On This Day March 1 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1904 – Swing bandleader, composer and arranger Glenn Miller (d. 1944) 1927 – Grammy and Tony-winning singer, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte, dubbed the “King of Calypso” 1944 – Singer-songwriter and The Who founder-frontman Roger Daltrey 1954 – Actor and Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard (“The Andy Griffith Show,” “Happy Days,” “Apollo 13,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Cinderella Man,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story”) 1994 – Grammy-winning pop sensation Justin Bieber History Highlights 1872 – The U.S. Congress passes an act designating Yellowstone the first federally protected national park. 1932 – In one of the most sensational criminal cases in American history, the 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped from the family’s Hopewell, New Jersey mansion. Despite a ransom payment, the child is never returned. Two months later, his decomposed body is found by a truck driver about four miles from the Lindbergh home. The investigation eventually leads to the arrest of German immigrant and carpenter Bruno Hauptmann, who is tried, convicted and executed for the crime in 1936. 1961 – Newly elected President John F. Kennedy signs an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Over the years, the Peace Corps has sent nearly a quarter of a million American volunteers to 141 countries to provide local training and assistance with health, education, water, sanitation, agriculture, nutrition and forestry projects. 1969 – Legendary New York Yankees center fielder Mickey Mantle announces his retirement from baseball. Nicknamed “The Mick,” he is considered one of the greatest power and switch hitters in baseball history. Musical Milestones 1969 – “Everyday People,” by Sly and the Family Stone, tops the Billboard Hot 100. 1973 – “The Dark Side of the Moon,” the eighth studio album by British rock band Pink Floyd, is released in the U.S. and gives us classics including “Money” and “Us and Them.” It remains on the Billboard album chart for an incredible 937 weeks (18 years). 1974 – Olivia Newton-John wins Record of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance Grammys for “I Honestly Love You.” 1975 – The Eagles soar to the top of the singles chart with their first No. 1 single: “Best of My Love.” 1986 – Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie,” from the band’s “Welcome to the Real World” album, begins two weeks as a No. 1 single. 1997 – The Spice Girls’ debut single, “Wannabe,” is in the middle of a four-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100. The track also goes on to top the pop charts in the band’s native U.K. and 20 other countries. 2003 – Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J wrap up four weeks as chart-toppers with “All I Have.” READ MORE
On this Day June 11 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1913 – Legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi (d. 1970) 1933 – Actor-comedian and author Gene Wilder, born Jerome Silberman (“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein”) (d. 2016) 1945 – Actress-author Adrienne Barbeau (“The Fog,” “Creepshow,” “Escape From New York”) 1956 – Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana, who played for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs 1959 – Golden Globe-winning actor-comedian and musician Hugh Laurie, best known for his starring role in the TV series “House” 1969 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Peter Dinklage (“Death at a Funeral,” “The Station Agent,” “Elf,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” “Pixels,” “Game of Thrones”) 1978 – Actor Joshua Jackson (“Dawson’s Creek,” “The Mighty Ducks,” Fringe”) 1986 -Emmy-winning actor Shia LaBeouf (“Even Stevens,” “Holes,” “Transformers,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) History Highlights 1944 – Lieutenant John F. Kennedy receives the prestigious Navy and Marine Corps Medal in recognition of his heroic, life-saving actions as a gunboat pilot during World War II. Kennedy, who goes on to become America’s 35th president, also receives a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in battle. He is the only president to have earned either of those high honors. 1955 – Carnage at Le Mans, as an Austin-Healey and Mercedes-Benz collide, showering flaming wreckage onto spectators. Eighty-two people are killed and at least 100 injured in one of auto racing’s worst accidents. 1962 – Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin become the only prisoners to successfully escape from Alcatraz prison. No one ever saw or heard from them again, although there were multiple unconfirmed sightings over the years. 1967 – The Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ends with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire. That November, the U.N. Security Council adopts a resolution establishing a formula for Arab-Israeli peace whereby Israel would withdraw from territories occupied in the war in exchange for peace with its neighbors. 1963 – An outspoken opponent of school desegregation, Alabama Governor George Wallace physically blocks two African American students from entering the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. President John F. Kennedy responds by federalizing the Alabama National Guard and ordering troops to escort the students to their classes. Wallace then steps aside, but that evening, Kennedy delivers a national address about segregation regarded by many historians as one of the turning points in the civil rights movement. 1977 – MLK assassin James Earl Ray escapes from Brushy Mountain State Prison in Tennessee, but is recaptured three days later. 1979 – Cancer claims the life of screen legend John Wayne (“El Dorado,” “Rio Bravo,” “True Grit,” “The Comancheros”) at the age of 72. 1982 – Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” opens in U.S. theaters and becomes a box office bonanza. The movie launches the career of actress Drew Barrymore, and in 1994, is selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” 1986 – “Bueller… Bueller…” The now-classic John Hughes film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck and Mia Sara, opens in U.S. theaters. Musical Milestones 1957 – Elvis Presley releases “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” which becomes a No. 1 hit a month later. 1960 – The Hollywood Argyles claim the top spot on the pop chart with “Alley-Oop,” based on the comic strip of the same name. 1966 – The Rolling Stones rule the Billboard singles chart with “Paint it Black,” which holds at No. 1 for two weeks. 1977 – “I’m Your Boogie Man” becomes the fourth chart-topping hit for KC and the Sunshine Band. 1983 – Irene Cara is in the middle of a six-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Flashdance…What a Feeling,” from the “Flashdance” movie soundtrack. 1988 – London’s Wembley Stadium hosts Freedomfest, a concert celebrating the 70th birthday of imprisoned anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. Performers include Whitney Houston, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, George Michael, Eric Clapton, UB40, The Eurythmics and Simple Minds. The concert is broadcast to about a billion people in 67 countries. 1994 – “I Swear,” by All-4-One is in the midst of an 11-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 2011 – Pink Floyd’s 1973 album, “The Dark Side Of The Moon,” re-enters the Billboard album chart at No. 47 and reaches a milestone of 1,000 weeks on the charts. This classic contains such fan favorites as “Time,” “Money” and “Breathe (In the Air).” To date, more than 50 million copies have sold worldwide. READ MORE