science – Time Rewind

On This Day April 25

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On This Day April 9

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Celebrity Birthdays

1898 – Stage actor, singer and civil rights crusader Paul Robeson (d. 1976)

1926 – Playboy magazine founder and publisher Hugh Hefner (d. 2017)

1928 – Singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician Tom Lehrer

1954 – Actor Dennis Quaid (“Breaking Away,” “The Right Stuff,” “Enemy Mine,” “Innerspace,” “Postcards From the Edge,” “The Parent Trap,” “Frequency,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “In Good Company,” “A Dog’s Purpose”)

1966 – Emmy, Tony and Grammy-winning actress Cynthia Nixon, best known as Miranda Hobbes in “Sex and the City”

1990 – Actress Kristen Stewart (“Panic Room,” “Zathura,” “The Twilight Saga,” “Snow White and the Huntsman”)

1998 – Actress Elle Fanning (“I Am Sam,” “Phoebe in Wonderland,” “Super 8,” “We Bought a Zoo,” “Low Down,” “Maleficent,” “Trumbo”)

History Highlights

1865 – Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Virginia, ending the American Civil War.

1959 – Six months after its creation, NASA holds a news conference to introduce the U.S. Air Force pilots that were to become America’s first astronauts – the Mercury Seven: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton.

1962 – “West Side Story” sweeps the Academy Awards, winning 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Actress and Best Director.

1965 – The Houston Astrodome, the world’s first domed stadium and so-called “Eighth Wonder of the World,” opens to the public with a sold-out exhibition game between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. President Lyndon B. Johnson is in attendance as the Astros prevail 2-1.

1972 – Jane Fonda wins the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as a call girl who witnesses a crime in “Klute,” co-starring Donald Sutherland.

Musical Milestones

1966 – “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” by The Righteous Brothers, launches a three-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart.

1969 – Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline” album, showcasing Dylan’s foray into country music. It spawns the hit “Lay Lady Lay,” which climbs as high as No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1977 – “Dancing Queen,” by ABBA, becomes the Swedish band’s first and only No. 1 single in the U.S. The song holds the top spot for a week.

1978 – Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” from the “Thank God It’s Friday” soundtrack, captures an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 51st annual Academy Awards.

1988 – Billy Ocean kicks off two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.”

1994 – “Bump n’ Grind,” by R. Kelly, begins four weeks as a Billboard singles chart-topper.

On This Day February 23

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Celebrity Birthdays

1868 – American civil rights activist, sociologist, educator, historian and writer W.E.B. Du Bois (d.1963)

1940 – Actor Peter Fonda (“Easy Rider,” “Ulee’s Gold,” “The Passion of Ayn Rand,” “Wild Hogs,” “3:10 to Yuma”) (d. 2019)

1955 – 80s synth-pop singer-songwriter Howard Jones (“Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life in One Day,” “No One Is To Blame”)

1965 – Entrepreneuer and Dell Computer founder-CEO Michael Dell

1976 – Actress Kelly Macdonald (“Trainspotting,” “Gosford Park,” “The Girl in the Café,” “Boardwalk Empire”)

1983 – Golden Globe-winning actress Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada,” “Gideon’s Daughter,” “The Adjustment Bureau,” “The Five-Year Engagement,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Sicario,” “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” “The Girl on the Train”, “A Quiet Place”, “Mary Poppins Returns”)

1994 – Actress Dakota Fanning (“I Am Sam,” “Man on Fire,” “War of the Worlds,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Coraline,” “The Twilight Saga”)

History Highlights

1836 – The Battle of the Alamo begins as Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his army arrive in San Antonio, Texas. Undaunted, William Travis, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and a few hundred others prepare to defend the mission together, holding out for 13 days. “Remember the Alamo!” becomes a rallying cry for the Texian Army.

1945 – During the bloody Battle of Iwo Jima, five U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. His iconic World War II image — a symbol of American military heroism — wins a Pulitzer Prize and becomes the inspiration for the national U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

1954 – Elementary school children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania receive the first injections of the new polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk.

1968 – Considered a basketball legend, Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first NBA player to score more than 25,000 points during his professional sports career.

1980 – American speed skater Eric Heiden wins the 10,000-meter race at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, setting a world record with his time and winning an unprecedented fifth Gold medal at the games.

1997 – Scientists in Scotland announce that they have cloned a sheep named Dolly — the first successful cloning of a mammal from an adult cell. This development sparks widespread speculation about the possibility of human cloning.

Musical Milestones

1963 – Paul & Paula wrap up their three-week ride on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hey Paula.”

1974 – Barbra Streisand dominates the pop chart for a third week with the Oscar and Grammy-winning theme from the movie “The Way We Were.”

1978 – For the first time in Grammy Award history, two singles tie for Song of the Year: Barbra Streisand’s “Love Theme from A Star Is Born (Evergreen)” and Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life.” Other winners include Fleetwood Mac (Album of the Year for “Rumours”), Eagles (Record of the Year for “Hotel California”) and The Bee Gees (Best Pop Vocal Performance for “How Deep Is Your Love”).

1980 – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” from Queen’s “The Game” album, becomes the British rock band’s first No. 1 single in the U.S. It holds the top spot for four weeks. Freddie Mercury claimed to have written the song in about 10 minutes while taking a bath.

1991 – Whitney Houston scores her ninth No. 1 single in five years with “All the Man That I Need.”

2000 – Carlos Santana cleans up at the 42nd Annual Grammys, winning eight awards, including Album of the Year for his chart-topping “Supernatural” album.

2002 – “Always on Time,” by Ja Rule featuring Ashanti, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

On This Day November 27

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Celebrity Birthdays

1940 – Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (d. 1973)

1941 – Country music singer Eddie Rabbitt (“I Love a Rainy Night,” “Drivin’ My Life Away,” “You and I”) (d. 1998)

1942 – Pioneering rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix (d. 1970)

1955 – Science educator-TV host Bill “The Science Guy” Nye

1957 – Diplomat, author and presidential daughter Caroline Kennedy

1964 – Actress Robin Givens (“Head of the Class,” “Sparks”)

History Highlights

1910 – The largest railway station in the world — Pennsylvania Station — opens in Midtown Manhattan, establishing itself as an architectural and transportation marvel. However, the complex is demolished in 1963 due to declining rail travel and eventually becomes the site of the sports and entertainment venue, Madison Square Garden.

1965 – Detroit Red Wing Gordie Howe scores his 600th goal in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Howe is the first (until Wayne Gretzky) NHL player to score 600 times in a career.

1971 – The Soviet Union’s unmanned Mars 2 spacecraft becomes the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Red Planet.

1973 – The U.S. Senate votes to confirm Gerald Ford as vice president, succeeding Spiro Agnew, who resigned amid charges of financial misconduct.

1978 – Gay rights activist Harvey Milk and openly gay San Francisco Mayor George Moscone are murdered by former by City Supervisor Dan White. White receives a five-year prison sentence for the killings. Unable to resume a normal life following his release, he takes his own life in 1986.

Musical Milestones

1967 – The Beatles release the “Magical Mystery Tour” album, which introduces fans to hits like “Hello, Goodbye,” “Penny Lane” and “All You Need is Love.”

1968 – Steppenwolf’s self-titled debut album, featuring “Born to Be Wild” and “The Pusher,” is certified gold with sales in excess of 500,000 copies. Both tracks are also part of the soundtrack to the 1969 cult classic, “Easy Rider.”

1970 – George Harrison releases “All Things Must Pass,” which contains the hit singles “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life,” as well as songs such as “Isn’t It a Pity” and the title track that had been rejected for Beatles productions. The triple album becomes the best selling album by any solo Beatle.

1982 – Lionel Richie’s “Truly” begins two weeks on top of the Billboard singles chart.

1993 – Meat Loaf is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” the first single from his album “Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell.”

1999 – “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas is mid-way through a 12-week domination of the pop chart. The song goes on to capture three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

On this Day August 27

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Celebrity Birthdays

1908 – Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), 36th U.S. president (d. 1973)

1916 – Singer and comic actress Martha Raye, born Margie Yvonne Reed (“Rhythm on the Range,” “The Woods Are Full Of Cuckoos,” “The Martha Raye Show”) (d. 1994)

1942 – Daryl Dragon, the keyboard-playing half of the Captain & Tennille (d. 2019)

1943 – Golden Globe-winning actress Tuesday Weld, born Susan Ker Weld (“Play It As It Lays,” “Looking For Mr. Goodbar,” “The Winter of Our Discontent,” “Once Upon a Time in America”)

1947 – Actress-model Barbara Bach, known for her role as Anya in the James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me,” and as the wife of musician Ringo Starr

1952 – Actor Paul Reubens, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman (d. 2023)

1963 – Actress, former MTV VJ and current Sirius/XM “90s on 9” host ‘Downtown’ Julie Brown

1976 – Actress Sarah Chalke (“Roseanne,” “Scrubs, “How I Met Your Mother”)

History Highlights

1883 – The most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history jolts Krakatoa (also known as Krakatau), a small, uninhabited volcanic island located west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The resulting explosions and tsunamis kill an estimated 36,000 people.

1953 – “Roman Holiday,” featuring Audrey Hepburn in her first starring movie role, premieres in New York City.

1955 – The first edition of “The Guinness Book of Records” is published in England as a resource for pub patrons to settle friendly disputes. By that Christmas, it becomes a British best-seller. Today, it is the leading international authority for certifying every conceivable world record, from longest mustache to most tattooed woman, and everything in between.

1962 – NASA launches the Mariner 2 space probe on a mission to fly by Venus and return data on the planet’s atmosphere, magnetic field, charged particle environment and mass.

1964 – Gracie Allen, who kept radio and TV audiences laughing for decades with comedy partner and husband George Burns, dies at age 69.

1966 – Sixty-five-year-old Francis Chichester sets sail from Plymouth, England aboard his yacht, Gipsy Moth IV, on the first solo around-the-world trip by sea. He completes the voyage nine months and one day later with only a single stop in Sydney, Australia, and is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

1984 – President Ronald Reagan announces the Teacher in Space Project to inspire students, honor teachers and spur interest in mathematics, science and space exploration. New Hampshire social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe is eventually selected out of 11,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space. Sadly, she is killed along with all her fellow crew members in the January 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger 73 seconds after liftoff.

Musical Milestones

1966 – “Summer in the City,” by The Lovin’ Spoonful, enters its third and final week on top of the singles chart.

1967 – Beatles manager Brian Epstein, regarded by many as “the fifth Beatle,” dies of a drug overdose at the age of 32.

1977 – The Emotions top the Billboard Hot 100 with “Best of My Love.”

1983 – “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, from the band’s “Synchronicity” album, begins its eighth and final week as the No. 1 single.

1988 – George Michael’s “Monkey” swings its way to the top of the Billboard singles chart and hangs there for two weeks. It is his sixth solo chart-topper.

1990 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, ranked seventh among the 100 greatest gutarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, dies in a helicopter crash at the age of 35.

1991 – Pearl Jam’s debut album, “Ten,” is released, spawning three hit singles: “Alive,” “Even Flow” and “Jeremy.” The album, which eventually climbs to No. 2, is credited, along with Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” with helping bring alternative rock into the mainstream.

1994 – Boyz II Men kick off 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “I’ll Make Love to You,” which goes on to capture a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

2005 – “We Belong Together,” by Mariah Carey, is the No. 1 single.

2011 – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” by Katy Perry, begins two weeks as the No. 1 single.