – The big screen invades the small screen as the Academy Awards are broadcast on television for the first time. Some 34 million viewers tune in to NBC for the event, which features ceremonies in Hollywood and New York. Comedian Bob Hope hosts from the West coast.

1977 – Fans of CBS’s popular sitcom, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” watch the broadcast of the series finale. During its seven-season run, the show garnered an unprecedented 29 Emmy Awards and spawned three spin-offs.

1987 – Televangelist Jim Bakker resigns as head of the PTL Club due to a brewing sex scandal, and turns control over to the Reverend Jerry Falwell.

2003 – President George W. Bush announces that the United States and coalition forces have launched Operation Iraqi Freedom — a military offensive against Iraq aimed at toppling its dictator, Saddam Hussein, and eliminating the storage, development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1957 – Seeking a refuge from fans and the pressure of fame, 22-year-old Elvis Presley purchases the Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee for himself, his parents and his grandmother with a $1,000 cash down payment. The property’s sale price was $102,500 — about $900,000 in today’s dollars.

1960 – Percy Faith’s “Theme From a Summer Place” is mid-way through a nine-week reign over the singles chart. 

1962 – Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album. Produced by John Hammond, Jr., who signed Dylan to the label, the album features folk standards, plus two original compositions, “Talkin’ New York” and “Song to Woody.”

1977 – Another film theme begins its third and final week as the most popular single in America: Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen” from “A Star is Born.” 

1988 – Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single. 

1994 – “The Sign,” by Swedish band Ace of Base, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

2005 – 50 Cent becomes the first solo artist to have three singles in the Billboard Top 5: “Candy Shop” is at No. 1, “How We Do” by The Game (a member of his G-Unit group) is at No. 4 and “Disco Inferno” is at No. 5.

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On This Day: October 26

On This Day October 26

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1942 – Actor Bob Hoskins, best known for his role as Detective Eddie Valiant in the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (d. 2014)

1945 – Actress Jaclyn Smith, best known for her role in the popular TV detective series “Charlie’s Angels”

1946 – TV host Pat Sajak (“Wheel of Fortune”)

1947 – Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

1962 – Actor Cary Elwes (“The Princess Bride,” “Glory,” “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” “Days of Thunder,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Hot Shots!” “Twister,” “Liar, Liar”)

1963 – Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, former lead singer of the popular folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs

1967 – Grammy and Golden Globe-winning country music singer Keith Urban (“But for the Grace of God,” “Somebody Like You,” “You’ll Think of Me,” “Stupid Boy,” “For You”)

1973 – Actor-producer and “Family Guy” and “American Dad” creator Seth MacFarlane

History Highlights
History Highlights

1881 – The Earp brothers face off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The gunfight only lasts 30 seconds, but when the dust clears, Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers are dead, and Virgil and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday are wounded.

1958 – The Jet Age begins as the first Boeing 707 commercial airliner, operated by Pan Am, takes off from New York’s Idlewild Airport (now JFK) and crosses the Atlantic to Paris-Le Bourget Airport on an 8.5-hour flight.

1970 – The “Doonesbury” comic strip, created by Garry Trudeau, premieres in 28 newspapers across the U.S.

1982 – “St. Elsewhere,” a drama set at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston, captivates viewers when it premieres on NBC. Then-unknown actors Denzel Washington and Howie Mandel co-star.

1984 – Surgeons place a baboon heart into the chest of Baby Fae (Stephanie Fae Beauclair), an infant with a heart defect that normally kills newborns within their first 10 days of life. The transplant keeps Baby Fae alive for 21 days.

1984 – Director James Cameron’s career-launching sci-fi action film, “The Terminator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, opens in theaters. The movie is produced on a $6.4 million budget and grosses more than $78 million worldwide. It supercharges Schwarzenegger’s acting career, and “I’ll be back” becomes a popular catch-phrase.

2001 – President George W. Bush signs the Patriot Act, an anti-terrorism law drawn up in response to the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1958 – Bill Haley and his Comets play the first rock and roll concert in West Berlin, Germany, where riots erupt among the 7,000 fans in attendance. The band had to flee the stage as equipment was damaged and four police officers were injured.

1965 – Queen Elizabeth II presents The Beatles with prestigious MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) medals at Buckingham Palace.

1968 – The Beatles are in the midst of a nine-week ride atop the Billboard singles chart with “Hey Jude.”

1974 – The No. 1 single is a collaboration between Dionne Warwick and The Spinners: “Then Came You.”

1985 – Whitney Houston has her first No. 1 single with “Saving All My Love For You,” which goes on to earn the late pop sensation her first Grammy Award.

1991 – Mariah Carey begins her third and final week atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Emotions.”

1999 – Singer, songwriter and actor Hoyt Axton, who penned songs for Elvis Presley, Three Dog Night, John Denver, Ringo Starr and Glen Campbell, dies of a heart attack in Victor, Montana at the age of 61. 

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