On This Day March 10 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1940 – Actor and martial artist Chuck Norris (“Way of the Dragon,” “Walker, Texas Ranger”) 1958 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Sharon Stone (“Total Recall,” “Basic Instinct,” “Casino,” “The Mighty”) 1971 – Golden Globe-winning actor Jon Hamm, best known as ad executive Don Draper in the TV series “Mad Men” 1983 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood, whose career was launched after winning Season 4 of “American Idol” 1984 – Actress Olivia Wilde (“House,” “Tron: Legacy,” “Cowboys and Aliens,” “In Time”) History Highlights 1862 – Paper money, known as Legal Tender Notes or United States Notes, is issued for the first time in the U.S. The denominations are $5 (Hamilton), $10 (Lincoln) and $20 (Liberty). 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell places the world’s first telephone call at his Boston laboratory. He summons his assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in the next room, by saying, “Mr. Watson, come here — I want to see you.” Bell had secured a patent for his groundbreaking communication device just three days earlier. 1959 – Some 300,000 Tibetans band together in revolt, surrounding the summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of Chinese occupation forces that moved in almost 10 years earlier. The anniversary of the failed rebellion is observed by Tibetan exiles as the “Tibetan Uprising Day.” 1969 – James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and is sentenced to 99 years in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee. Ray later retracts his guilty plea. 1993 – An anti-abortion protester shoots and kills Dr. David Gunn outside the Pensacola (Florida) Women’s Medical Services clinic, where Gunn performed abortions. Although the gunman immediately turns himself in to authorities, the murder sets off a wave of deadly anti-abortion violence across the U.S. Musical Milestones 1956 – RCA Victor takes out a half-page ad in Billboard magazine proclaiming that Elvis Presley is “the new singing rage.” 1962 – “Hey! Baby,” by Bruce Channel, begins a three-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart. 1964 – Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel record an acoustic version of “The Sound of Silence” for their debut album, “Wednesday Morning, 3AM.” Later, without the duo’s knowledge, Columbia Records producers overdub electric guitar, bass and drums for another version of the track that becomes the chart-topping hit in January 1966. 1979 – Gloria Gaynor reaches the top of the singles chart with the disco anthem “I Will Survive.” 1984 – Madonna charts for the first time in her career with “Borderline.” The single climbs as high as No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1988 – Pop sensation Andy Gibb, the younger brother of the Bee Gees, dies of an inflammatory heart virus at the age of 30. 1990 – “Escapade,” by Janet Jackson, is in the midst of a three-week ride atop the Billboard Hot 100. 2003 – During a concert in London, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines declares that the band is “ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas,” referring to President George W. Bush. The remark sparks outrage among many Americans, and some radio stations stop playing their music. 2010 – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” by Kelly Clarkson, is the No. 1 single for a week. READ MORE
On This Day March 7 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1934 – Longtime NBC weatherman and “Today” show personality Willard Scott 1945 – Actor John Heard (“Awakenings,” “Home Alone,” “The Pelican Brief”) (d. 2017) 1956 – Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe-winning actor Bryan Cranston (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Breaking Bad,” “Argo,” “Trumbo,” “The Infiltrator,” “Isle of Dogs,” “The Upside”) 1964 – Emmy-winning comedian Wanda Sykes (“The Chris Rock Show,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) 1970 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Rachel Weisz (“Stealing Beauty,” “The Mummy,” “The Constant Gardener,” “The Bourne Legacy,” “Oz the Great and Powerful,” “The Favourite”) 1974 – Actress-producer Jenna Fischer (“The Office,” “Blades of Glory,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” “The Promotion,” “Hall Pass”) 1980 – Actress Laura Prepon (“That ‘70s Show,” “Slackers,” “Lightning Bug,” “The Pornographer: A Love Story,” “The Killing Game,” “Orange is the New Black”) History Highlights 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his revolutionary invention, the telephone, which remains a vital communications tool around the world today. 1924 – “The New Republic” publishes Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” The work, beginning with the famous line “Whose woods these are, I think I know. His house is in the village though,” introduces millions of American students to poetry. 1933 – Unemployed during the Great Depression, Charles Darrow creates the board game Monopoly, which he personally sells for two years until Parker Brothers begins mass-marketing it in 1935. Darrow dies a millionaire in 1967. 1965 – A peaceful civil rights demonstration ends in violence in Selma, Alabama when many of the protesters are tear-gassed and beaten by white state troopers and sheriff’s deputies. The day’s events become known as “Bloody Sunday” and mark a tragic but important milestone in America’s civil rights movement. The clash was reported on national television and other media, spurring demonstrations in 80 cities across the country over the next few days. 1999 – Acclaimed screenwriter-director-producer Stanley Kubrick (“Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Shining,” “Full Metal Jacket,” “Eyes Wide Shut”) dies in England at the age of 70. 2010 – Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director, for the movie “The Hurt Locker,” about an American bomb squad that disables explosives in Iraq in 2004. Bigelow beats out directing heavyweights James Cameron (coincidentally, her ex-husband), Lee Daniels, Jason Reitman and Quentin Tarantino. Musical Milestones 1964 – “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” by The Beatles, is in the middle of a seven-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100. It is the band’s first No. 1 hit in the U.S. and marks the rising tide of the British Invasion and Beatlemania. 1966 – Tina Turner records her vocals for the legendary Phil Spector-produced “River Deep Mountain High.” 1970 – Just as Simon & Garfunkel split, the acclaimed pop duo’s final collaboration, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” starts a 10-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. 1987 – The Beastie Boys become the first rap act to have a No. 1 album with their debut work, “Licensed To Ill.” The album contains fan favorites including “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)” and “No Sleep till Brooklyn.” 1992 – Mr. Big is in the middle of three weeks as Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers with “To Be With You.” 1998 – Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme from the blockbuster movie “Titanic,” begins its second and final week on top of the pop chart. 2009 – Flo Rida is in the middle of a six-week domination of the singles chart with “Right Round,” which was inspired by Dead or Alive’s 1985 hit, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).” READ MORE
On This Day February 28 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1923 – Actor Charles Durning (“The Front Page,” “North Dallas Forty,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”) (d. 2012) 1931 – Actor Gavin MacLeod, best known for his TV roles as Murray, the news writer in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and as Captain Stubing in “The Love Boat” 1939 – Tony Award-winning actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer and choreographer Tommy Tune 1940 – Auto racing legend Mario Andretti 1948 – Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters (“Dames at Sea,” “The Jerk,” “Pennies from Heaven,” “Silent Movie”) 1957 – Actor-producer John Turturro (“Do The Right Thing,” “Barton Fink,” “The Quiz Show,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Brother, Where Art Thou?,” the “Transformers” movie series) History Highlights 1953 – Cambridge University scientists James Watson and Francis Crick announce that they have confirmed the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes. They are later honored with the Nobel Prize for their achievement. 1958 – A school bus in Prestonsburg, Kentucky hits a tow truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Big Sandy River. The driver and 26 children die in what remains the worst school bus accident in U.S. history. 1983 – After 11 seasons, CBS broadcasts the finale of the popular sitcom “M*A*S*H” as a special two and a half-hour episode (“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”) watched by 77 percent of the viewing audience. It’s the largest viewership ever for a single TV show up to that time. 1993 – Four federal agents are killed in Waco, Texas after attempting to serve an arrest warrant for weapons charges on Branch Davidian sect leader David Koresh, triggering a 51-day standoff. 1994 – U.S. fighter planes shoot down four Serbian warplanes engaged in a bombing mission that violates Bosnia’s no-fly zone. It marks the first military action in the 45-year history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Musical Milestones 1970 – “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” by Simon & Garfunkel, tops the singles chart and remains there for six weeks. It captures Record of the Year and Song of the Year Grammys in 1971 and goes on to sell over six million copies worldwide. 1976 – The No. 1 single comes from a prime time police drama on ABC-TV. It’s “Theme From S.W.A.T.” by Rhythm Heritage. 1976 – Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” captures an Album Of The Year Grammy. In his acceptance speech, Simon tells the audience, “I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn’t make an album this year.” 1981 – Eddie Rabbitt hops to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Love a Rainy Night.” 1983 – U2 release “War,” the Irish rock band’s third studio album, which gives us their earliest signature songs, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day.” 1987 – Bon Jovi holds the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with what becomes their signature song: “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1996 – At the 38th Annual Grammy Awards, Kiss shock the audience by appearing in full makeup. Introduced by rapper Tupac Shakur (2Pac), it marks the first time in more than 15 years that all four band members appeared together. Just a few weeks later, they announce a reunion tour. 1998 – Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, the theme from the blockbuster movie “Titanic,” is captain of the pop chart. READ MORE
On This Day February 5 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1919 – Comedian-actor-TV host Red Buttons (d. 2006) 1934 – Retired Major League Baseball superstar Hank Aaron, who was first to break Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs 1942 – Retired Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach 1948 – Actress Barbara Hershey (“Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Beaches,” “Falling Down,” “Black Swan”) 1948 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Tom Wilkinson (“The Full Monty,” “In the Bedroom,” “Michael Clayton,” “Duplicity,” “The Debt,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) 1948 – Actor, screenwriter and director Christopher Guest (“This is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride,” “Waiting for Guffman”) 1962 – Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Single White Female,” “Dolores Claiborne,” “The Hateful Eight”) 1964 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Laura Linney (“Kinsey,” “Primal Fear,” “The Truman Show,” “Wild Iris, “Frasier,” “John Adams”) History Highlights 1937 – President Franklin Roosevelt announces a controversial plan to expand the Supreme Court, allegedly to make it more efficient. Critics accuse him of trying to “pack” the court to neutralize those justices hostile to his New Deal. 1971 – Apollo 14’s lunar module, the Antares, touches down on the surface of the moon in the region known as Fra Mauro, the intended landing site of the aborted Apollo 13 mission. While on the moon, Commander Alan Shepard practices his golf swing by hitting two balls. 1972 – Bob Douglas (1882-1979), considered the “Father of Black Professional Basketball,” becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. 1988 – Two federal grand juries in Florida announce the indictments of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and 16 associates on drug smuggling and money laundering charges. 1993 – Just two weeks after his inauguration, President Bill Clinton signs the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). It grants workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in order to recover from a serious medical condition, provide care for a seriously ill family member or care for a new child. 1994 – White supremacist Byron De La Beckwith is convicted in the murder of African-American civil rights leader Medgar Evers more than 30 years after the crime occurred. Musical Milestones 1955 – Billboard magazine ranks “Hearts of Stone,” by the New Jersey trio The Fontane Sisters, the best-selling single in the U.S. 1957 – Way before the British Invasion, an American invasion is underway, as adoring fans welcome Bill Haley and His Comets of “Rock Around the Clock” fame to the U.K. 1966 – Petula Clark’s “My Love” is the No. 1 single. The track is Clark’s second chart-topper following her breakthrough hit, “Downtown.” She becomes the first British female artist to score two U.S. No. 1s. 1972 – Paul Simon’s first solo recording since the Simon & Garfunkel split, “Mother And Child Reunion,” is released and eventually climbs as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1977 – “Torn Between Two Lovers” puts Mary MacGregor on top of the singles chart. 1983 – “Africa” becomes Toto’s first and only No. 1 single in the U.S. The track is from the band’s “Toto IV” album, which also contains the Top 5 hit “Rosanna.” 2000 – Australian pop duo Savage Garden is in the midst of a three-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Knew I Loved You.” READ MORE
On This Day January 22 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1931 – Soul singing sensation Sam Cooke (“You Send Me,” “Chain Gang” and “Twistin’ the Night Away”) (d. 1964) 1934 – Actor Bill Bixby (“My Favorite Martian,” “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” “The Incredible Hulk”) (d. 1993) 1940 – Actor John Hurt (“A Man For All Seasons,” “Midnight Express,” “Alien,” “The Elephant Man”) (d. 2017) 1949 – Journey frontman Steve Perry 1959 – Actress Linda Blair, best known for her portrayal of the demonically possessed girl in the horror movie “The Exorcist” 1960 – INXS founding member and frontman Michael Hutchence (d. 1997) 1965 – Actress Diane Lane (“Unfaithful,” “The Perfect Storm,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Man of Steel”) 1968 – Restaurateur and TV host Guy Fieri (“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”) History Highlights 1968 – The variety show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” premieres on NBC and helps launch the acting careers of Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin and many others. 1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court delivers its landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, legalizing elective abortion in all 50 states. The 7-2 ruling means that a woman’s right to privacy extends to her right to make her own medical decisions, including having an abortion. 1973 – George Foreman is crowned World Heavyweight Boxing Champion after knocking out Joe Frazier in two rounds during “The Sunshine Showdown” in Kingston, Jamaica. 1973 – Four years after completing his last term as U.S. president, Lyndon Johnson dies at his Texas ranch at the age of 64. 1998 – Mathematics professor-turned-domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski (a.k.a. “The Unabomber”) pleads guilty to federal charges in connection with his 17-year campaign of package bombings that killed three people and injured more than 20 others. He receives a life sentence. 2008 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor Heath Ledger, best known for his roles in the movies “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Dark Knight,” dies from accidental intoxication by prescription drugs at the age of 28. Musical Milestones 1963 – The Drifters enter a studio to record their classic, “On Broadway,” which climbs as high as No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. In 1978, George Benson’s cover of the hit makes it to No. 7 on the pop chart. 1966 – “The Sounds of Silence,” by Simon & Garfunkel, is the No. 1 single. 1966 – Frank Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy, steps onto the Billboard Hot 100 with “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” The track marches its way to No. 1 about a month later. 1977 – Stevie Wonder is on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Wish.” 1983 – “Down Under,” by Australian band Men At Work, is mid-way through a three-week reign over the Billboard singles chart. 1994 – “All For Love” by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting is the No. 1 single. The track is from the movie “The Three Musketeers.” 2000 – Christina Aguilera has the No. 1 single with “What a Girl Wants.” READ MORE