On This Day November 3 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1921 – “Tough guy” actor Charles Bronson (“The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape,” “The Dirty Dozen,” “The Mechanic,” “Death Wish”) (d. 2003) 1933 – Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning film composer John Barry (“Midnight Cowboy,” “Out of Africa,” “Dances With Wolves” and many more) (d. 2011) 1952 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress-comedian Roseanne Barr, best known for her hit comedy series “Roseanne” 1953 – Actress Kate Capshaw, who met her husband, director Steven Spielberg, while working on the movie “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” 1953 – Comedian, “SNL” alum and political commentator Dennis Miller 1954 – New wave musician Adam Ant (“Antmusic,” “Goody Two Shoes”) 1957 – Swedish actor, director and martial artist Dolph Lundgren, best known for playing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV” and Gunner Jensen in “The Expendables” History Highlights 1903 – With the support of the U.S. government, Panama declares its independence from Colombia. 1948 – The Chicago Tribune mistakenly declares New York Governor Thomas Dewey winner of the presidential race against incumbent Harry S. Truman in a front-page headline: “Dewey Defeats Truman.” Truman had actually defeated Dewey by 114 electoral votes. 1957 – The Soviet Union ups the ante in the Space Race by launching Sputnik 2. On board the spacecraft is a dog named Laika that becomes the first living animal in space. 1964 – In one of the most crushing victories in the history of U.S. presidential elections, incumbent Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) defeats Republican challenger Barry Goldwater, Sr. 1969 – A group of local educational TV stations unites under the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) banner. There are more than 345 PBS stations in the U.S. today. 1976 – Based on a Stephen King novel, the horror film “Carrie,” starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, and directed by Brian De Palma, opens in U.S. theaters. 2014 – One World Trade Center officially opens in Manhattan. The 104-story, 1,776-foot-high tower is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and replaces the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Musical Milestones 1962 – “He’s a Rebel,” by The Crystals, begins a two-week ride on top of the Billboard singles chart. 1967 – The filming of “Magical Mystery Tour” wraps, with sequences for George Harrison’s song, “Blue Jay Way,” shot at Ringo Starr’s house with Ringo himself directing. 1972 – James Taylor and Carly Simon are married by a judge in Simon’s Manhattan apartment, beginning an 11-year marriage. That evening, Simon joins Taylor on stage at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and announces their union to a cheering audience. 1979 – One-hit wonder M has the most popular single in the U.S. with “Pop Muzik,” a song credited with ushering in the new wave era. 1984 – Billy Ocean starts a two-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run).” 1990 – Vanilla Ice owns the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Ice Ice Baby” — the first No. 1 hip hop single. The track is constructed on the bassline of “Under Pressure,” by Queen and David Bowie. 2001 – “Family Affair” becomes Mary J. Blige’s first No. 1 single. It holds the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. 2007 – “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” by Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, enters its seventh and final week as a No. 1 single. READ MORE
On This Day September 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1920 – Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor Mickey Rooney (d. 2014) 1930 – Grammy-winning soul music pioneer Ray Charles (d. 2004) 1943 – Grammy-winning pop singer Julio Iglesias (“Begin the Beguine,” “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before”) 1947 – Emmy-winning actress Mary Kay Place (“Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”) 1949 – Grammy-winning rock singer-songwriter Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen 1959 – Tony Award-winning actor-comedian Jason Alexander, best known as George Costanza in the hit comedy series “Seinfeld” History Highlights 1846 – German astronomer Johann Galle discovers Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun. 1875 – Originally named Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim, and later William H. Bonney, Billy the Kid as he was most widely known, is 15 when he is arrested for the first time after stealing a basket of laundry. He eventually earns a reputation as an outlaw and fugitive, with a rap sheet that allegedly included 21 murders. 1952 – Vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivers his nationally televised “Checkers Speech.” Nixon defends himself against charges of using a private fund for political expenses, and declares he would never give back the dog, Checkers, which was a gift to his daughters. 1962 – The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City opens with the completion of the first building, the Philharmonic Hall, now Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic. 1994 – “The Shawshank Redemption,” starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, opens in theaters. Based on a 1982 short story by Stephen King titled “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” the film garners seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but wins none. Musical Milestones 1957 – The Crickets, featuring Buddy Holly, dominate the singles chart with “That’ll Be The Day.” The song is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, and in 2005, is placed in the National Recording Registry among recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.” 1967 – “The Letter” sends The Box Tops to the top of the singles chart where they remain slotted for four weeks. 1972 – Mac Davis begins three weeks as a chart-topper with “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” his only No. 1. 1978 – With the disco era in full swing, A Taste of Honey enters its third and final week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” 1989 – Milli Vanilli’s “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” becomes the duo’s second chart-topping single. The album it’s on, “Girl You Know It’s True,” also kicks off two week’s at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. 2000 – Madonna is in the middle of a four-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Music.” It is her 12th No. 1 single. READ MORE
On This Day September 21 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1866 – Author H. G. Wells (“The Time Machine,” “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” “The Invisible Man,” “The War of the Worlds”) (d. 1946) 1931 – Actor Larry Hagman, best known for his role as villainous Texas oil tycoon J.R. Ewing in CBS’ hit series “Dallas” (d. 2012) 1934 – Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, known for his poetic lyrics, iconic songs and baritone voice (d. 2016) 1943 – Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Beverly Hills Cop,” “Flashdance,” “Top Gun,” “The Rock,” “Con Air,” “Armageddon,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “National Treasure”) 1947 – Award-winning horror, science fiction, and suspense novelist Stephen King (“Carrie,” “The Shining,” “The Stand,” “Misery,” “The Dark Tower”) 1950 – Emmy-winning actor-comedian Bill Murray (“Saturday Night Live,” “Caddyshack,” “Stripes,” “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Lost in Translation,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” “Hyde Park on Hudson,” “St. Vincent”) 1957 – Writer-producer Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers (“Raising Arizona,” “The Hudsucker Proxy,” “Fargo, “The Big Lebowski,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Hail, Caesar!”) 1967 – Grammy-winning country music singer Faith Hill (“Wild One,” “Piece of My Heart,” “This Kiss,” “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me”) 1968 – Actress and talk show host Ricki Lake (“Hairspray,” “Ricki Lake”) 1971 – Actor Luke Wilson (“Idiocracy,” “Old School,” “Bottle Rocket,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Blue Streak,” “Bongwater,” “Legally Blonde”) History Highlights 1780 – Revolutionary War hero Benedict Arnold turns his back on his country during a secret meeting with British Major John Andre. The two discuss Arnold’s handing over West Point to the British in exchange for a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The scheme is exposed and Arnold instantly goes from American patriot to traitor. 1970 – “Monday Night Football” premieres on ABC with Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and Keith Jackson. 1981 – The U.S. Senate unanimously confirms Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Supreme Court justice. Considered a moderate conservative, O’Connor serves for 24 years. 1989 – U.S. Army General Colin Powell is confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell becomes the first African American to achieve the nation’s highest military post. 2003 – After a 14-year mission studying Jupiter and its moons, the Galileo space probe is destroyed by NASA engineers to protect a possible ocean beneath the icy crust of the moon Europa. Musical Milestones 1961 – Robert Allen Zimmerman enters a New York City recording studio and, after spending $400, emerges with a completed LP. Columbia Records goes on to release his self-titled album—”Bob Dylan.” 1963 – Bobby Vinton sees early success in his musical career as “Blue Velvet” reaches No. 1 on the singles chart and stays there for three weeks. 1966 – Jimi Hendrix changes the spelling of his first name from J-I-M-M-Y to J-I-M-I. 1968 – One-hit-wonder Jeannie C. Riley owns the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Harper Valley PTA.” The country-pop crossover also topped the Billboard Country chart. 1974 – Barry White grabs hold of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.” 1985 – Heavy exposure on MTV helps Dire Straits reach No. 1 on the singles chart with “Money for Nothing.” The track, which features Sting on background vocals, holds the top spot for three weeks. 2002 – Dilemma,” by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland, is in the middle of a seven-week ride atop the pop chart. READ MORE
On this Day May 23 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1883 – Actor-producer Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who was one of Hollywood’s founding fathers (“The Mark of Zorro,” “The Thief of Baghdad,” “Robin Hood”) (d. 1939) 1910 – Actor-singer Scatman Crothers (“The Aristocats,” “Harlem Globetrotters,” “Chico and the Man,” “The Shining”) (d. 1986) 1928 – Singer Rosemary Clooney (“Come On-a My House”, “Botch-a-Me,” “Mambo Italiano,” “Tenderly,” “Half as Much,” “Hey There,” “This Ole House”) (d. 2002) 1933 – Golden Globe-winning actress and author Joan Collins, best known for her role in the 80s TV series “Dynasty” 1954 – Former middleweight champion boxer “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler 1958 – Best-selling author Mitch Albom, most widely recognized for his 1997 book, “Tuesdays With Morrie” 1958 – Comedian and TV game show host Drew Carey (“The Drew Carey Show,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “The Price is Right”) 1965 – Actress Melissa McBride (“The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” “The Mist,” “The Walking Dead”) 1974 – Singer-songwriter Jewel, born Jewel Kilcher (“Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “Foolish Games”) History Highlights 1934 – Authorities shoot and kill outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow (“Bonnie and Clyde”) while the couple drive a stolen car through Louisiana. The ambush ends one of the most colorful and spectacular manhunts in the U.S. up to that time. 1958 – America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, stops transmitting data when its batteries die. However, the probe remains in orbit for 12 years, eventually burning up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean on March 31, 1970. 1960 – Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announces the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who goes on to stand trial in Israel. 1980 – Stanley Kubrick’s psychological horror film “The Shining,” based on the Stephen King novel of the same name and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, opens in U.S. theaters. 2015 – Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage. Musical Milestones 1960 – The Everly Brothers begin a five-week ride atop the singles chart with “Cathy’s Clown.” 1964 – Ella Fitzgerald becomes the first artist to enjoy a hit with a Beatles cover when “Can’t Buy Me Love” enters the British pop chart. 1979 – Rocker Tom Petty defies his record label and files for bankruptcy, a move that goes on to permanently change the music industry. 1981 – George Harrison’s “All Those Years Ago” debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually reaching No. 2. Paul and Linda McCartney and Ringo Starr lend their talents to the single, a tribute to John Lennon who died a year earlier. 1985 – Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy’s one and only hit single, “Party All The Time’ — produced by Rick James and Kevin Johnston — is released. The track reaches No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1992 – “Jump,” by hip-hop duo Kris Kross, is in the middle of an eight-week hold on the top spot on the singles chart. 1998 – Mariah Carey enjoys a week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “My All.” READ MORE