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On This Day November 15

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Celebrity Birthdays

1887 – Artist Georgia O’Keeffe, considered the “mother of American modernism” (d. 1986)

1929 – Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Lou Grant,” “JFK,” “Elf,” “Up”)

1932 – Grammy-winning pop vocalist Petula Clark (“Downtown,” “I Know a Place,” “A Sign of the Times,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway”)

1940 – Golden Globe-winning actor Sam Waterston (“The Killing Fields,” “Law & Order,” “The Newsroom”)

1945 – Actor Bob Gunton (“Demolition Man,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Patch Adams”)

1952 – Fashion designer Jimmy Choo

1972 – Actor Jonny Lee Miller (“Trainspotting,” “Hackers, ” Elementary”)

1991 – Actress Shailene Woodley (“Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “The Descendants,” “The Spectacular Now,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” the “Divergent” series)

History Highlights

1867 – The first stock ticker is introduced in New York City and goes on to revolutionize the stock market by making up-to-the-minute prices available to investors around the country. Previously, such information was transmitted by mail or messenger.

1969 – Dave Thomas opens the world’s first Wendy’s fast food restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.

1977 – President Jimmy Carter hosts the Shah of Iran at the White House.

1977 – Ford Motor Company celebrates its 100,000,000th car built in America. It’s a 1978 Fairmont four-door sedan.

1984 – Baby Fae dies 20 days after doctors replaced the newborn’s defective heart with that of a baboon.

1985 – A research assistant suffers burns and shrapnel wounds when he opens an exploding package at the home of University of Michigan psychology professor James McConnell. Investigators determine the package bomb is the work of the so-called Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.

1996 – “The English Patient,” starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, opens in theaters. The film goes on to capture nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Musical Milestones

1956 – “Love Me Tender,” Elvis Presley’s first movie, opens at the Paramount Theater in New York. Presley plays one of three brothers turned outlaws in the musical Western.

1969 – The Fifth Dimension are in the midst of a three-week hold on the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Wedding Bell Blues.”

1975 – Host Dick Clark welcomes Swedish pop phenom ABBA to TV’s “American Bandstand.”

1975 – Elton John begins his third and final week as captain of the pop chart with “Island Girl,” from his “Rock of the Westies” album.

1980 – After years of success on the music charts with the New Christy Minstrels and The First Edition, Kenny Rogers scores his first No. 1 single as a solo act with “Lady.” The song, written and produced by Lionel Richie, holds the top spot for six weeks.

1986 – “Amanda,” by Boston, begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single. It is the band’s first officially released single since 1978.

1990 – During a press conference, Milli Vanilli producer Frank Farian confirms rumors that band members Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan never actually sang any of their hit records.

1997 – Elton John is in the middle of a 14-week domination of the pop chart with his tribute to Princess Diana, “Candle in the Wind 1997.”

2003 – “Baby Boy,” by Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul, is the No. 1 single. 

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