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On This Day September 20

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Celebrity Birthdays

1878 – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Upton Sinclair (“The Jungle,” “Boston,” “Dragon’s Teeth”) (d. 1968)

1929 – Actress-comedian Anne Meara, half of the famous [Jerry] Stiller-Meara comedy duo (d. 2015)

1934 – Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning actress Sophia Loren, born Sofia Villani Scicolone (“Two Women,” “Marriage Italian Style,” “A Countess from Hong Kong,” “Sunflower,” “More Than a Miracle”)

1948 – Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin

1956 – Actor Gary Cole (“Fatal Vision,” “Midnight Caller,” “American Gothic,” “The Brady Bunch Movie” and sequel, “Office Space,” “One Hour Photo,” “Kim Possible,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “The West Wing,” “Veep”)

1967 – Actress Kristen Johnston (“3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas,” “The Exes”)

History Highlights

1881 – Chester Arthur is inaugurated, becoming the third person to serve as United States president that year.

1963 – Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, President John F. Kennedy proposes that the United States and the Soviet Union collaborate on a mission to the moon, catching many from both countries off guard.

1973 – Tennis legend Billie Jean King wins the Battle of the Sexes, defeating Bobby Riggs in three straight sets during an internationally broadcast match at the Houston Astrodome. 

1977 – A spin-off of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” premieres. It’s CBS’ hour-long dramatic series “Lou Grant,” starring Ed Asner as an LA newspaper editor. 

1984 – Americans begin eavesdropping on the Huxtable family, as “The Cosby Show” debuts on NBC.

Musical Milestones

1969 – “Sugar, Sugar,” by The Archies, begins a four-week run on top of the pop chart and becomes Billboard’s No. 1 song of 1969. The track — part of the so-called “bubblegum pop” genre of the late 60s and early 70s — ran in the animated “The Archie Comedy Hour” on CBS Television.

1973 – A plane crash claims the life of 30-year-old singer-songwriter Jim Croce at the peak of his career. The accident occurs right before the release of his “I Got a Name” album, which spawns three posthumous hits including the title track. 

1975 – David Bowie achieves fame with his first U.S. No. 1 single, “Fame,” a song co-written by John Lennon. However, the track only manages to get as high as No. 17 on the U.K. singles chart.

1986 – “Stuck With You,” by Huey Lewis and the News, is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sticks there for three weeks.

1997 – Mariah Carey is in the middle of a three-week hold on the top spot on the singles chart with “Honey.”

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