On This Day: February 7

On This Day February 7

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1812 – Author Charles Dickens (“David Copperfield,” “Oliver Twist,” “A Christmas Carol”) (d. 1870)

1867 – Pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder, best known for her “Little House on the Prairie” series (d. 1957)

1885 – Novelist Sinclair Lewis, the first American author to win the Nobel prize for literature (d. 1951)

1955 – Actor Miguel Ferrer (“Twin Peaks,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Traffic,” “NCIS: Los Angeles”) (d. 2017)

1960 – Emmy-winning actor James Spader (“Less Than Zero,” “The Practice,” “Boston Legal,” “The Blacklist”) 

1962 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter Garth Brooks

1965 – Emmy and Grammy-winning comedian, actor, producer and “SNL” alum Chris Rock (“New Jack City,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Everybody Hates Chris”)

1978 – Actor-producer Ashton Kutcher (“That 70s Show,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?”, “Guess Who,” “A Lot Like Love,” “What Happens in Vegas,” “No Strings Attached,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Jobs”) 

History Highlights
History Highlights

1812 – The most violent in a series of earthquakes near Missouri causes the Mississippi River to flow backward for several hours, a phenomenon known as a fluvial tsunami. It triggers landslides and leaves massive cracks in the ground. Research completed in 2011 determines that these powerful New Madrid earthquakes could be felt in varying intensity across a nearly 965,000-square-mile stretch of the U.S.

1979 – Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor known as the “Angel of Death,” who performed medical experiments at the Auschwitz death camps, dies of a stroke while swimming in Brazil. However, his death is not confirmed until 1985.

1984 – While in orbit 170 miles above Earth, Navy Captain Bruce McCandless becomes the first human being to fly untethered in space when he exits the space shuttle Challenger and maneuvers freely, using a rocket pack of his own design.

1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti when President Jean-Claude ”Baby Doc” Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.

1990 – The Soviet Union crumbles when the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power. 

1999 – Jordan’s King Hussein bin Talal, the 20th century’s longest-serving executive head of state dies, and his son Prince Abdallah bin Hussein ascends to the throne.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1964 – The Beatles are mobbed by thousands of adoring fans after landing at New York’s Kennedy Airport to start their first U.S. tour. Later in the day, they appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” becoming the first British rock group to perform on American television. 

1970 – The No. 1 single is “Venus” by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue.

1976 – Paul Simon begins three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

1981 – Kool & the Gang have reason to celebrate as their single, “Celebration,” tops the Billboard Hot 100.

1985 – New York Mayor Ed Koch proclaims Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “New York, New York” as the official anthem of New York City, although it was never actually made official.

1986 – Madonna clinches the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with her fifth chart-topping single, “Open Your Heart.”

1998 – Janet Jackson wraps up two weeks on top of the U.S. singles chart with “Together Again.”

2004 – OutKast concludes a nine-week domination of the U.S. pop chart with “Hey Ya!”

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On This Day: December 13

On This Day December 13

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1925 – Emmy, Tony and Grammy-winning actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke (“Bye Bye Birdie,” “Mary Poppins,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Diagnosis: Murder,” “Night at the Museum”)

1929 – Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony-winning actor Christopher Plummer (“The Sound of Music,” ” A Beautiful Mind,” “Nicholas Nickleby,” “The New World,” “Inside Man,” “Beginners”)

1948 – Rock musician Ted Nugent, best known for his 1977 hit “Cat Scratch Fever”

1957 – Golden Globe-winning actor Steve Buscemi (“Reservoir Dogs,” “Desperado,” “Con Air,” “Fargo,” “Armageddon,” “Boardwalk Empire”)

1967 – Oscar and Grammy-winning actor-comedian and musician Jamie Foxx, born Eric Marlon Bishop (“Ray,” “Django Unchained,” “Dreamgirls,” “Collateral,” “The Soloist”)

1989 – Grammy-winning pop superstar Taylor Swift

History Highlights
History Highlights

1957 – The Ford Motor Company produces the last two-seater Thunderbird. Beginning with the 1958 model year, the car becomes a four-seater, referred to as the “Square Bird.”

1972 – Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the third and final “extravehicular activity” (EVA) or “moonwalk” during NASA’s last manned mission to the moon.

1983 – The Detroit Pistons defeat the Denver Nuggets by a score of 186-184 in triple overtime, the highest scoring game in the history of the NBA.

2000 – A long and bitter U.S. presidential race finally comes to an end. After five weeks of legal wrangling over the vote count in Florida, Democrat Al Gore—then vice president—concedes to Republican Texas Governor George W. Bush after the Supreme Court rules that the Florida recount must stop.

2000 – Seven convicts escape from a maximum-security prison in South Texas, setting off a manhunt that lasts six weeks. The so-called ‘Texas Seven’ leave behind an ominous note that reads, “You haven’t heard the last of us yet.” A tip from someone that had seen the escapees profiled on TV’s “America’s Most Wanted” crime program leads to their capture.

2003 – Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. military forces without as single shot being fired. Nine months after he and his family fled Baghdad, he is discovered hiding in an underground hole near his hometown of Tikrit. He stands trial and is executed in December 2006.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1969 – The Dutch band Shocking Blue hurtles onto the Billboard Hot 100 with “Venus,” which climbs to No. 1 in the U.S. and eight other countries in 1970. Bananarama’s 1986 cover of the song also becomes a chart-topper.

1975 – Silver Convention soars through its third and final week atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Fly, Robin, Fly.”

1980 – Kenny Rogers holds the top spot on the Billboard pop chart with “Lady” — a song written by Lionel Richie.

1986 – “The Way It Is,” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, hits No.1 on the singles chart.

1993 – Janet Jackson’s “Again” is in the middle of a two-week ride atop the singles chart. The song goes on to receive Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song.

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On This Day: September 6

On This Day September 6

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1937 – Actress Jo Anne Worley, best remembered from the comedy-variety show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”

1943 – Roger Waters, lead singer and bass player for the British rock band Pink Floyd

1944 – Emmy- and Tony-winning actress Swoosie Kurtz (“Fifth of July,” “The House of Blue Leaves,” “Carol and Company,” “Sisters,” “Mike & Molly”)

1947 – Emmy-winning actress and comedian Jane Curtin (“Saturday Night Live,” “Kate & Allie,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “I Love You, Man”)

1958 – Grammy-winning comedian and TV personality Jeff Foxworthy (“The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” “Blue Collar TV”)

1964 – Actress Rosie Perez (“Do the Right Thing,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Fearless,” “In Living Color”) 

History Highlights
History Highlights

1915 – The first military tank is produced in England during World War I. Nicknamed “Little Willie,” the prototype armored vehicle weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches and crawled at just two miles per hour. Over time, improved designs resulted in a machine that literally transformed the battlefield.

1968 – “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” McDonald’s introduces the Big Mac to its fast food menu (for 49 cents), and decades later, it remains one of the restaurant chain’s most popular items. In 2017 alone, McDonald’s sold 1.3 billion Big Macs.

1968 – Berkeley, California becomes the first U.S. city with a population of more than 100,000 to desegregate its public schools. 

1976 – A Soviet Air Force pilot lands his MiG fighter jet in Japan and requests asylum in the U.S. 

1997 – Millions of people around the world watch live televised coverage of the Westminster Abbey funeral of Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash days earlier. During the service, Elton John performs a new version of “Candle in the Wind” as a special tribute.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1969 – The Rolling Stones are in the midst of a four-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hony Tonk Women.”

1970 – Jimi Hendrix takes the stage at the Open Air Love and Peace Festival in Fehmarn, Germany and plays what becomes his final concert before his death 12 days later in London at the age of 27. 

1975 – Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” rides to the top of the Billboard pop chart and remains there for two weeks. The track also reaches No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart and garners two Grammy nominations.

1980 – Diana Ross goes right-side-up to No. 1 on the singles chart with “Upside Down,” and holds the top spot for four weeks. 

1986 – “Venus,” by Bananarama, rises to the top of the Billboard singles survey. It’s the cover of a 1970 chart-topping hit by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue.

1997 – “Mo Money Mo Problems,” by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase, is the No. 1 single. The song is ‘Biggie’s’ second posthumous chart-topper, following “Hypnotize.”

2008 – The Jonas Brothers own the top spot on the pop chart for the second and final week with “A Little Bit Longer.”

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