political commentator – Time Rewind

On This Day January 27

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On This Day December 17

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Celebrity Birthdays

1939 – Singer-songwriter (The Temptations co-founder) Eddie Kendricks (d. 1992)

1945 – Actor Ernie Hudson (“Ghostbusters,” “The Crow,” “Oz”)

1945 – Political commentator and MSNBC host Chris Matthews

1946 – Actor Eugene Levy (“A Mighty Wind, “Best in Show,” “Waiting for Guffman.” “American Pie,” “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonians,” “Cheaper by the Dozen 2”)

1953 – Actor Bill Pullman (“Spaceballs,” “While You Were Sleeping,” “Independence Day,” “The Sinner”)

1974 – Actor Giovanni Rabisi (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Public Enemies,” “The Boiler Room,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Lost in Translation,” “Avatar,” “Ted”)

1975 – Actress-model Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element,” “Dazed and Confused,” “The Three Musketeers,” the “Resident Evil” series)

1978 – International boxing champion and Philippines lawmaker Manny Pacquiao

History Highlights

1903 – The Wright Brothers make their first powered and heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and revolutionize aviation.

1944 – The U.S. approves ending the internment of Japanese-American “evacuees” from the West coast.

1963 – Congress passes the Clean Air Act, a sweeping set of laws designed to protect the environment from air pollution. During the six decades since its enactment, the measure led to huge reductions in airborne lead, sulfur compounds, chlorofluorocarbons as well as concentrations of carbon monoxide, particulate matter and ozone.

1975 – A federal jury in California sentences Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme to life in prison for her attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford.

1979 – Hollywood stuntman Stan Barrett tears across the dry lakebed at California’s Edwards Air Force Base in a rocket- and missile-powered car, becoming the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound on land. However, he does not set an official record.

1989 – Doh! FOX TV’s Emmy-winning animated comedy series “The Simpsons,” created by Matt Groening, premieres. The first episode is called “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.” In 2018, the show surpasses the classic Western TV series “Gunsmoke’s” record 635 episodes to become America’s longest-running series.

Musical Milestones

1966 – Two weeks after its first trip to No. 1, “Winchester Cathedral,” by The New Vaudeville Band, returns to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1969 – Singer Tiny Tim (real name Herbert Butros Khaury) marries his sweetheart, “Miss Vickie” (real name Victoria Budinger), on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”

1977 – Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” begins its tenth and final week at No. 1 on the pop chart.

1983 – The Paul McCartney-Michael Jackson duet, “Say Say Say,” is in the midst of a six-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100. It is the last No. 1 song of 1983 and first of 1984.

1995 – The Mariah Carey-Boys II Men collaboration, “One Sweet Day,” is into an unprecedented 16-week ride atop the Billboard singles chart.

2005 – Chris Brown’s debut single, “Run It!”, featuring Juelz Santana, rules the Billboard Hot 100.

On This Day December 8

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Celebrity Birthdays

1894 – Humorist James Thurber, best known for his short story, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (d. 1961)

1925 – Entertainer and Rat Pack member Sammy Davis, Jr. (d. 1990)

1930 – Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell (“Judgment at Nuremberg,” “The Man in the Glass Booth,” “Julia,” “Deep Impact”) (d. 2014)

1939 – Flute virtuoso Sir James Galway

1943 – Singer-songwriter and The Doors frontman Jim Morrison (d. 1971)

1947 – Allman Brothers Band co-founder Gregg Allman (d. 2017)

1953 – Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger (“The Natural,” “9 1/2 Weeks,” “Batman,” “Final Analysis,” “L.A. Confidential,” “8 Mile”)

1961 – Author and political commentator Ann Coulter

1964 – Golden Globe-winning actress Teri Hatcher (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “Desperate Housewives”)

1966 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor

1982 – Hip-hop superstar Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj

History Highlights

1881 – A fire at the Ringtheater in Vienna, Austria, kills more than 600 people and injures hundreds of others. The luxurious, ornate theater hosted the most popular performances of that time.

1941 – One day after the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt convinces Congress to declare war on Japan, thrusting the U.S. into World War II.

1982 – “Sophie’s Choice,” directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Meryl Streep as a Holocaust survivor, opens in U.S. movie theaters. Streep goes on to capture a Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe Award for her performance.

1987 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign the first treaty between the two superpowers to reduce their massive nuclear arsenals.

1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

1993 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law, creating the world’s largest free-trade zone. The pact eliminated virtually all tariffs and trade restrictions between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Musical Milestones

1962 – “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” by The Four Seasons, is in the midst of a five-week run on top of the singles chart. It is the New Jersey band’s second chart-topper after “Sherry,” which held the No. 1 spot for five weeks in September and October of that year.

1979 – Styx has its first and only No. 1 single with “Babe,” which remains a chart-topper for two weeks.

1980 – John Lennon is shot and killed outside his New York City apartment building by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman. The beloved ex-Beatle is just 40 years old.

1982 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter Marty Robbins dies at the age of 57. Best known for his 1959 hit “El Paso,” Robbins was also a race car driver on the NASCAR circuit.

1984 – “Out of Touch” by Daryl Hall & John Oates tops the Billboard Hot 100 and holds there for two weeks.

1990 – One-hit-wonder Stevie B kicks off four weeks on top of the pop chart with “Because I Love You (The Postman Song),” officially making that the final No. 1 single of 1990.

2001 – “Family Affair,” by Mary J. Blige, begins its sixth and final week as a Billboard chart-topper.

On This Day November 3

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Celebrity Birthdays

1921 – “Tough guy” actor Charles Bronson (“The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape,” “The Dirty Dozen,” “The Mechanic,” “Death Wish”) (d. 2003)

1933 – Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning film composer John Barry (“Midnight Cowboy,” “Out of Africa,” “Dances With Wolves” and many more) (d. 2011)

1952 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress-comedian Roseanne Barr, best known for her hit comedy series “Roseanne”

1953 – Actress Kate Capshaw, who met her husband, director Steven Spielberg, while working on the movie “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”

1953 – Comedian, “SNL” alum and political commentator Dennis Miller

1954 – New wave musician Adam Ant (“Antmusic,” “Goody Two Shoes”)

1957 – Swedish actor, director and martial artist Dolph Lundgren, best known for playing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV” and Gunner Jensen in “The Expendables”

History Highlights

1903 – With the support of the U.S. government, Panama declares its independence from Colombia.

1948 – The Chicago Tribune mistakenly declares New York Governor Thomas Dewey winner of the presidential race against incumbent Harry S. Truman in a front-page headline: “Dewey Defeats Truman.” Truman had actually defeated Dewey by 114 electoral votes.

1957 – The Soviet Union ups the ante in the Space Race by launching Sputnik 2. On board the spacecraft is a dog named Laika that becomes the first living animal in space.

1964 – In one of the most crushing victories in the history of U.S. presidential elections, incumbent Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) defeats Republican challenger Barry Goldwater, Sr.

1969 – A group of local educational TV stations unites under the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) banner. There are more than 345 PBS stations in the U.S. today.

1976 – Based on a Stephen King novel, the horror film “Carrie,” starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, and directed by Brian De Palma, opens in U.S. theaters.

2014 – One World Trade Center officially opens in Manhattan. The 104-story, 1,776-foot-high tower is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and replaces the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Musical Milestones

1962 – “He’s a Rebel,” by The Crystals, begins a two-week ride on top of the Billboard singles chart.

1967 – The filming of “Magical Mystery Tour” wraps, with sequences for George Harrison’s song, “Blue Jay Way,” shot at Ringo Starr’s house with Ringo himself directing.

1972 – James Taylor and Carly Simon are married by a judge in Simon’s Manhattan apartment, beginning an 11-year marriage. That evening, Simon joins Taylor on stage at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and announces their union to a cheering audience.

1979 – One-hit wonder M has the most popular single in the U.S. with “Pop Muzik,” a song credited with ushering in the new wave era.

1984 – Billy Ocean starts a two-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run).”

1990 – Vanilla Ice owns the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Ice Ice Baby” — the first No. 1 hip hop single. The track is constructed on the bassline of “Under Pressure,” by Queen and David Bowie.

2001 – “Family Affair” becomes Mary J. Blige’s first No. 1 single. It holds the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.

2007 – “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” by Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, enters its seventh and final week as a No. 1 single.