On This Day: January 2

On This Day January 2

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1920 – Author Isaac Asimov (“I, Robot,” the “Foundation” trilogy) (d. 1992) 

1967 – Actress-singer Tia Carrere (“Wayne’s World,” “True Lies,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Collision Course,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Celebrity Apprentice”)

1968 – Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. (“Boyz ‘N the Hood,” “A Few Good Men,” “Jerry Maguire,” “As Good As It Gets,” “American Gangster,” “The Butler,” “Selma,” “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story”)

1971 – Actor Taye Diggs (“Rent,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Private Practice,” “The Best Man,” “The Best Man Holiday”)

1975 – Actor Dax Shepard (“Without a Paddle,” “Zathura,” “Employee of the Month,” “Parenthood,” “The Judge”) 

1983 – Actress-model Kate Bosworth (“The Horse Whisperer,” “Blue Crush,” “Beyond the Sea,” “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!” “Superman Returns”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1959 – The Space Race intensifies as the Soviet Union launches Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the moon and orbit the sun. It was originally called Cosmic Rocket, but renamed Luna 1 to reflect the Soviets’ planned series of Luna missions to the moon. 

1971 – Known as the “Ibrox Disaster,” 66 football (soccer) fans die in a stampede at a stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, as they attempt to leave a game after a late goal by the home team. Nearly 200 other fans are injured.

1974 – President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the speed limit across the U.S. to 55 miles per hour in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo. The measure, known as the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, remains in effect until Congress repeals it in 1995.

1980 – Angered by Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter requests that the Senate postpone action on the SALT II nuclear weapons treaty and recalls the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union. 

1980 – Sherry Lansing is named the head of Fox Productions, becoming the first woman in charge of production at a major movie studio as well as one of the highest-paid female executives in any industry.

1990 – Actor Alan Hale, Jr., who played the Skipper on TV’s “Gilligan’s Island,” dies of cancer at the age of 68. 

2009 – Shortly after the death of British surgeon Harold Carr, his family discovers the rare, unrestored 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe that he owned — sitting in a garage, undriven for some 50 years. One month later, the car sells at a Paris auction for $4.4 million.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1965 – The Beatles’ eighth single, “I Feel Fine,” is in the middle of three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It is reported to be the first recorded song to incorporate guitar feedback (the opening note).

1971 – George Harrison’s first solo album, “All Things Must Pass,” featuring the hits “My Sweet Lord” and “What is Life,” begins a seven-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. In January 2014, the album is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

1979 – The murder trial of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious begins, with the punk rocker accused of stabbing his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, to death in a New York City hotel three months earlier. On February 2, 1979, before the trial is over, Vicious is found dead of a heroin overdose at the age of 21.

1982 – Olivia Newton-John is in the middle of a 10-week ride on top of the Billboard singles chart with her 80s workout anthem, “Physical.”

1988 – During a four-week run as a Billboard No. 1, “Faith,” by George Michael, officially becomes the first chart-topping single of 1988.

1993 – Whitney Houston is in the midst of a 14-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Will Always Love You,” a song originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1973.

1999 – The Céline Dion-R. Kelly duet, “I’m Your Angel,” is the No. 1 single.

2010 – Kesha kicks off nine weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Tik Tok.”

2016 – Adele begins the fourth of 10 non-sequential weeks on top of the Billboard album chart with her Grammy-winning album, “25.”

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On this Day: May 21

On this Day May 21

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1904 – Jazz pianist Fats Waller, best remembered for such jazz standards as “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (d. 1943)

1917 – Actor Raymond Burr (“Perry Mason,” “Ironside”) (d. 1993)

1948 – Singer-songwriter Leo Sayer (“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “When I Need You,” “More Than I Can Say”)

1952 – Actor-pro wrestler Mr. T, born Laurence Tureaud, known for his trademark mohawk and gold chains and who starred in the 1980s TV programs “The A-Team” and “Mister T”

1957 – Actor Judge Reinhold (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Ruthless People”)

1959 – Actor-director Nick Cassavetes (“Face/Off,” “The Astronaut’s Wife,” “John Q,” “Alpha Dog,” “She’s So Lovely,” “The Notebook”)

1966 – Actress Lisa Edelstein (“The West Wing,” “Ally McBeal,” “House”)

1972 – Acclaimed rapper The Notoroius B.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls), born Christopher Wallace (d. 1997)

1980 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Gotye, born Wouter De Backer, best known for his 2011 smash “Somebody That I Used to Know”

History Highlights
History Highlights

1881 – After being around wounded soldiers during the Civil War and, later, the Franco-Prussian War overseas, nurse and educator Clara Barton establishes the American Red Cross to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters as well as to military personnel and their families.

1901 – Connecticut becomes the first state to impose a speed limit for motor vehicles (known then as “horseless carriages”). Motorists are required to keep it to 12 miles per hour in the city and 15 miles per hour on country roads. Speed limits were first enacted in Connecticut because horseless carriage manufacturers were springing up all across New England, and New Englanders were buying, and driving, their products.

1917 – The Great Atlanta Fire destroys much of that city’s Fourth Ward, including nearly 2,000 homes and businesses. Ten thousand people—nearly one tenth of the city’s population—are left homeless.

1979 – Gay rights activists riot outside San Francisco City Hall following the conviction of Dan White for the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, an openly gay San Francisco supervisor. Protesters participating in the so-called White Night Riots contend that White’s sentence is too light.

1980 – A new installment to George Lucas’ “Star Wars” film saga opens in U.S. theaters: “The Empire Strikes Back.”

1999 – Ninetheenth time’s the charm! After 18 straight years of being nominated for a Best Actress Daytime Emmy Award and never winning, Susan Lucci finally captures the coveted honor for her portrayal of Erica Kane in the popular ABC soap opera “All My Children.”

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1955 – Rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry enters a Chicago sound studio and records his first single, “Ida Red.” During the session, his producer decides the track needs a new name: “Maybelline.” It becomes the first of Berry’s many hits.

1968 – “Tighten Up,” by Archie Bell & The Drells from Houston, Texas, is in the middle of a two-week run as the No. 1 single.

1971 – Marvin Gaye releases his eleventh studio album, “What’s Going On,” which becomes Motown Records’ best-selling album to date. It serves as a musical commentary on the Vietnam War. The title track soars to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becomes one of Gaye’s signature songs.

1977 – His musical tribute to jazz legend Duke Ellington, “Sir Duke,” puts Stevie Wonder on top of the singles chart.

1979 – Elton John becomes the first Western rock star to tour the Soviet Union. Over the course of eight days, he plays four concerts at the Great October Hall in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and four more at the exclusive Rossya Hotel in Moscow.

1983 – David Bowie grabs the top spot on the singles chart for a week with “Let’s Dance,” off the album of the same name. Coincidentally, that album was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy but had the misfortune of competing against Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

1994 – “I Swear,” by All-4-One, begins an 11-week domination of the pop chart.

2011 – Adele kicks off seven weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Rolling in the Deep,” which goes on to capture Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video Grammys.

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