On This Day March 2 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1793 – American statesman Sam Houston, best known for his role in bringing Texas into the United States as a constituent state (d. 1863) 1904 – Children’s book author and illustrator Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel (“If I Ran the Zoo,” “Horton Hears a Who!” “If I Ran the Circus,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” “Green Eggs and Ham”) (d. 1991) 1917 – Actor Desi Arnaz, best known for playing Ricky Ricardo in the sitcom “I Love Lucy,” which starred his wife, Lucille Ball (d. 1986) 1931 – Former Soviet President and Nobel laureate Mikhail Gorbachev 1942 – Rock-punk singer-songwriter-guitarist Lou Reed, originally of the 60s band Velvet Underground and solo artist (“Walk on the Wild Side”) (d. 2013) 1950 – Pop sensation Karen Carpenter of the 70s sibling duo Carpenters (d. 1983) 1962 – Bon Jovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi (“Dead or Alive”, “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “You Give Love A Bad Name”, “Blaze Of Glory”), born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. 1968 – Actor Daniel Craig, best known for playing British spy James Bond 1980 – Actress-comedian Rebel Wilson (“Bridesmaids,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Pitch Perfect 2,” “How To Be Single”) History Highlights 1836 – The Republic of Texas declares its independence from Mexico. A convention of American Texans meets at Washington-on-the-Brazos (today commonly referred to as “the birthplace of Texas”) and confirms Sam Houston as the commander in chief of all Texan forces. 1925 – State and federal highway officials create the United States’ first system of numbered interstate highways. 1933 – The horror film “King Kong,” about the giant ape that runs loose across Manhattan, opens at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Screenings sell out for the first four days. 1949 – The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Connecticut. 1955 – Nine months before Rosa Parks’ famous act of civil disobedience, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus. Colvin was traveling home from school when the driver ordered her and three fellow Black students to give up their row of seats to a White passenger. 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the NBA by scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a match against the New York Knicks. 1965 – “The Sound of Music,” starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about the Von Trapp family, opens in New York. The movie goes on to capture five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Robert Wise). 1972 – NASA launches Pioneer 10 — the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt and the first to make direct observations and capture close-up images of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. 1978 – Three months after his death, grave robbers steal the corpse of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin from a Swiss cemetery and demand $600,000 for its safe return. Musical Milestones 1963 – “Walk Like a Man,” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, starts a three-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. It is the band’s third chart-topping hit. 1967 – The Beatles win three Grammys for records issued the previous year: Best Song for “Michelle,” Best Vocal Performance for “Eleanor Rigby” and Best Cover Artwork for the album design of “Revolver” by Klaus Voormann. 1974 – “Seasons in the Sun,” by one-hit wonder Terry Jacks, claims the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and stays there for three weeks. 1974 – At the 16th Annual Grammy Awards, Stevie Wonder captures five honors: Album of the Year and Best Engineered Recording for “Innervisions,” Best R&B Song and Best Vocal for “Superstition,” and Pop Vocal Performance for “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life.” 1974 – Roberta Flack wins Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammys for “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” The track also garners a Song of the Year Grammy for its writers, Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox. 1985 – “Careless Whisper,” by Wham! featuring George Michael, begins its third and final week at No. 1 on the singles chart. 1985 – Sheena Easton becomes the first musical artist ever to land Top 10 hits on the pop, R&B, country, dance and adult contemporary charts when “Sugar Walls,” written by Prince, reaches No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. That is the song that sparked the Parental Advisory music labeling system (listen carefully to the lyrics and you’ll know why). 1999 – Acclaimed British pop vocalist Dusty Springield (“I Only Want To Be With You,” “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”) dies at the age of 59 following a five-year battle with breast cancer. 2002 – “Always on Time,” by Ja Rule featuring Ashanti, enters its second and final week as a No. 1 single. READ MORE
On this Day June 13 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1892 – Actor Basil Rathbone, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in more than a dozen movies by the mid-1940s (d. 1967) 1926 – Actor-comedian Paul Lynde (“Bewitched,” “Hollywood Squares”) (d. 1983) 1943 – Actor Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange,” “Star Trek Generations,” “Heroes,” “Entourage,” “The Mentalist”) 1951 – Actor Stellan Skarsgård (“Breaking the Waves,” Good Will Hunting,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) 1951 – Emmy-winning actor Richard Thomas, best known for playing John-Boy on the CBS series “The Waltons” 1953 – Actor-comedian Tim Allen (“Home Improvement,” Buzz Lightyear in the “Toy Story” movies, “Galaxy Quest”) 1962 – Actress and “Brat Pack” member Ally Sheedy (“War Games,” “The Breakfast Club,” “St. Elmo’s Fire” 1981 – Actor Chris Evans, best known for portraying Captain America in the “Avengers” and “Captain America” films, as well as the Human Torch in “Fantastic Four” 1986 – Actress-turned-fashion designer Ashley Olsen, best known for sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen in the ABC sitcom “Full House” 1986 – Actress-turned-fashion designer Mary-Kate Olsen, best known for sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with twin sister Ashley Olsen in the ABC sitcom “Full House” History Highlights 1966 – In a landmark ruling (Miranda v. Arizona), the Supreme Court establishes the Miranda Rights, requiring police officers to advise criminal suspects of their rights before questioning them. 1967 – Calling it “the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place,” President Lyndon Johnson nominates U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thurgood Marshall as the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Two months later, after heated debate, the Senate confirms Marshall’s nomination by a 69 to 11 vote. Two days later, he is sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren. 1967 – The fifth James Bond movie, “You Only Live Twice,” opens in theaters across the U.S. Once again, Sean Connery stars as suave British secret agent 007. 1971 – The New York Times publishes the “Pentagon Papers,” revealing the growing political and military involvement of the U.S. in Southeast Asia. 1983 – The NASA spacecraft Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the solar system. Musical Milestones 1960 – The Everly Brothers are chart-toppers with “Cathy’s Clown.” 1963 – The Dixie Cups are midway through a three-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart with “Chapel of Love.” 1970 – Before breaking up, The Beatles enjoy their last No. 1 single in the U.S.: “The Long and Winding Road.” The album it came from, “Let It Be,” tops the Billboard album chart that same day. 1981 – Kim Carnes is in the middle of a nine-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100 with “Bette Davis Eyes.” The song goes on to capture Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. 1987 – “Always,” by Atlantic Starr, is the most popular song on American radio. 1992 – Billy Ray Cyrus’ debut album, “Some Gave All,” launches a 17-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. The album spawns Cyrus’ breakout single, “Achy Breaky Heart.” 1998 – Brandy and Monica own the No. 1 spot on the pop chart with “The Boy is Mine.” 2005 – A California jury clears pop sensation Michael Jackson of all charges following a four-month-long child abuse trial. Charges were brought against Jackson after the airing of a 2003 TV documentary in which he admitted to sharing his bed with young children. 2009 – “Boom Boom Pow,” by The Black Eyed Peas, is in the middle of a 12-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100. READ MORE