On This Day November 8 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1847 – Bram Stoker, author of the legendary horror novel “Dracula” (d. 1912) 1900 – Pulitzer Prize-winning “Gone With the Wind” author Margaret Mitchell (d. 1949) 1927 – 1950s pop sensation Patti Page (“Tennessee Waltz,” “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window,” “Old Cape Cod”) (d. 2013) 1931 – CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent Morley Safer (d. 2016) 1949 – Grammy-winning blues-rock singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt (“Something to Talk About,” “Love Sneakin’ Up on You,” “I Can’t Make You Love Me”) 1950 – Mary Hart, born Mary Johanna Harum, who hosted the syndicated TV show “Entertainment Tonight” for nearly 30 years 1952 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Alfre Woodard (“Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere,” “Passion Fish,” “Crooklyn,” “How to Make an American Quilt,” “Miss Evers’ Boys,” “The Practice,” “12 Years a Slave”) 1961 – 1970s teen heartthrob Leif Garrett (“Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer,” “I Was Made For Dancin”) 1968 – Actress Parker Posey (“Kicking and Screaming,” “Waiting for Guffman,” “The Daytrippers,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Scream 3,” “Superman Returns,” “Irrational Man,” “Café Society”) History Highlights 1895 – German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovers the X-ray, a scientific advancement that would revolutionize the fields of physics and medicine. He is awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901 for his discovery. 1939 – Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler survives an attempted assassination when the bomb intended to kill him during a speech at a Munich beer hall goes off 13 minutes after he leaves the building. 1960 – At age 43, John F. Kennedy becomes the youngest man ever and the first Catholic to be elected president of the United States, as he narrowly defeats Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy’s first term is cut short when an assassin guns him down three years later as his motorcade passes through downtown Dallas, Texas. 1965 – A new soap opera hits American television. It’s “Days of Our Lives” on NBC. Still on the air today, it is one of the longest-running scripted TV programs in the world. 1966 – Actor Ronald Reagan, who goes on to become the 40th U.S. president, is elected governor of California. He defeats Democratic incumbent Pat Brown by nearly a million votes. 1978 – The world mourns the death of artist Norman Rockwell at age 84. Rockwell was best known for the cover illustrations he produced for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for nearly 50 years. Musical Milestones 1969 – “Wedding Bell Blues,” by The 5th Dimension, begins three weeks as a No. 1 single. Written by Laura Nyro, it is the band’s second chart-topping hit. 1975 – Elton John’s “Rock of the Westies” debuts at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart — the same thing that happened with his “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” album six months earlier. 1975 – David Bowie makes his American television debut on the “Cher” variety show on CBS. He performs “Fame” as well as a medley with Cher that includes “Young Americans.” 1980 – Bruce Springsteen’s double LP, “The River,” flows to the top of the Billboard album chart, where it remains for four weeks. Among the work’s 20 tracks is “Hungry Heart,” The Boss’ first No. 1 single. 1986 – Boston has its first and only No. 1 single with “Amanda,” off the rock band’s “Third Stage” album, which was actually recorded in 1980. The power ballad holds the top spot for two weeks. 1997 – Elton John’s tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales — “Candle in the Wind 1997” — continues its 14-week ride at the top of the singles chart. 2008 – AC/DC begin two weeks on top of the Billboard album chart with “Black Ice,” the band’s 15th studio album. While the album garners a Grammy nomination, it’s the track “War Machine” that actually captures a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy — AC/DC’s first-ever Grammy Award. READ MORE
On this Day August 9 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1927 – Actor Robert Shaw (“A Man For All Seasons,” “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” “Jaws,” “Black Sunday”) (d. 1978) 1944 – Actor Sam Elliott (“Gunsmoke,” “Mask,” “Road House,” “Tombstone,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Ghost Rider,” “The Golden Compass,” “Grandma,” “The Ranch”) 1957 – Golden Globe-winning actress Melanie Griffith (“Something Wild, “Working Girl,” “Shining Through,” “Crazy in Alabama”) 1963 – Six-time Grammy-winning pop sensation Whitney Houston (d. 2012) 1968 – Actor Eric Bana (“Black Hawk Down,” “Hulk,” “Munich,” “Star Trek”) 1968 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Gillian Anderson, best known for playing Special Agent Dana Scully in the hit sci-fi series “The X-Files.” 1985 – Actress Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “The Twilight Saga,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Into the Woods”) History Highlights 1936 – African American track star Jesse Owens captures his fourth Gold medal at the Berlin Olympic Games in the 4×100-meter relay. His relay team set a new world record of 39.8 seconds. In their strong showing in track and field, Owens and other African American athletes struck a publicity blow to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who planned to use the international event to showcase supposed Aryan superiority. 1945 – Three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the U.S. drops a second atomic bomb on Japan. This time the target is Nagasaki. The attack leads to Japan’s unconditional surrender and brings hostilities in World War II to a close. The combined attacks leave some 200,000 people dead and level both cities. 1969 – In one of the most horrifying crimes of the 1960s, members of Charles Manson’s cult, the Manson Family, murder five people in the Beverly Hills home of director Roman Polanski. Polanski’s pregnant wife, 26-year-old actress Sharon Tate, is among the victims. 1974 – Gerald Ford becomes the 38th U.S. president, taking the oath of office on the heels of the Richard Nixon resignation. 1975 – The Louisiana Superdome opens and an exhibition game there sees the Houston Oilers trounce the hometown New Orleans Saints by a score of 31-7. 2010 – JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater quits his job in dramatic fashion after his flight lands at New York’s JFK International Airport. He gets on the public address system, swears at a passenger whom he claimed treated him rudely, grabs a beer and slides down the plane’s emergency chute onto the tarmac. Musical Milestones 1959 – “Stagger Lee,” by Lloyd Price, begins a four-week hold on the top spot on the singles chart. 1969 – Blood, Sweat, & Tears’ Grammy-winning self-titled album tops the Billboard 200. The album delivers the Top 5 hits “And When I Die,” “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.” 1975 – The Bee Gees dominate the Billboard Hot 100 with their second No. 1 hit in the U.S.: “Jive Talkin’.” The single holds the top spot for two weeks. 1980 – Olivia Newton-John is in the midst of a four-week reign over the pop chart with “Magic.” 1995 – Deadheads everywhere mourn as a heart attack claims the life of Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia at the age of 53. Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time ranks Garcia at No. 13. 1997 – “I’ll Be Missing You,” by Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112, continues its domination over the Billboard Hot 100. 2003 – “Crazy in Love,” by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, is the No. 1 single. The track holds the top spot for eight weeks. 2008 – Katy Perry is in the middle of a seven-week domination of the pop chart with “I Kissed a Girl.” READ MORE